22 
[No. 1, 
S. E. Peal — Visit to the JSfar/d Hills. 
note on a flute, clear and plain and seeming to come from the chest, made 
by Naganls when carrying loads and distressed. The men told us that they 
always did so, when fatigued and out of breath. Subsequently we heard the 
same noise or note, and found it was made by an old Naganl, who carried a 
maund of rice and seemed half dead, though a muscular old lady. 
Wo now selected a hut among the dhan in which to rest and enjoy the 
view till our men came up. It certainly was a magnificent view, and I could 
see a white speck on the horizon towards Sibsagar that may have been 
the Rongghar or Ghargaon. 
We were highly amused at the Huluks, or long-armed apes. They 
hallooed, the chorus being led off by one giving two distinct whistles ; he 
then stopped and the chorus rose to a climax and fell off again ; after a pause 
the two distinct whistles were repeated, and the chorus at once broke out 
again. In no instance did they ever begin without the “ que.” Subse- 
quently I found that I could start them by using a railway whistle, which 
I use to attract deer on moonlight nights. I do not know, by the way, if 
the fact is known, that on hearing loud whistling (during October and 
November, at least) deer will charge. I once shot a large Samhre doe, as 
large as a pony, skin 9 feet from the nose to tip of tail ; on my whist- 
ling loud, it charged out of the jungle into the open and, on repeating the 
whistle, charged straight at us, when I knocked it over at twenty yards. Eight 
men could hardly carry it in. The fact is well known here, but I do not 
know if naturalists are aware of it. 
While resting in the hut and admiring the view, some NagSs and 
Naganfs came up en route to see the elephants. We therefore accompanied 
them and soon got to the Sissa where the elephants were located and found 
all ready to start. Many people had come to stare at the tame elephants, and to 
fish. We were admiring the surroundings, and watched the women catching 
fish by hand, when a man came to say that our muharrir had had some difficulty 
in getting our loads carried down, and that after starting one man had 
run away, though close to the chang, and he had to return and get another. 
Our loads were thus so delayed, that we determined to push on home, where 
we arrived about 5 P. M., earlier than wc had expected, as the distance must 
be 20 to 21 miles ; but we wore not so fatigued after all. 
The muharrir came in after dark, very much disgusted at the trick 
they had served him. The influence of the Rajah seems less than might he 
expected and the liberty of the subject at its maximum. 
We could not help speculating, during our trip, on the effect of 
introducing some good seeds, as the potatoe, which would no doubt grow here 
luxuriantly. From internal evidence, the population seems to have been 
stationary for a long period, perhaps centuries. The checks are all positive, 
too, such as constant warfare and the want of food, inducing disease, 
