dded to the _bizarre_ ornaments of her headdress. I have seen pieces so
worn which weighed nearly five pounds. The Ladak woman occupies a social
position for which she is envied by all women of the Orient. She is free
and respected. With the exception of some rural work, she passes the
greatest part of her time in visiting. It must, however, be added that
women's gossip is here a perfectly unknown thing.

The settled population of Ladak is engaged in agriculture, but they own
so little land (the share of each may amount to about eight acres) that
the revenue drawn from it is insufficient to provide them with the
barest necessities and does not permit them to pay taxes. Manual
occupations are generally despised. Artisans and musicians form the
lowest class of society. The name by which they are designated is Bem,
and people are very careful not to contract any alliance with them. The
hours of leisure left by rural work are spent in hunting the wild sheep
of Thibet, the skins of which are highly valued in India. The poorest,
_i.e._, those who have not the means to purchase arms for hunting, hire
themselves as coolies. This is also an occupation of women, who are
very capable of enduring arduous toil. They are healthier than their
husbands, whose laziness goes so far that, careless of cold or heat,
they are capable of spending a whole night in the open air on a bed of
stones rather than take the trouble to go to bed.

Polyandry (which I shall treat later more fully) causes the formation of
very large families, who, in common, cultivate their jointly possessed
lands, with the assistance of yaks, zos and zomos (oxen and cows). A
member of a family cannot detach himself from it, and when he dies, his
share reverts to the survivors in common.

They sow but little wheat and the grain is very small, owing to the
severity of the climate. They also harvest barley, which they pulverize
before selling. When work in the field is ended, all male inhabitants go
to gather on the mountain a wild herb called "enoriota," and large thorn
bushes or "dama," which are used as fuel, since combustibles are scarce
in Ladak. You see there neither trees nor gardens, and only
exceptionally thin clumps of willows and poplars grow on the shores of
the rivers. Near the villages are also found some aspen trees; but, on
account of the unfertility of the ground, arboriculture is unknown and
gardening is little successful.

The absence of wood is especi