8. Wullabhoom, on the right bank of the Nemokapy, an insignificant stream.  This village is not stockaded; it contains about 10 houses, of which several are of the Singpho structure.

The Gam of this village was in expectation of an attack from the Dupha people, and had in consequence erected a small square stockade for his own use; he had however built it so small that he might easily be dislodged by means of a long spear.

In addition to these, there is a village called Bone, on the Namtoroan; the path leading to this is crossed soon after leaving Namtusseek, and another stockaded village, on the right bank of the Namtoroan, a little below the mouth of the Saxsai-kha.

None of the above villages are situated on strong positions.  The stockades are as usual of bamboo, and are but weak defences; the space between the stockade and the outer palisades is covered with short pointed bamboos, placed obliquely in the ground:  these are called Panjahs by the Assamese; they inflict very troublesome wounds, and are universally employed by the Singphos.  The interiors of the stockades are dirty, the houses are built without order, and generally fill the stockade completely, so that the people inside might be burnt out with the greatest ease.  The average number of houses in each of the above villages, may be estimated at about 12, of these the largest occur at Wullaboom.  They are built on muchowns, and resemble in all respects those of our Assam Singphos.  They are generally thatched with grass (Imperata cylindrica. {126} ) The larger kinds have invariably one end unenclosed; under this portico, which is usually of some size, all the domestic operations are carried on.  The Dupha Gam’s is not distinguished above the rest in any one way.

Population.—­No country inhabited by sets of petty chieftains belonging to different tribes, which are generally at enmity with each other, can be populous; it is therefore with considerable surprise that I find it stated that the number of houses in the north and eastern sides of the valley is estimated at not less than 3000, which at the rate of 7 men to one house, which is, considering the great size of very many Singpho houses, rather underrated, would make the population of these portions of the valley amount to 21,000 souls.  The part of the valley which I have traversed, and during which route 75 miles of ground were passed over, does not present a single sign which, in the absence of direct evidence, would lead one to suppose that it contained a considerable population.  During the before mentioned marches, I saw only four paths, crossing or diverging from that which we followed.  Of these, one leads, as I have mentioned, to Bone, one to the hills on the NE., one to a Singpho village, some miles to the south of our track, and the fourth diverged from the path leading to the Amber mines through the village of a chief called Tharapown Hhoung.  The population