J94 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



sesses divers articles of Singalese domestic economy, 

 such as the cocoa-nut palm, the "Jaggery" or 

 " Kitool" palm, from which is extracted a spirituous 

 liquor known as " Thcdja " or " Thellidja," or Toddy, 

 and also "Jaggery," or native sugar (Sing. Hakooroo), 

 the Arica-nut palm, and perhaps an occasional 

 "Tallipot" (Corypha umbraculifera, Linn.) palm, 

 all of which are allowed to grow as nature dictates, 

 there being little or no attention paid to them when 

 once above the ground. On rice, however, the Sin- 

 galese bestow vast pains, as their fields are made 

 of level terraces, one above another, cut out across 

 the hills or valleys in which they are situated. The 

 beauty of a large "paddy" field when young is 

 almost past description, and can scarcely be for- 

 gotten by any who admire the picturesque and wild 

 beauty of the East. 



The forests teem with wonders of both the animal 

 as well as the vegetable kingdoms, though to the 

 unpractised eye there is a seeming monotony that 

 is oppressive. However, there is much of the 

 "Mahomet and the mountain" system, even in the 

 wildest parts of the country, for unless the naturalist 

 is prepared to go and search for Nature's wonders 

 himself, he will never find them knocking at his door, 

 and requesting inspection. 



The first thing that would strike a naturalist on 

 entering a Ceylon forest, would be the variety of 

 vegetable forms and animal sounds that everywhere 

 crowd upon his eye and ear, yet, strange as it may 

 seem, there are but few scented flowers or singing 

 birds. 



Occasionally we come upon a stately banyan (Fiats 

 ludica) whose gigantic arms are upheld by roots that 

 have fallen from them, like huge crutches placed to 

 support these emblems of age and strength ; while 

 among the smaller shoots and branches, creep and 

 hop numbers of small birds, particularly barbets 

 (Megalaima flavifrons and XantTioltzma rubricapilla) 

 and lorikeets (Loriathts Iiidicus). Now and again 

 we may see the bright red woodpecker alight for a 

 moment upon the mighty tree, but unless he finds 

 something worthy of his attention, he shapes his 

 course in the direction of more fertile shades. Now 

 our attention may be drawn towards a bird, whose 

 activity and power of searching for food, in almost 

 any conceivable attitude, is only equalled by his 

 rodent rival, the brown squirrel ; I allude to the 

 little blue nut-hatch, or Dendrophila frontalis, that 

 is widely distributed over the hill country. These 

 little birds are readily distinguished by their general 

 colour of blue over the upper parts, and dusky brown 

 below. The eyes are golden ; bill coral red ; and 

 the feet, armed with very long and slender toes and 

 claws, are coloured a horny brown. They may be 

 found either in pairs, or in small flocks of eight and 

 ten, when their lively and graceful motions cannot 

 fail to attract attention and admiration. Our notice 

 may next be claimed by the loud and disagreeable 



chattering of a species of thrush, known also by the 

 name of the " swin brothers " or " dung -thrush," of 

 which there are three varieties, but those under 

 notice are, as a general rule, forest birds. The 

 second species is very common about the outskirts of 

 Colombo, and is, in fact, numerous over most parts 

 of the low country. 



The forest bird is much darker in plumage, and 

 assumes a reddish tinge, while the "town bird" is 

 ashy, and paler in all points. They are, however, both 

 gregarious in their habits, and their diet seems to 

 consist of fruits and insects, as well as worms, that 

 they find under fallen leaves in damp localities. 



Tree-ferns of great height and extreme beauty are 

 to be found in damp and swampy places, where the 

 sluggish waters supply their roots with the necessary 

 moisture. Here and there may be found one taller 

 than the rest, but all seem to partake of an equal 

 grace, and wave their long fronds in the calm, soft 

 breeze that plays among them. Should we choose 

 to press further, we may chance to come upon a 

 "joungle cock" (the Galhts Stanleyi of Gray), but 

 unless the sportsman has a quick eye and an equal 

 sympathy with his finger and gun-trigger, he will 

 rarely claim a full-grown joungle fowl as the reward 

 of his labours. Spur-fowl, or spur-partridge (Gallo- 

 perdix bicalcaratd), are also numerous, but shy, and 

 it is only with great difficulty and patience that they 

 can be obtained. A rough, grunt-like bark may 

 draw our eyes in the direction of a solitary 

 " Wanderoo " monkey (Presbytes ursinus), whose 

 silvery beard may look as if its owner had seen the 

 "threescore and ten" allotted to man; but his 

 activity is unabated, and his vast leaps from tree to 

 tree proclaim him to be a creature of no small power 

 of limb. The small "red monkey" (Macaatssiniats, 

 Linn.), or "Rilawar," so often seen in confinement, 

 is to be met with in the Saffragam forests, but they 

 are not very numerous in the higher parts of the 

 district. 



Let us naw bend our way in the direction of some 

 broad stream or "oya," and we shall probably find 

 more to interest us. Here we may find trees bound 

 together by the powerful "Weywal" canes that grow 

 to some hundreds of feet in length, crowned by grace- 

 ful clumps of feathery leaves, upon which are most 

 powerful thorns — regular "infernal machines" of the 

 vegetable kingdom. Further on, we may find a huge 

 " Puswell" vine, large as a man's thigh, and growing 

 in the most fantastic forms that nature alone delights 

 in. Below, the wild ginger and numerous balsams 

 drink in all the moisture that is spared to them, 

 while in their bosoms there nestles the lovely orchid 

 known as the " Wanna rahja," or king of the forest, 

 known to botanists as the Atuzctochilus setaceus. This 

 beautiful orchid is by no means rare, though to those 

 who do not know where it abounds they appear 

 hard to obtain. While pausing over this woodland 

 gem, a harsh, rasping note calls the naturalist to 



