834 Journal of a visit to [May,, 



about which the bamboos are cut away. As no exit for the smoke is 

 allowed, the air of the interior is dense and oppressive, and often 

 exceedingly painful to the eyes. 



Domestic animals. Their live-stock consist chiefly of hogs, mathoons, 

 a noble animal intermediate between the bull and buffalo, and fowls. 

 Of these the hogs are the most common — they are easily procurable; 

 but they are not at all disposed to part with the fowls, which they say 

 is the favorite food of the deity. I was hence frequently reduced to 

 eat pork, which seemed to me, no doubt, on account of its vile 

 feeding, verv unwholesome. On ray arrival at each village a hog was 

 killed as a matter of course, of which a portion was presented to me, 

 and a portion to my people. In one case only a young mathoon was 

 killed ; in all these cases, the flesh is immediately cut up and devoured 

 as soon as possible. Their cooking is very rude, chiefly consisting of 

 minces. Chowrie-tailed cows are only to be met with farther in the 

 interior. 



Their dogs are of the ordinary pariah kind.' Cats are uncommon. 



Among the skulls ranged in their houses, those of several other 

 kinds of cattle occur, including the cows of the plains, and the buffa- 

 lo ; the remainder are procured entirely from Lama. 



Cultivation. Their cultivation is scanty, apparently not sufficient to 

 supply even their wants, and carried on in a very rude way. The 

 most favorable places are of course selected, either on the slopes of 

 the hills or on the occasionally more level patches, and joining the 

 Lohit. The soil in almost all cases consists of a thin superstratum of 

 vegetable mould. Some of the villages are in possession of a good sort 

 of hill rice, but the chief cultivation is of bobasd*. goomdan\ or Indian 

 corn, khonee\ and two or three still inferior grains. The villages 

 situated at low elevations produce excellent yams and aloos of seve- 

 ral kinds. They are unacquainted with wheat, barley, &c. ; nor 

 have they even taken the trouble to obtain potatoes. The capability 

 of the country up to the point to which I searched, is not great, but 

 thence the landscape is at once sufficient to convince one that the 

 improvement is rapid as one proceeds to the eastward. 



Of kanee a small quantity is cultivated, chiefly however for sale to 

 the Singphos, although many of the natives are great opium eaters. 

 They cultivate a sufficient quantity of cotton for the manufacture of 

 their own clothing, but it seems to be of inferior quality. Tobacco is 

 in great request, still it does not seem to be regularly cultivated. 

 Both sexes, young and old, are determined smokers ; their pipes are 

 * Elentiue caracana. t Tea woys. $ Davaee sp. 



