in the important monasteries of Taklakot and Khojar-
n&th, and certainly never in the villages. To this
there is one exception : it was found by us in the Jong-
pen s fort at Taklakot, and no one could explain it,
and all seemed surprised to find it there at all. These
are some of the differences between the Western and
Central parts of Tibet, and others will be noted elsewhere,
one of the principal being the death ceremonies.
There is one very marked difference in the two races,
and that is that the Tibetans are polyandrous, whereas
the Bhotias are not, although they retain some vestiges
of polyandry, e.g., on the death of the elder brother
his wife becomes the wife of the younger. In my
opinion, the physique of the women of the two races,
when compared, very clearly indicates the baneful
results of polyandry. The figures of Tibetan women
lack that vigour which is noticeable among the Bhotia
women, suicide is not uncommon among them, and
families are small, while many women resort to convents
or take the vow of chastity, and the population
is dwindling; whereas Bhotia women are remarkable
for their gaiety of spirits, instances of girls becoming
nuns for religious motives are almost unheard of, and
there is certainly no reason to believe that the population
is decreasing. Between 1872 and 1892 the population
in Johar increased by 13’75 per cent., whereas in
Darma pargana, in the same period, the increase has
been by 93’12 per cent. No doubt one chief cause of
the decrease of population in Tibet is that so many
men become Lamas and take the vow of celibacy,
but that polyandry and promiscuity are principal
factors there can be no doubt. I t has been noticed
in our own hills that where polyandry has existed
the result has been small families with males preponderating.
In Atkinson’s “ Himalayan Districts” *
the following occurs : “ It is remarkable that in Western
Tehri and Jaunsar Bawar, wherever polyandry exists,
A TYPICAL BRIDGE
there is a striking discrepancy in the proportions of
the sexes amongst young children. Thus in a village
where there were upwards of four hundred, boys there
were only one hundred and twenty girls. In the
Garhwal hills, however, where polygamy is prevalent,
there is a surplus of female children.”
* Of. v o l. x ii. p . 2 5 6 .