1865.] On the Boksas of Bijnowr, 163 
for the tobacco-crop. A very few ef them remain all the year in the 
forest (I met with one), and take two crops off the ground. The Sanis’ 
houses are almost invariably in a little cluster apart from the Boksa 
village. I could not clearly discover what terms as regards land-rent 
are made with the Boksas. The facilities for getting excellent 
manure render tobacco a very luxuriant and lucrative crop, but men 
of the plains say, its quality is not so good as that grown outside the 
forest. The Boksas give as the reason why they de not grow tobacco, 
that it is unlawful for them to break off the top of the plant (as is 
done to prevent its running to stalk and flower) ; but this appears 
absurd enough, and the cause assigned for their allowing the Sanis to 
cultivate their village-land on any terms, viz. that the Boksas have 
too few men, seems to me almost equally so. It is to be found that 
laziness is the chief cause ef both circumstances. 
I can only give details, as to the area of land cultivated in propor- 
tion to the number of inhabitants, in regard to one village, and that 
the most comfortable-looking of all those visited. It contained less 
than ene hundred inhabitants of all ages, and the extent of land under 
eultivation, for one or other or both crops, was about fifty acres. The 
Government land-rent paid by the Boksas appears to be in general 
exceedingly light. 
After what has been said of the agriculture of the Boksas, it 
will be apparent that their food is of the simplest. It consist of 
bread made of the flour of wheat, barley, or some of the millets, or of 
rice with a small proportion of dal, and more rarely some /ahi or 
wild herbs cooked as greens with a little oil. They also, as above 
indicated, consume a large amount of the flesh of wild animals com- 
pared with the ordinary inhabitant of the plains. And, were they 
always able to procure such food as the above, they would be, to say 
the least, no worse off than millions of the inhabitants of India. But, 
" Desides that the disarming process has affected their supply of meat, 
it will be at once evident, that if the proportion of land to popu- 
lation throughout is similar to that in the village instanced above, 
even were it cultivated in the highest perfection, sufficient food could 
not be grown for the inhabitants. We accordingly find that, even in 
ordinary years, most of the Boksas live for months on a wild yam, 
ealled githi, which, fortunately for them, is found in abundance in 

