ABSTRACT
THE Cathayans or Kitans (whose name still exists in Marco Polo's word Cathay and in the Russian word Kitai, see p. 184) were of the same race as the Kumok-Ghei, and of both tribes it is said that they used to place corpses amongst or hang them upon trees in the mountains (p. 150). Of the Cathayans it is added that the bones were collected and burnt after a lapse of three years, when a libation of liquor was offered and the following prayer uttered:—" In winter at noon may " I eat towards the south, in summer towards the north, and " always find plenty of swine and deer in my hunts." This mention of swine at once recalls what we have said touching this differentiating feature of the Tungus or " pig " races. The Cathayans and the Ghei were both descendants of the old Sien-pi, and were found in the old Sien-pi haunts. The Ghei were originally the eastern branch of the Jumen tribe which, as we have seen (p. 105), gave a dynasty to North China during the 6th century. But before that the Mujung Sien-pi had driven both the Ghei and Cathayan tribes northwards to the region north of the Sira Muren between the Sungari and the Desert (p. 149). The first Toba Emperor had occasion to punish the Ghei for raiding in the year 388; and in 479 the Cathayans, who with the Ghei had brought
Ch'i-tan.
K'u-mo Hsi.
