WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 



661 



and Caryoptcris Mastacanthus are very common sub- shrubs, whilst 

 Buddleia variabilis, Clematis tangutica, and Lilium leucanthum present 

 pictures not easily forgotten. In the shingly bed of shallow streams, the Sea 

 Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), Myricaria germanica, and Berberis 

 asiatica are particularly abundant. Between 8,000 feet and 11,000 feet, 

 the common Gooseberry is largely used as a hedge plant. 



The fauna of these regions is as rich as the flora, but save for the 

 collections of Pere David in Mupin and Berezovski around Sungpan, it 

 remains absolutely unknown. Pratt collected butterflies around Tatien-lu 

 in 1889 and 1890, and Pere Dejean has been doing the same in the same 

 regions ever since. 



Ethnologically this wild region is intensely interesting, and those 

 interested could not do better than turn their attention to this rich field. 

 I have onlv time to-night to say a few words about the Tibetans, and a 

 distinct tribe which I became acquainted with, and about which little or 

 nothing is known, i Of late so much has been written about Tibet and its 

 people that it is scarcely necessary for me to say anything on the subject, and 

 I will content myself with a few remarks on the Lamas, and on the morals 

 of the people as I saw them. The Lamas, or priests, are the curse of Tibet. 

 They throng the streets of Tatien-lu — huge, swarthy, hulking fellows, if 

 possible dirtier and more malodorous than the ordinary Tibetan. They 

 shave their heads, but seldom wash themselves, being content to smear 

 butter over the exposed parts of their bodies. Their clothing consists of 

 a coarse claret -coloured oblong piece of serge thrown over one shoulder, 

 the other being usually bare. Another length of cloth is wound two or 

 three times round the waist, and reaching down to the ankle forms a 

 kind of skirt. They are usually barefooted, but in winter wear top- 

 boots made of untanned leather. Each carries in his hand a small 

 prayer- cylinder and rosary, and constantly mutters the mystic " Om mani 

 padmi hum." They swagger through the streets with an insolent mien, 

 and lack the good manners which are the delightful characteristic of the 

 unsophisticated Tibetan. The lamaseries in which they live are usually 

 very richly endowed. These lamaseries are often of immense size and 

 accommodate several thousand of Lamas, acolytes, and attendants. The 

 latter are recruited from the dregs of society, and comprise half-castes 

 of Chinese soldiers, loafers, debtors, and criminals. 



The morals of the Tibetans around Tatien-lu — if, indeed, they have 

 any — are of a peculiar kind. Polygamy, polyandry, and even sexual 

 intercourse occur with a promiscuousness that defies all imagination as 

 to relationships. Monogamy also obtains, and legal marriages can be 

 arranged for any fixed period, varying from three days and upwards. 



The distinct tribe I referred to inhabit the valley of the Upper Tung 

 River, in long. 102° E. and lat. 31° N. roughly. They form two separate 

 principalities known as Badi and Bawang, but are at present dominated 

 by one ruler, a woman. In Badi the people speak a primitive Tibetan dialect, 

 but in Bawang the language is akin to that of the Lolos. The virgins 

 and barren women wear only a fringe of cords about a foot square in front 

 and a similar fringe behind, but in winter the rest of the body is more or 

 less covered by a loose robe of serge. In Badi the same custom obtains, 

 though the fringe is rather longer. The custom is so systematically and 



