the engine prepared for his destruction. Leopards and bears arc numerous ; and the Ardanix Collaris of Cuvicr, a small animal somewhat resembling a bear, but having the snout, eyes, and tail of a hog, is found. Among the most formidable animals known is the wild buffalo, which is of great size, strength, and fierceness. Many deaths are caused by this animal, and a reward is given for its destruction. The fox and the jackal exist, and the wild hog is very abundant. Goats, deer of various kinds, hares, and two or three species of antelope are found, as are monkeys in great variety. The porcupine, the squirrel, the civet cat, the ichneumon, and the otter are common. The birds are too various to admit of enumera tion. AVild game is plentiful ; pheasants, partridges, snipe, and waterfowl of many descriptions make the country a tempting field for the sportsman. Vultures and other birds of prey are met with. Crocodiles (commonly called alligators) swarm in all parts of the Brahmaputra, and are very destructive to the fish, of which hun dreds of varieties are found, and which supply a valuable article of food. The most destructive of tliefcrce natures, as regards human life, are, however, the snakes. Of these, several poisonous species exist, including the cobra and karait (Naga tripudians and Bun- garus cccruleus). The bite of a fairly-grown healthy serpent of either of these species is deadly ; and it is ascertained that more deaths occur from snake-bite than from all the other wild beasts put together. Among the non-poisonous serpents, the python ranks first. This is an enormous boa-constrictor, of great length and weight, which drops upon his prey from the branch of a tree, or steals upon it in the thick grass. He kills his victim by rolling himself round the body till he breaks its ribs, or suffocates it by one irresistible convolution round its throat. He seldom or never attacks human beings unless in self-defence, and loss of life from this cause is scarcely ever reported. Full details as to the botany and zoology of Assam will be found in Mr William IJobmson s account of the province (Calcutta, 1841).
The Inhabitants of the entire province number nearly two and a half millions, of whom more than one million and three-quarters are Hindus; 250,490 are Muhamma- dans, 1788 are Christians, and the remaining third of a million are hill tribes, professing aboriginal faiths. The native population is so exceedingly sparse that the demand for labour on the tea gardens has given rise to a system of importing coolies from western Bengal. A series of laws regulate the terms of the contract between the planter and the imported labourer, prevent abuses in recruiting coolies among the ignorant peasantry of the west, and provide for their health and comfort during their transit to the distant districts of Assam. Under these Acts 4988 labourers were imported into the tea districts of Assam (including Cachar) in 1871, the total number of imported labourers employed on the tea plantations at the end of that year being 39,426. A large proportion of the native inhabitants derive their origin from tribes who came from the Himalayan ranges, from Burmah, or from the Chinese frontier. The most important of these are the Ahams or Ahoms, an off shoot of the Shan race of Northern Burmah. They were the last conquerors of Assam before the Burmese, and they long preserved their ancient traditions, habits, and institutions. Hinduism first made its encroachments among their kings and nobility. Several generations ago they gave up eating beef, and they are now completely Hinduised, except in a few remote recesses of Assam. Hinduism has also impressed its language upon the pro vince, and the vernacular Assamese possesses a close affinity to Bengali, with the substitution of s for the Ben gali ch, of a guttural h for the Bengali h or sh, and a few uther dialectic changes. Indeed, so close was the resem blance that during the last thirty years Bengali was xised as the court and official language of the province under our rule. But with the development of the country the Assamese tongue has asserted its claims to be treated as a distinct vernacular, and a late resolution of Government (1873) re-established it as the language of official life and public business.
The Assam peasant, living in a half -populated province, and surrounded by surplus land, is indolent, good-natured, and, on the whole, prosperous. He raises sufficient focd for his wants with very little labour, and, with the excep tion of a few religious ceremonies, he has no demar.d made upon him for money, saving the light rental of his fields. Under the peaceful influences of British rule, he has completely lost his ancient warlike instincts, and for gotten his predatory habits. In complexion he is a shade or two fairer than the Bengali. His person is in general short and robust, but devoid of the grace and flexibility of the Hindu. A flat face, with high cheek-bones, presents a physiognomy resembling the Chinese, and suggests no idea of beauty. His hair is abundant, black, lank, and coarse, but the beard is scanty, and usually plucked out, which gives him an effeminate appearance. The women form a striking contrast to the men ; there is more of feminine beauty in them than is commonly seen in the women of Bengal, with a form and feature somewhat approaching the European. In most parts of the country the women of rank go about in public, without that artifi cial modesty practised by native ladies in other parts of India. Although the ancient ruling classes originally came to the province across the Himalayas or from Burmah, a stream of immigration also went on from Ben gal, and the Nadiyals or Doms, who originally emigrated from the Delta, are said to be the most numerous tribe ill Assam. Their original employment was that of fishermen. Although a very low caste, and indeed one of the out- castes among the Hindus of Bengal, they observe in As sam various rules of purity in eating and drinking, with a greater strictness than even the Brahmans. They have not, however, taken a Brahman as their spiritual guide, but follow the instructions of the Kalitas, the ancient priests of the Ahams. The habits of life of the Assamese peasantry are pre-eminently domestic. Great respect is paid to old age ; when parents are no longer capable of labour they are supported by their children, and scarcely any one is allowed to become a burden to the public. They have also in general a very tender regard for their offspring, and are generous and kind to their relations. They are hospitable to people of their own caste, but to no others. The use of opium is very general among the Assamese.
Hill Tribes.—The hill and frontier tribes of Assam are the Nagas, Singphos, Daphlas, Miris, Khamptis, Mataks, Abars, &c. f nearly all of whom, excepting the Nag;is, are found near the fron tiers of Lakhimpur district. The principal of these, in point of numbers, are the Nagas, who inhabit the hills and forests along the eastern and south-eastern frontier of Assam. They generally live in small scattered communities of about twenty houses each, and are divided into numerous clans or khels, of which the six most important residing in British territory are the following, viz., the Namsangias, Bardwiirias, Paindwarias, Laptangs, Kaimais, and Topigamaids. Exclusive of the Naga Hills district of Assam, the population of which is returned at 68,918, the Nagas of Lakhimpur count 2865 houses, with an estimated population of 14,383 souls. They cultivate rice, cotton, yams, and Indian corn, and prepare salt from the brine springs in their hills. The different tribes of Nagas are independent of and unconnected with one another, and are often at war with each other. The Singphos are the most powerful tribe bordering on the Assam valley, and are scattered over the largest extent of country. Their territory is bordered on the north by the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra ; on the south by the Putkai range ; on the west by an imaginary line drawn south from the tov.Ti of Sadiya to the Patkai mountains; on the east by the Langtung mountains. They are a wild, daring tribe ; and in the early days of English rule in Assam they gave a good deal of trouble by their frequent raids. They are now, however, looked upon as peaceful and friendly neighbours. They have settled down to agriculture, and now do for themselves what formerly they depended on their Assamese slaves to perform for them. They only cultivate sufficient food for a portion of the year, and during the remaining months they live upon wild yams and other jungle pro ducts. The Government has no very definite relations with them : but they are generally obedient, and in a loose way recognise British supremacy. The settlements of the Singphos in or near the fron tier of Lakhimpur are estimated to number about 3435 souls. The other tribes are the Khamtis Abars Miris Mishmis, and Daphlis.
