F. A. Wright: Further Note on Thitsi. 
£art II] 
together by bamboo spokes 9 inches to a foot long, and 
spaced 15 to 18 inches apart, is commonly in use. 
In the western parts of the Myelat States a most ingenious 
ladder is used. It consists of a single Myin (Dendrocalamus 
strictus) bamboo generally about 19 feet long and 2J inches 
in diameter. Six treads are formed, the lowest being 
about 2' 9" from the ground and the highest about 2' 6" 
from the top end of the bamboo. The intermediate treads 
are thus 2' 7" apart. The treads are generally made from 
some hard wood —Te (Diospyros burmanica) is often used—- 
they are about 2J to 3 inches wide and are slightly concave 
on the upper surface to render them comfortable to stand 
on bare-footed. They project from 3 to 3J inches on each 
side of the bamboo pole into which they are tenoned, and 
kept firmly in position by means of small bamboo or wooden 
wedges. The lower end of the bamboo is dove-tailed for 
a length of about 4 inches, the apex of the dove-tail ending 
immediately below^a node, and fitted with iron shoes. This 
ensures the ladder not slipping along the ground when placed 
against the tree to be notched. To further ensure stablity, 
the upper end of the bamboo is fitted with a i shaped iron 
contrivance about 4J inches wide and projecting for about 
3 inches at right angles to the bamboo. This forms a kind 
of prong, the tips of which are finely pointed. It consists 
of iron about a quarter of an inch in diameter at its thickest 
point, and is rivetted to the bamboo, and further 
strengthened by a band of hoop-iron passing around the 
upper end of the bamboo. On arrival at the tree on which 
notching is to be done, the tapper jams the shoe-end of the 
ladder into the ground and then presses the pronged end 
against the tree with a jerk so that the prongs penetrate 
the bark, and the ladder is held firmly in position. The 
ladder is light and easily carried from tree to tree. 
In cases where notching is done at a height which cannot be reached 
by portable ladders, the Shans construct a permanent ladder 
attached to the trees. It consists of a long bamboo placed 
vertically about 9 inches to a foot from the tree. Holes 
are cut through it at intervals of from 1 to 2 feet, and 
through each hole a flat bamboo stake which is pointed at 
one end is passed and driven into the bark of the tree. These 
stakes form the spokes of the ladder. Owing to the labour 
involved in their construction, these permanent, ladders are 
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