XXXI. 



" The Highlands are entirely uninhabited ; but there are two 

 tribes inhabiting the lower spurs of the range called Pooliars and 

 Moodoowars. I only met with the former ; both tribes cultivate to a 

 small extent, felling, however, large tracks of valuable forest to raise 

 their wretched crops of ragee and bullar (dholl). I particularly 

 noticed the great extent of forest cleared for Coomri cultivation since 

 1858. 



"The Pooliars are a wild looking race, somewhat resembling 

 the Karders and Mulcers who inhabit the slopes more to the north 

 and westward ; but the most marked peculiarity about them, as 

 stated in Major Michael's report, is their hair, which they allow to 

 grow to an enormous length, tying it up in a huge knot at the back 

 of their heads ; others again, appear to take no pride whatever in 

 their hair, allowing it to stand out in dishevelled locks, giving them 

 a most wild and uncouth look, like the drawings I have seen of the 

 savages of Australia. Some of the young men wear their hair in 

 large bunches at the sides, bound round "the forehead with a small 

 brass chain, these appeared to be the dandies of the tribe ; in many 

 instances the hair when let down came considerably below the hips, 

 but I did not see the man with his hair trailing on the ground 

 described by Major Michael, he was away at a distant village. The 

 dress of both the men and women is similar to that of the inhabitants 

 of the plains, when they can afford it; though in general the dress of 

 the former consisted of nothing more than a ragged waist cloth. I 

 observed one or two men wearing turbands, and was told that they 

 were well to do, and could afford them. 



" The Pooliars have a few goats and fowls ; their villages 

 consist of scattered bamboo huts thatched with grass ; those in the 

 village of Poondy were well made, some of the houses having 

 'pandals' in front of them, and looked more comfortable than many 

 of the native huts in the plains ; besides the villages named above, 

 they have several temporary hamlets. On my way up to the high 

 ranges I passed two of these that had been burnt down by the recent 

 annual fires, they being deserted by the occupants during the hot 

 season. The owner of one of the hamlets was with me carrying a 



