294 Jcurnal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XVII. 
but it should be borne in mind that even in the specimens 
given mystical and legendary clements are embedded, and 
secondly, that also in Finland the old stately and exalted 
songs have degenerated into modern flippancies and. eroti- 
cisms. 
In this connection I may refer to that curious dialogue 
between a boy and girl given by Reade on page 110, of which 
words and situation remind us of our gsung bshad, and we may 
further quote his old authority, the Meistersinger amongst 
runo-chanters, Arhippa Perttunnen, who said (page 31) : ** All 
through the nights they sang by the fire, hand in hand, and 
never the same song twice. I was a little boy and sat listen- 
ing, and thus I learned my best songs. But I have already 
forgotten much. None of my sons will be a singer after me 
as I was after my father. The old songs are no longer loved 
Another field for comparision is Nepal. I am told that 
there a custom still prevails which anciently was also followed 
in Tibet. A group of girls and boys gather together, some- 
irty in 
“ cr; 
started. Whoever of the two singers fails to reply suitably is 
declared vanquished and the victor may claim his or her com- 
request by Mrs. Yang-dzom, the wife of one cf my Tibetan 
teachers, Karma Samtan Paul. This good lady, who has since 
died, came originally from Gyangtse, and was noted in her 
younger years for her skill as a gsung bshad singer. It was 
very kind of her to consent to dictate them. I studied the 
first two carefully with two of my teachers and prepared a 
translation as well as discussed and revised the test. The 
third text is unrevised and I append the translation which 
Karma Samtan prepared for me. The language of the texts is 
