1865.] On the Boksas of Bijnour. 149 
inhabited by three tribes which acknowledge no relationship, and 
which, at the same time, have many peculiarities in common, is deserv- 
ing of more attention than it appears to have hitherto attracted. 
To the westward of the Ganges, there are some Boksa villages 
inside the Siwaliks, in the Dehra Doon, but I can discover nothing 
certain regarding their numbers, nor as to whether any of the 
tribe inhabit the forest outside the Siwaliks in the Saharunpore 
district. These western Boksas are called by those of Bijnour, 
Mehras or Meri, and are acknowledged by them as in every respect 
of the same caste with themselves, But isolated statements by 
members of such ignorant tribes can hardly be accepted without 
check, for the Patli Doon Boksas repudiated all bardddré with the 
Meri, as well as with the Pirbid, whom they asserted to be nothing 
but Tharwi, and to eat frogs and lizards. 
We need not, however, suppose their ignorance to be strikingly 
exceptional, for, at an early period of my inquiries, I was informed, 
upon what would ordinarily be called “good authority” in the 
Bijnour district, that the Boksas were chiefly remarkable for living 
in houses built on poles, for the indifference of their women to decent 
clothing, and for mainly earning a livelihood by gold-washing. As 
will be seen by and bye, there is some little truth in the last state- 
ment, while the two first are baseless. But this is beaten by the 
characteristics attributed to the Boksas of Dehra Doon by the other 
inhabitants of the district, who say that the former are famous for 
dealings in witchcraft, for successful treatment of insanity and syphilis, 
and for their pot-bellies, all which peculiarities probably originate in 
the imagination of the narrators. 
The number of inhabited Boksa villages in the Bijnour district 
outside the Siwdliks, including two in the Patli Doon within 
the outer hills, is fifteen, of which the thirteen outside are pretty 
equally distributed over the Forest, but are rather more numerous 
towards its western end. Of these, four are situated near the base 
of the Siwaliks on the inner edge of the Forest, five on canals at 
some distance from either border of the latter, and four—all in 
the eastern part—on or near its outer edge in the Taréi proper. 
It is out of my power to give aught like a correct census of 
these, but the number of inhabitants in single villages, ranges 
