184 THE PROTEIN ELEMENT IN NUTRITION 



We believe that diet, and particularly the level of nitrogenous 

 metabolism attained, has an immense influence on the formation 

 of those desirable characteristics so well exemplified in the races 

 whence is drawn our best fighting material. Further, although 

 we have made little or no attempt to advance arguments for or 

 against vegetarianism, it will be found that those races, whether 

 of the hills or the plains, who are distinguished above all others 

 for their martial qualities, are never vegetarians, but, on the 

 contrary, usually large meat-eaters. The Sikh lives on wheat, 

 other cereals, milk, and meat, particularly pork, of which he is 

 specially fond. The Eajput, Pathan, Baluchi, etc., are all large 

 meat-consumers, while the more or less purely vegetarian races, 

 such as the Brahmins, are gradually being eliminated as recruiting 

 sources for the Indian Army. We shall study the influence of 

 the protein element of the dietaries of these races presently, 

 simply pointing out now that the elimination of the several 

 causes advanced by Kellogg, effected by comparison of tribes or 

 races living under identical conditions as regards sexual excesses, 

 climate, immature age of marriage, etc., brings out in its proper 

 aspect the determining influence of diet on the character forma- 

 tion of a people. All the evidence we have been able to collect 

 from observations on the different tribes and races of India 

 points to a high level of protein interchange in the body being 

 accompanied by a high development of physique and manly 

 qualities ; whilst under the opposite conditions, poor physique, 

 and a cringing, effeminate disposition is all that can be expected. 



THE HILL-TRIBES OF BENGAL. 



We have given in Chapter IV. the dietaries of the more 

 important and accessible of the tribes inhabiting the lower ranges 

 of the Himalayas in Bengal. From a dietetic standpoint they 

 may be divided into two great classes, each with two subclasses : 



1. Bhutias. 



(1) Tibetan Bhutias and Nepalese Bhutias. 



(2) Sikkim Bhutias or Lepchas. 



2. Nepalese. 



(1) Chuttries higher classes (Brahmins). 



(2) Matwales (Mangar, Janidar). 



