1844.] and on Gerard's Account of Kundwar. 219 



the name given to the cloth made of the wool of the camel of Central 

 Asia. 



The cloth made of the wool of wild goat of Tibet, which I have 

 seen, had always a strong smell. 



Gold. — The province (Chanthan) also produces gold in consider- 

 able quantities, but the search after it is discouraged by local super- 

 stition, and by the Chinese authorities. — Moor croft, II, 364. 



The search for gold seems to be discouraged by a tax only, for the 

 local superstition simply says, that pieces of extraordinary size belong 

 to the genii of the spot, and should not be removed. The gold is 

 found deep in the ground, and the well-sinkers all come from Lassa, 

 and are employed chiefly by merchants of that place. The tax on 

 each pit or well, or party of diggers, is a sirrjao or jao of gold, the jao 

 weighing about 7i niashas, and being worth about 8 rupees on the spot, 

 and about 9 rupees in Rampur. 



The tax is collected by a special authority named the sirrpan, or 

 gold manager. 



Sirr appears to be the term for gold throughout Central Asia and in 

 Tibet ; as in Persia it is the root of the term for yellow. 



Natural Tinder. — At first I used a flint and match paper, but I 

 afterwards exchanged it for the flower of a plant that grows near the 

 snow. — Gerard, p. 110. 



The plant is called bachow-chi, that is bachow-grass. It grows at 

 low levels as well as near the snow. The tinder is called bacha in 

 Kunawar, and kvfri towards Rampur, and is the leaf not the flower 

 of the plant. There are three plants similar in kind which produce 

 this tinder. 



Animals — Wool — Hybrids — There are some white bears, and hogs, 

 hares, and deer of many sorts are plentiful ; there is one species of deer 

 called sar that seems to be the wild goat. There are animals about 

 the size of a dog called chungkoo and mangsa, the former are 

 white, the latter are red. The common and musk deer. — Gerard, 

 P 74. 



The birds are pheasants, hawks, eagles, crows, kites, pigeons, and 

 chukors. The most beautiful bird I have seen in the hills is named 

 peeara, the natives call it the king of the birds. Fish are not abun- 

 dant, and I have seen only one kind. — Gerard, p. 7. r >. 



2 K 



