HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



The double variety was scarlet rose, or cream colour ; 

 but I usually regard single flowers as the most 

 beautiful, and certainly it is so in this instance. 



Hard by this splendid hedge of single scarlet 

 hibiscus grew an English monthly rose ; we greeted 

 it with friendly gaze and real pleasure. Ancient- 

 looking banian-trees, with characteristic hanging 

 roots, are treasured almost as a sacred tree by the 

 Buddhist Cingalese. There is also a fine sacred 

 flower tree, gathered for offerings in the temples, 

 which has thick-petalled, white flowers with yellow 

 centres. But I think the finest of all was the lotus- 

 tree, with abundant silvery green foliage and large 

 yellow flowers, red in bud, and only expanding in 

 full sunlight. A scarlet acacia was also very 

 attractive, and allied genera had yellow, white and 

 mauve blossoms. They were leguminous plants, but 

 beyond that I am floundering in hopeless ignorance. 



A rose-coloured creeper of the same order was 

 among the most brilliant flowers. A minute trefoil 

 with single lilac petals grew in the sand, with a large 

 pea-like lathyrus, and two other yellow leguminous 

 weeds. A large shrub with single rose-coloured 

 corollas looked exactly like a phlox. A crimson 

 trumpet-shaped, elongated flower must be of the 

 Loniceracece. A spiked blue veronica grew in 

 places like twitch. The varied brilliance of the 

 crotons, and a kind of coleus, cannot be described ; 

 they enliven every cottage plot in the native villages. 

 Creeping ferns lined the watercourses, and we 

 gathered seedlings of several other species. 



On many bungalows the bougainvillea attained 

 great luxuriance. I believe the fine colour belongs to 

 strongly developed bracts rather than to the true 

 flower. This applies also to the Poinsettias, standing 

 with scarlet involucra many feet high in gardens, but 

 said to be introduced into Ceylon. I saw a single 

 sandal-wood tree in a garden. I should imagine it is 

 indigenous in the interior of the country. The castor- 

 oil plant of course abounded ; and we noted a caper. 

 The betel-nut is hawked about in a fresh state, for 

 staining the teeth, etc., so it doubtless grows at hand. 

 Pines are common enough, selling even to strangers 

 at fourpence apiece ; but they lack flavour, and are 

 woody in texture. I had never seen one green. 



Two species of bamboo stood side by side. The 

 native kind has yellow stems, the introduced one 

 being all green. On the sandy shore a bright convol- 

 vulus-like flower spread in a manner suggestive of 

 our own bindweeds ; the ample corolla was rose to 

 puce colour, and the fleshy leaves were in pairs. A 

 most picturesque sheet of water, surrounded by palms, 

 had the surface covered with curious floating leaves, 

 barred with dark lines, evidently of the water,-lily 

 order ; but not a single flower was expanded. By 

 the edge of the water great aloes and other plants 

 flourished. Another weed I gathered was a pretty 

 composite flower with violet rays, perhaps nearly 

 akin to the European prenanthes. A shrub with 



crimson blossoms had a calyx-like expansion, such as 

 the medlar, but smaller and more elongated. Near 

 this spot an imp of a boy exhibited a captive butterfly. 

 It was attached to a long string, and allowed short 

 flights every now and then for me to examine. It 

 was about the size of a Camberwell beauty, of a dull 

 brown-black, with lighter rims to each wing, and 

 slightly metallic in the sunlight. It was plentifully 

 distributed in the vicinity, and easily caught with 

 the hand as it settled on bright flowers. Two other 

 butterflies we saw — a small sulphur-coloured species, 

 flitting about in pairs, and a very large fellow, flying 

 like a humming-bird, with the prevailing colours and 

 shape of a swallow tail ; but this restless creature 

 would not alight for close examination. He was 

 attracted to the creeping ferns by the side of the 

 stream. 



Among the birds I saw three or four small, entirely 

 red, crested, vivacious little creatures, flying together 

 from tree to tree, and a black and white bird, which 

 might be a shrike. Green parakeets, with red caps, 

 frequent the forests, but we had no time to investigate 

 a tithe of what was at hand. The domestic oxen 

 drawing the native carts are a small, patient-looking 

 race of buffalo, chiefly black or dun colour. Another 

 species, shaggy and rough, with long, dark horn 

 bending back over the head, was tethered here and 

 there ; this comes from the interior jungles. I have 

 often noticed confusion between the buffalo and 

 North American bison. I take it that a true buffalo 

 is a domestic animal, ox-like, with neck formed for 

 the yoke, and distinct hump above the shoulder. I 

 think they are distributed through Asia, parts of 

 Africa, and a limited portion of Southern Europe. 



Returning on board ship in the afternoon, I was 

 interested for an hour in the traffic of precious and 

 non-precious stones diligently carried on. Merchants 

 dressed in picturesque costumes exhibited their goods 

 all over the decks. I could see at once that many 

 stones were sham ; on the other hand, real ones could 

 be bought by the initiated. A good many sapphires 

 set and unset were on sale, colour inferior, and hardly 

 an unflawed stone. Prices asked were three time; 

 the value, but by waiting until time was nearly up, 

 and by dint of hard bargain, cheap purchases can be 

 effected. The best sapphire I saw bought was large 

 enough for single-stone, gentleman's ring, pale in 

 colour, certainly flawed, but well cut ; price given 

 was £6. This could not be dear, yet I would not 

 have given the price myself. Opaque moonstones 

 and cat's-eyes, good and bad, were plentiful. Small 

 pearls in numbers, but all had been strung, I noticed. 

 Alexandrine, green in daylight, lighting up pink at 

 night, was offered me. It was true crystal, but more 

 than that I cannot say. What diamonds were real 

 appeared to have a yellow tinge. The topaz-cut 

 stones shown to me were all artificial. A chrysolite 

 (or is it chrysoprase?), clear olive-green in colour, 

 greatly attracted me. But amid these few gems there 



