OF NORTHEASTERN BENGAL. 115 



and come nearer to the Aryan races ; but Chinese admixt- 

 ure has greatly modified the lower classes of all these 

 races, so that it is difficult to find one of pure blood. 



It is impossible to determine how much the Dravidian 

 element enters into many of the Kolariun tribes ; it is cer- 

 tain that many of the Hinduized aborigines are Dravidian, 

 characterized by speaking the Tamil language, and num- 

 bering over a million in Bengal alone ; they also have in 

 their language Sanskrit elementfe, especially among the 

 more civilized. 



I will not discuss the point whether the so-called Dra- 

 vidians have any Mongolian admixtures or characteristics, 

 as I think the whole race in question must be dated back 

 as very ancient branches of a pro-Malay common stock. It 

 is probable that, after the separation of what afterwards 

 became what is styled the-Mongolian stock, in the moun- 

 tains to the north, these races mingled together and it is 

 certain that in modern times they have been mixed with 

 the Aryan Hindoosl ot ? 



I recognized a national fesemblance between the degen- 

 erated Santhals, both -physically and mentally, and the 

 present inhabitants of eastern and southern India, and 

 Ceylon, and by their wanderings, in Singapore. In the 

 last named place I sawtheTelingas or Klings, who, though 

 dark as negroes, have very fine heads and bearded faces, 

 non-negroid black hair, flashing eyes and pleasing features ; 

 but the body and limbs -ar* poorly developed, as they 

 prefer house service to hard out-door work. The men 

 often wear ear-rings and bracelets, and are savagely hand- 

 some fellows, but good-natured and industrious. The 

 women have a more barbaric look, wearing armlets and 

 anklets, jewelry in the lobe and top of the ears, ornaments 

 in each wing of the nose, and often a ring in the middle 

 cartilage of considerable size ; you see among them many 



