1865.] On the Boksas of Bijnour. 165 
the worst villages, again, they affirmed that during the two years of 
the late famine they had no vegetable food whatever, except the githi. 
Still, with the usual tendency of mankind to make the best of a bad 
bargain in such a case, they attribute various virtues to this kind of 
food. Thus, they state that it does not cause thirst or flatulence, 
and that their freedom from spleen is attributable partly to eating it. 
Their estimate of it, as tending but little to strengthen the body, is 
much nearer the truth, as like the other yams, it is mostly composed 
of starchy non-nitrogenous matter, and long-continued subsistence on 
any such diet will tend to debility of body, This must be kept in 
mind when we come to consider the general questions as to the 
health of these people. 
The Boksas are fond of tobacco, which, when they have no hookah 
by them, they smoke in a twisted-up leaf (patwiri) ; and they took 
kindly to Cavendish, which, however, they found very strong after the 
light unfermented tobacco they use. 
All the men except those who follow Nanak, indulge in spirit 
drinking. Some of them denied that their women drink, or said 
that they never do so until past the child-bearing age; and one 
man indignantly asked ‘‘ What need have they for spirits, since they do 
not have to go out into the jungle, or sit for a whole night up in atdnd 
(=machdn) among the musquitoes, crying, hoo-hoo (to frighten wild 
animals from the crops?)’’ But it seems certain that many of the women 
also drink. Boys begin to consume spirits at the age of ten or eleven, 
and the adults confess that they all drink whenever they can get liquor. 
Yet, it would appear, they very seldom carry it to intoxication or so far 
as to unfit them for work, but are generally contented with two or 
three glasses. The liquor, here as elsewhere in the district, is manu- 
factured from shiva, and as it is sold at one anna and two annas a 
seer, this does not imply a very large consumption of alcohol. In one 
village, the abkdr informed me that his customers comprized about 
fifty adult males, and his sales per month were equal to 80 seers of 
two anna spirits, which indicates a not very considerable average con- 
sumption of the liquor such as it is. 
The best of their pwrohits often lectures them on their drinking 
habits, declaring that when they get a few annas they invariably run 
off to the bhatt: to invest them, but he confessed with some sadness 
ee - - a 2 — 
