y building them close to the water, either on the river-bank or
beside some artificial pool or "tank," in which they are reflected.
Nothing could be more beautiful than the effect of these golden piles
glittering in the sunshine among the deep green of the trees,
especially when repeated in some placid sheet of water, dotted over
perhaps with pink and purple lotus.

And, then, the little bells which hang from every "ti"--how they
tinkle as they swing in the breeze, in their numbers forming one
general harmonious note, most musical, and with a strange sensation of
joy and contentment in its sound.

These little bells are not the only ones in the temples, however, for
in all of them are others of very large size, which, raised a foot or
more from the ground, hang between two posts set in the platform which
surrounds the "zedi," as the bell-shaped temple is called.

These are used by the worshippers, who, with a stag's horn, strike the
bell after praying, to call the attention of the "nats" of the upper
and lower worlds to the fact that they have done so. You will see
these bells in one of the pictures, but there are some others of
immense size, that at Mingun weighing eighty tons; but, as a rule, the
tone of the very large bells is poor, and not to be compared with that
of those of more moderate size.

There are one or two places in Burma particularly rich in
pagodas--Pagan, Sagaing, and Mandalay. I want to tell you just a
little about each.

Let us go to Mandalay first, for I have no doubt that you have been
wondering why I have not already told you something about the capital
of Burma.

As a matter of fact, Mandalay is little better than an enlarged
village, and is built much in the same way as the towns I have already
described, and has really only two points of great interest--its
religious buildings and the "fort."

I am referring, of course, to the _Burmese_ town, for surrounding the
fort are a large number of well-built bungalows, and streets of shops
built of stone or brick; but these are for the use of Europeans and
Indian or Chinese traders, the Burmans here, as elsewhere, contenting
themselves with their thatched houses of timber. It may appear
surprising that a people who could erect their marvellous temples
should be satisfied with such poor dwellings. The reason is to be
found in their custom of removing their capital on each change of
dynasty, and since A.D. 1740 the capital of Burma has been moved