116 Description of the Country of Seisthan. [No. 146. 



and Camels do not live long, on account of swarms of white flies that 

 attack them. 



The country is flat and sterile in general ; rice, wheat, and barley 



Produce, &c. are however produced in some parts. 



Among the fruits, grapes are scarce, and Melons of both kinds 

 plentiful and good. 



The wild animals are hogs and hares, of which there are a great abund- 



Wild animals. ance, jackals, foxes and others (in lake Amoo.) In 

 the same lake, are also fish of a large kind, and wild fowls in great 

 number, among which is a large bird called Koo (3") 3* of which are 

 caught on an average a day. The down of this bird is much esteemed 

 for stuffing pillows, it is sold in Candahar for — Rupees the Tabreez 

 maund. About 300 others are also caught a-year, a large skin being 

 sold in Candahar for 8 Rupees ; about 3000 other wild fowl are caught 

 a-day on the lake in the following manner : — 



The lake for some distance from the shore is covered with reeds, 



Method of catching and each fowler has his own f <> w l in g g round > 

 wild fowl. spaces are cleared in the reeds in which the 



snares are set. The water of the lake being clear the fowl are able 



to distinguish the small fish on which they feed in these small pools, 



for which they dive, and thus are caught. 



The inhabitants of Seisthan are for the most part Sheea Muselmans. 



Creed, There are few Hindoos and a few Belochees (who are 



Sunnee Mahomedans.) 



The language of Seisthan is broken Persian. In a vocabulary of 



Language. tow hundred and fifty words I only failed to trace 



the following to Persian, viz. gocha, a boy; kenja a girl; maka, 



mother; khurroo, a cock; kara, kind; magas, a calf; toor murgh, a 



cooked egg ; khaya, a raw egg ; dokh, unburnt brick ; kang, back ; kul, 



breast ; lambas, cheek ; damakh, nose ; galov, melon ; katic, cooked 



meat; koodh, deaf; kul, crooked; bapeer, grandfather; too in tabare; 



there, garang, heavy, paz ; cook (imperative) baghan ; make smooth, 



(imperative) tertarata, nine (9); zyada, thirteen (13.) 



Principal men. The principal men of Seistan are as follows viz. 



Jalaladeon Khan, of the tribe of Kanjance (the tribe of the former 



* Note.— So in MSS. 



