The Ethnology of India. 47 



tribes who have nothing whatever to do with the hills, but live in 

 the forests and what is called the ' Terai,' at the foot. No two 

 climates and locations can be more dissimilar than those of the hills 

 and the Terai, and no races are more distinct in their habits, manners, 

 and aptitudes than the people of the hills and those of the jungle 

 belt below. 



It may be generally said that there is no Terai or forest belt 

 northwest of the Seharunpore district and the Dehra Dhoon ; but 

 thence eastward this belt stretches along the foot of the hills through 

 Rohilcund, Oude, and the Bengal Frontier, up to Assam. A great 

 part of it belongs to the Nepalese. A very interesting paper by Dr. 

 Stewart on the Boksas, a forest tribe found in western Rohilcund 

 and in part of the forests or Sewalik hills of Dehra Dhoon, was 

 published in the Society's Journal last year. They are entirely con- 

 fined to the forest tracts, where they enjoy a wonderful immunity 

 from the effects of malaria. They never (says Dr. Stewart) settle more 

 than two years on one spot, but after getting a little out of the soil, 

 move to fresh locations. They are of short stature and spare habit, and 

 in feature certainly Turanian of some sort, with broad faces, depressed 

 noses, prognathous jaws, thick lips, and very scanty beard and 

 moustaches, but in colour apparently not darker than the ordinary 

 Hindoos of the country. They are fond of game and pigs, eat almost 

 anything, have no caste, and are reputed to be very skilful in witch- 

 craft. They have no separate language. They are simple, inoffensive, 

 and good-humoured, but very ignorant and indolent. Their culti- 

 vation is very scanty and rude, but they also collect forest produce 

 and wash for gold. They are supposed to be dying out. 



I have seen mention of another small and savage tribe in the 

 Rohilcund Terai called " Rawats" or " Rajis ;" and passing westward 

 we come to a very important tribe, the c Tharoos,' who in fact occupy all 

 the Terai from eastern Rohilcund all along the frontiers of Oude and 

 into G-oruckpore. They are in many respects very like the Boksas — in 

 physical appearance and manners I should say extremely like — but 

 they are much more industrious, and altogether a larger, more settled, 

 and, one may say, less savage tribe. They, like the Boksas, keep 

 exclusively to the Terai and forest, living where no one else can live. 

 They are shy and timid, but frank and truthful, when you get hold of 



