321 J. Butler — Bough Notes on the Angami Nagds. [No. 4, 



hues, white, hlack, hlue, and , scarlet, wave to and fro most gracefully, at 

 every motion of the shield. Besides the spear, dao, and shield, I must not 

 omit to mention that, when proceeding out on a forray, they invariahly take 

 with them several bundles of " panjies", with which they rapidly cover the 

 path on retreat, so as to disable and retard any party that may start in 

 pursuit. 



The only implements of husbandry they use, are the dao described 

 above ; an axe common to almost all the tribes on this frontier, notable for 

 its small size ; and a light hoe, especially remarkable for its extraordinari- 

 ly crooked handle, which necessitates a very bent position, in order to use 

 it. The handle of this hoe is only about from 18 inches to 2 feet in length, 

 and the iron tip from 6 inches to a foot in length. With these very sim- 

 ple articles they do all their tillage, both in their terrace cultivation and in 

 their 'jhums'. The soil of the terraced lands is extremely good; and from 

 being kept well manured and irrigated, by means of artificial channels, 

 along which the water is often brought from very long distances by means 

 of aqueducts, ingeniously constructed of hollowed out trees, and sometimes 

 bridging deep ravines, it yields a very large return. The rice for the terrace 

 cultivation is generally sown in March, transplanted in June, and reaped 

 in October. The rice in the jhtims — a system which, it is perhaps need- 

 less for me to explain, entails fresh land being taken up every three or four 

 years — is generally sown broad cast in April and harvested in August. 

 Besides rice, of which there are several sorts, the Nagas grow a kind of coarse 

 dal or field-pea, Indian-corn, and several varieties of small grains, such as 

 that which the Asamese call " koni-dhan ", not to mention various kinds of 

 yams, chillies, ginger, garlic, pumkins, and other vegetables, as well as cotton, 

 which latter, however, is restricted to the lower ranges and low valleys. 



With regard to domestic animals, the Anganai breeds cows (of a far 

 superior kind to those met with in Asam), pigs, goats, dogs, and fowb, 

 both for the purpose of food as well as for sale and barter. Boast dog is 

 considered a great delicacy, and is supposed to be a particularly good diet 

 for certain diseases. As may be easily understood, they are not nice feeders, 

 and I believe there is really scarcely any single thing that walks, crawls, 

 flies, or swims, that comes amiss to their voracious stomachs, and I have 

 often been astounded to see the filthy carrion they can devour, not only 

 with impunity, but with evident relish. And yet strange to say, good fresh 

 milk is entirely repugnant to them, and they pretend that its very smell is 

 enough to make them sick. 



Finally, as regards the dress of the Angami, I do not think that we 

 can easily find a more picturesque costume anywhere than that of the men, 

 but it requires to be seen to be understood, and I am afraid no amount 

 of description can adequately represent the vivid colours, and general get- 



