1837.] the Mishmee hills in Assam. 333 



The lance heads are of their own manufacture and of very soft iron. 



They have latterly become acquainted with fire-arras, and the chiefs 



have mostly each a firelock of Lama construction. 



Their implements of husbandry are very few and rude. They have 



no metal utensils of their own manufacture, — all their cooking being: 



carried on in square capacious stone vessels, which answer their 



purpose very well. The population is certainly scanty, and may be 



estimated as follows : — 



Jingsha, 50 



Tapan, 80 



Deeling and Yeu 80 



Ghalooms, 80 



Khasha, 100 



Ptimsong, 70 



460 

 This must be considered as a rough estimate, and probably is con- 

 siderably exaggerated. 



The number of villages among which the above population is 

 distributed is seven, but it must be remembered that there are two 

 other villages, namely, Meei'isao and Rulings, close to the Rhashus. 

 By far the greater number of villages appear to be located near the 

 banks of the Lohit ; I saw only one situated on the Leeng ; while on the 

 summits of Thumathaya, the villages Jingsha, Tapan, Deeling and Yeu 

 consist of several houses, none, however, exceeding ten in number ; 

 and Ghaloom's, Khasha's and Primsong's consist each of a single 

 house. The houses in the former case resemble a good deal those of 

 the Singphos, and are of variable size ; in the latter case the house is 

 of enormous length, this depending on the rank of the possessor, and 

 capable of accommodating from eighty to one hundred and sixty 

 persons, — all are built on machauns, constructed almost entirely with 

 bamboo, divided into compartments and thatched with the leaf of a 

 marontaceous plant (arrow-root family) likewise found in Assam ; this 

 being again covered, at least in some instances, with the leaves of a 

 species of ratan. The leaf of the former answers its purpose admir- 

 ably both as to neatness and durability, and forms an excellent protec- 

 tion against the rain. Khasha's house is certainly one hundred and 

 sixty feet in length ; it is divided into twenty apartments, all of which 

 open into a passage : generally it would appear on the right side of 

 the house as one enters, along which the skulls and jawbones of the 

 various cattle killed during the possessor's life time are arranged. In 

 each apartment there is a square fire-place, consisting merely of earth, 

 2 x 



