564 Notes upon a tour through the Rdjmahal Hills. [No. 7. 



and gneiss rocks ; the mahua trees still giving the landscape a park- 

 like appearance. Passed through several Sonthal villages, in each of 

 which were a profusion of poultry, pigs, buffaloes, cattle and pigeons ; 

 small patches of tobacco and large fields of mustard. Tall castor oil 

 plants surrounded the log huts which are thatched with rice straw. 



The Sonthal women, wherever they have an opportunity, pay great 

 respect to the elephant ; I have seen them place their young children 

 on the footsteps of the animal whilst they themselves bowed down to 

 the ground touching the earth with their foreheads. At a village I 

 passed yesterday the women in a large body stopped a very fine and 

 large male elephant that was carrying my tents, and insisted upon ren- 

 dering him all due honor which they did with much noise and laughter, 

 smearing his noble forehead with vermilion and oil. 



From Kurma Tand there is a fine view of the Debragpur range 

 of carboniferous hills to the north and lying within the Damin-i-koh 

 boundary. 



From Kurma Tand the descent to the Brahmini River is very rapid 

 being about a hundred feet in a couple of miles ; large masses of a 

 fine grained gneiss protrude from an iron bound soil. 



Crossed the Brahmini River a small stream about one hundred and 

 twenty feet broad, of which only twelve feet was occupied by water, 

 the rest being sand. This river forms the southern boundary to the 

 Damin-i-koh ; on the left bank at the ghaut or ford of which stands 

 a small log bungalow erected by Mr. Pontet who has charge of the 

 Rajmahal Hills. 



From Jhilmilli which is a fine Sonthal village, proceeded eastward 

 for six miles to visit the Domanpur coal beds which are exposed in 

 the bed of the Brahmini river. The following is a roughly estimated 

 section of the bed on the northern or left bank of the river. 



Feet. Inches. 



Red Earth, 24 



Stratum of concentric Iron ore, 1 



Grey Clay which is licked by the cattle, 2 6 



Soft gray sandstone, I 



Good Coal, 2 6 



Purple, blue and waved shale with nests of Iron ore, 4 



The jungle in the vicinity of the coal consists principally of termina- 



