one for
men. Thus placed, the vultures, which have been hovering about awaiting
their prey, complete the work, and soon only the skeletons remain; these
are thrown into a circular well in the centre of the enclosure, where
they quickly turn to dust. This well has perforated holes in the
bottom, so that the action of the rain can carry away the dust to still
another receptacle, which in time reaches the sea. Previous to the
ceremony, one hundred or more mourners, robed in white, may be seen
walking up the hill, preceded by four men, carrying the bier on their
shoulders. They pass into the house of prayer for a time, and then
proceed to the Towers, where they are met by the only two men (of the
outcast class) who are ever permitted to enter, to whom the body is
consigned for the final rite.

And yet, in spite of all this gruesomeness, the Parsees are a happy,
social people, and their entertainments, particularly their weddings,
are described as presenting a brilliant array of bejewelled women,
tastefully dressed in the soft tinted silks they so much affect, with
the long graceful veils falling to the feet. This is the only head
covering worn in a carriage or on the street. The men, however, usually
wear the conventional European dress, but on ceremonial occasions a
white costume is required, with a small black hat.

Another sombre feature of Indian life is the prevalence of caste, which
no foreigner can expect to understand, so complex is the system. There
are four general classes: the Brahman, or princely caste (this has four
subdivisions); the military caste; the commercial caste; and the
laboring caste, commonly called "coolies." These in their turn admit
of many subdivisions, and when we realize that caste is hereditary and
that whatever a man's ambition he can never rise above his station, even
though he seek to secure promotion, we may understand what a yoke it
imposes on the people.

[Illustration: _Queen's Road at Bombay_]

Another bar is custom, which is quite as iron-clad as is caste; whenever
any improvement is suggested, either in dress or in living, the
suggestion is usually met with the reply that it is prevented by custom.
This applies particularly to the agricultural class, among whom the
crude ploughs and other out-of-date implements cannot be replaced by
modern ones, as it has been the custom to use the former. Even the
carrying of heavy burdens on the head cannot be given up; woe to any one
who su