336 Mr. E. L. Layard's Rambles in Ceylon. 



and finally with whitish ; besides which is another and narrow black 

 band on each hair towards its base, chiefly seen as the tail is viewed 

 from above : tip black, forming a pencil tuft 3 inches long." Blyth 

 calls it a " handsome species," and it certainly is so, its coat being 

 very glossy and silky. 



In 1849, while at Tangalle on circuit, I procured what I consider 

 a new species. I have named it after my friend Dr. Kelaart, to 

 whom be all honour for the persevering way in which he follows up 

 the natural history of his native country. Well would it be for 

 Ceylon if more of his countrymen and his cloth would imitate him ! 

 Sc. Kelaarti (Layard) replaces S. tristriatus from Tangalle, where I 

 first saw it, to Kirindy, one day's journey beyond Hambantotte, and 

 may be to Trincomalee. It is like Sc. Palmarum of India, but has a 

 redder head, the colours of the back and belly are more blended, and 

 the fur is longer and coarser. It is likewise smaller. Blyth, how- 

 ever, thinks this hardly separable from S. Brodiei. We are indebted 

 to Kelaart for /S*. trilineatus (W.) — I do not know where he pro- 

 cured it — also for Sciuropterus Layardi and Pt. oral, neither of 

 which I have seen, though I heard long since that two species of 

 flying squirrels inhabited Rambodde Pass, and I believe Templeton 

 procured one of them. I have not seen any description by Kelaart, 

 but Blyth thus describes S. Layardi : " Nearly affined to Sc. cani- 

 ceps. Gray, of the S.E. Himalaya, from which it difl'ers in having the 

 fur of its under parts of a dull non-fulvescent white, the parachute 

 membrane being margined with pure white fur, lengthened and con- 

 spicuous at the angle. Face gray, except the forehead, which is 

 rufous-brown like the rest of the upper parts. A dusky spot on the 

 nose. Whiskers long and black : and there is a tuft of long soft hairs 

 below the ears and a smaller one before them. The ear-conch is 

 f in. long posteriorly, ovate and somewhat narrow. Fur very dense, 

 the basal three-fourths of the piles dusky, sinuous and fine in texture ; 

 the tips coarser, and shining dull rufous-brown forming the surface 

 colour. Tail flat and broad, above nigrescent, and below deeper 

 blackish except at tip. Feet grayish, with a faint rufous tinge on the 

 hind only. Length about 2 feet, of which the tail with hair measures 

 half : hind-foot from heel to tip of claws 2^ in. : fore-foot to mem- 

 brane 1|- in." Kelaart gives its habitat, " Mountains of Ceylon 

 (Dimbrula)." 



But to resume my journey : — At 2 p.m. we started for Korremoaty, 

 a village on the sea- shore, and at the head of the MuUetivoe Lake. 

 The country through which we first rode was low and flat, and under 

 paddy culture ; the crop had been gathered in, and we rode over 

 the fields, having to jump the " balks^^ or raised dams, every two 

 minutes — not particularly pleasant with a loaded rifle on one's back. 

 My horse would walk along these balks when he could, and finding 

 it more pleasant than a succession of little jumps, I let him do so, 

 which Q. observing, said I should have " a spill;" however, being 

 obstinate, I kept on. Gradually leaving the cultivation we entered 

 the jungle, at the edge of which Q. turned, and pointing to a dry 

 tank, said, ' rive years ago I shot seven elk and three bears, in one 



