hold on the mind of the people was weaker, got thrust into the background as patrons of various rural events.” [124] [Festivals.] 10. In Mirzapur the Bind festivals are the Pachainiyân, Tîj, and Kajari. The last is the women’s saturnalia in the rainy season, when women get drunk, dance, sing obscene songs, and indulge in rude debauchery, which on this occasion only is condoned by their husbands. [Social rules.] 11. They believe in the usual omens and demonology, and practice sorcery through the Ojha. The women wear palm leaf ornaments (tarki) in the ears, nose-rings, wristlets (dharkauwa), anklets (pairi). They tattoo themselves on the breast and arms, and it is believed that if they do not come into the next world with these marks, Bhagwân will pitch them out of heaven. They give children two names, one fixed by the Pandit, and the other selected by the parents. They will not touch a Chamâr, Dom, or Dharkâr, nor the wife of the younger brother, nor the mother-in-law of their children. They will not mention by name the dead, nor their wives, nor their religious preceptors (guru). After the close of the agricultural year they worship Hariyâri Devi, “the goddess of greenness,” with an offering of sweetmeats. In Bihâr the Binds eat crocodiles and field rats like the Musahars, and are very fond of pork when they can get it. [125] In Mirzapur they certainly eat field rats, but not the crocodile, at least publicly; and they pretend to have given up pork and fowls. They now do not eat beef, and rank higher in the social scale than Chamârs for this reason. They use fish largely except in the fortnight (pitri paksha) sacred to the dead in the month of Kuâr. They are certainly higher in the social grade than the Binds of Bihâr, as described by Mr. Risley, and it appears that even Brâhmans and Chhatris will drink water from their hands. They will not eat food cooked in water (kachchi) except from Brâhmans. According to another account they will not eat kachchi or pakki cooked by any other caste but their own. They salute in the pâêlagi form, and receive in return the blessing (asîs) from strangers. They salute the father-in-law of their sons or daughters in the form Râm! Râm! Women are fairly well treated, but hard worked. When a stranger comes into the house the wife falls on his feet and gives him tobacco. This is known as bhentna. [Occupation.] 12. Some are non-occupancy tenants; many are hired ploughmen (halwâha). The usual wages are two-and-a-half sers of grain in the local weight per diem, and a special ration (sîdha) on holidays. They work, as in Bihâr, at fishing, well sinking, building mud walls, mat and basket-making, preparing saltpetre, doing earthwork on tanks and roads, watching fields and villages. But in some places they have an indifferent reputation, particularly in Gorakhpur. [126] DISTRIBUTION OF BINDS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891.