1844.] and on Gerard's Account of Kundwar. 247 



Equals exchange scarfs or smaller pieces of silk; inferiors present 

 them as they approach ; and superiors bestow them when they dismiss. 

 See also Captain Turner, 72, 233, and Captain Huttons Tour, III, 17, 

 Journal of the Asiatic Society. A scarf (or kattak in Bhotee) is in- 

 variably sent with a letter, and under the same cover with it. 



Prefixing the s in Bhotee and Kunawaree — The principal pergun- 

 nas or divisions are and Spitti or Pitti. — Moorcroft, I, 315. 



The male (ibex) is called skin, and the female Vdanmo. — Moor- 

 croft,I,3l\. 



The Tartars often add k, for instance, ropa is called by them 

 ropak, and they have a way of prefixing s to some words as pooee, 

 spooee ; peetee, speetee ; and tango, stango. — Gerard, p. 99, Note. 



The pronunciation of the Tibetan language admits of a slightly 

 hissing or aspirated commencement to many words, but I would say 

 that the custom of prefixing a clear and distinct s is prevalent rather 

 about Ram pur on the Sutlej than in Tibet. The habit has, however, 

 been largely followed by our travellers through Kunawar, as they are 

 generally accompanied by some people of the Bissehir Rajas, who by 

 long residence about Rampur, (if they are not natives of that quarter,) 

 have adopted the custom. Pitti and not Spitti, is the correct term, 

 as is likewise kin (or kin) and not skin. But although I could 

 not ascertain that the prefixing of the s is a custom in the Bhotee 

 districts adjacent to Upper Kunawar, it may obtain in other parts of 

 Tibet, as Moorcroft and also Mr. Vigne, write skin for kin. The 

 former moreover uses zongspun instead of zungpan, a killahdar, (II, 

 436,) and says Pitti is called Spitti. In the writings of respectable 

 people, I always found Pitti. 



The custom mentioned by Gerard of adding a k is occasional, I 

 think, rather than general, and the addition is rather an aspirated 

 h than a full k ; such irregularities or uncertainties of pronunciation 

 are common among illiterate people, and in trying to ascertain the 

 true pronunciation of words, I have been perplexed by the different 

 ways in which the same person often pronounced the same word. 



The village Pooee or Spooee, quoted by Gerard as a proof of the pre. 

 fixing of the s being a custom of the Bhotee, is an unfortunate in- 

 stance; the Bhotees, i. e. the inhabitants, call their village pura, or 

 puba, the Kunawarees and others lower down pueh and spueh. 



2o 



