388 



Note on the Lepchas of Sikkim. 



[No. 100. 



culiar to this part of the country ; it is an excellent one, and a 

 roofing of it, especially when exposed to smoke, endures about 

 five years. It has been adopted by us at Dorjeling, and is 

 undoubtedly the most convenient and cheap roof as yet ob- 

 tainable. 



I hope to furnish presently a few memoranda on the 

 Limboos, and crave indulgence as to the defects of this 

 letter, in consideration of the few opportunities which have as 

 yet been offered me of mixing with the Lepchas, beyond 

 a very limited space of country around Dorjeling, and on 

 the Nipal frontier, in the immediate neighbourhood of the 

 Mechi river. 



Vocabulary of the Lepcha Language. 



fire, me 



water, oong, 



mud, phut 



wood, koong 



iron, pinjing 



copper, song 



silver, kom 



gold, jere 



house, le 



man, murroh 



woman, aiyoo 



old man, puneom 



young ditto, phaling 



ditto woman, phaling yeu 



cow, long 



bull, bop 



he goat, sarchroo 



she ditto, sarmot 



dog, kushod 



bitch, kushod mot 



fowl, heek 



cock, aboo 



hen, amot 



grey, tok-took 

 ivory, tangmoovik 

 a boat, too 

 fish, nghoo 

 a snake, boo 

 bird, pho 

 tiger, sitong 

 good, riupa 

 God, rim 

 the sun, suchum 

 moon, lavo 

 stars, sohSr 

 clouds, punbroong 

 thunder, sungmut 

 lightning, suleop 

 rain, so 

 snow, sonong 

 wind, sorum 

 a river, oong kioong 

 pool, oong-lup 

 mountain, lole 

 valley, biongsi 

 country, leang 



