OCCASIONAL NOTES FROM SIKHIM. — NO. I. 381 



settled down on a ploughable piece, he cultivates it year after 

 year, builds a much better house than formerly, wears more 

 clothing — even shoes in winter — and bedecks his wives and 

 children with large quantities of jewellery. 



A few years ago the (for that time) well-to-do ryot was rather 

 proud of his clumsy Nepaul umbrella of painted cloth and cane 

 ribs, but now he must have an English one, and nothing less than 

 a twelve-steel-ribbed one will suffice. In nothing, perhaps, can 

 the native's prosperity be easier traced than in his style of 

 umbrella. From his mat one to the painted, then to veritable 

 " Sairey Gamps," and so on to the present twelve-ribbed stage. 

 The painted ones are rather a loss to the ornithologist, for on 

 them were often displayed beautiful pictures of what are, even 

 to this day, " new and undescribed " species, I might say 

 genera, of birds ! 



The Tea Industry has certainly been a great benefit to 

 the native. Many of them did not think so, and made 

 a rush across to British Bhootan where the Tea planter is 

 not allowed to follow ; but except those situated whence thev 

 can take their produce to market they would only be too glad 

 to have Tea planters near them again, and many long to o- e t 

 back to their old quarters. They say, " we can grow plenty 

 of stuff, but without purchasers it is of no use." Their wants 

 and little comforts had increased so insensibly, though surely, 

 that they did not know their lives had been made more comfort- 

 able until they got back to the same sort of position they 

 were in before the planter appeared on the scene and bettered 

 their condition in spite of themselves. It is still no uncommon 

 thing to hear Europeans, who ought to know better, talkino- 

 of the ruinous system of cultivation — or rather non-cultivation, 

 the natives have of taking one or two crops only from the 

 same piece of land, and then moving on to fresh ground. This 

 system — and a bad one it was — used to be carried on, but since 

 some years back it has become an impossibility owino- to the 

 increase of population and scarcity of laud. The change has 

 been so gradual that many residents are scarcely aware it has 

 taken place. In many parts there are hundreds of acres on 

 end, cultivated year after year with good results. 



This radical change — from virgin forests to large tracts of 

 cultivated laud — is causing great alterations in the nature of the 

 vegetation, and, no doubt, equally great changes among the birds, 

 insects, &c, which it will be interesting to watch. These beino- 

 constantly on the move, an increase or decrease in their numbers 

 are not so readily noticed. The smaller plants fall much more 

 under every-day notice than do the larger trees, many of which 

 run great risk of becoming extinct, as the majority of 



