786 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[May I, 1886. 



o£ I'ublic Gardens and Plantations, Mr. D. Morris, 

 has been deservedly promoted to be Sub-Director 

 al Kew ; and his departure will be universally re- 

 gretted, and be moreover a real loss to the colony. 



W. S. 



NATUBAL HISTORY IN NUWABA ELIYA 



AN OLD VISITOR FINDING OUT SOMETHING NEW. 



I3th April 188G. 

 When writing you from Nuwara Eliya as to past 

 reminiscences in Ceylon and Nuwara Eliya and the 

 great changes which time and the railway, the 

 great maker of modern civilization, have produced, 

 I had little thought at the time of the hidden 

 wealth of life, animal and vegetable, contained in 

 tlie high jungles of this beautiful island. It is 

 often and is generally supposed that the high 

 forest lands and bare grassy hills or patanas of 

 Ceylon are almost destitute of animal or bird life 

 and that elk (the sambar deer) with their natural 

 enemy the cheeta and a few herds of elephants 

 are the sole inhabitants of the tangled thickets 

 of dwarf bamboo, nillu and brambles; but the forest 

 swarms with lite, and bird lite is most numerous. 

 Few of the birds are of brilliant or gaudy plum- 

 age, though tlie common jay and the spotted wood- 

 pecker are bright and beautiful enough in plum- 

 age though discordant in their harsh notes. To 

 see bird lite in all its beauty you must select 

 the early morning after a shower, and just as the 

 sun's first rays light up the plain seat yourself 

 quietly in a halt-open, halt-thorny thicket and 

 watch tlie birds as they come to sun themselves 

 and teed. Nearly all are insect-feeders ; many of 

 them are nesting, and the song of the male bird 

 though low is sweet and musical. The black-bird, 

 the roker, the tom-tit, the bulbull (Kelaart's) have 

 low sweet notes and the brambles and thorny 

 thickets are literally alive with these beautiful 

 little birds ; would that they were more numerous, 

 for the blaclc grub larvii' of ilie common grey 

 moth is so destructive to plant life that the 

 gardener in his kitchen and flower garden is often 

 driven to despair, the labor of weeks will be de- 

 stroyed in a uigiit by the ever-present black grub 

 which destroys the young and tender plants as 

 fast as they are put out. Were it not for insect- 

 ivorous birds, so prolific is insect lite, tliat it would 

 be impossible to grow anything. Mr. Whyte, the 

 well-known naturalist of Kandy now at the Grand 

 Hotel cottage, Nuwara Eliya, has in the grounds 

 attached to the Hotel obtained one or two rare 

 specimens of birds, notably the whistling thrush 

 or "Aringa Elyghi" first found by Mr. Blygh which 

 is said to be exceedingly rare; also Palliser's ant- 

 thrush and a very beautiful Night .Jar. These 

 birds are almost unknown to ornithologists though 

 I am doubtful it they are really so rare as is 

 generally supposed, but they must be sought for 

 in the quiet lialt-open glades of the forest in the 

 early niornmg. Mr. Whyte is not only a 

 naturalist but a horticulturist and botanist, and is 

 most enthusiastic in his love of birds and plant 

 life and his great desire at present is to introduce 

 iiit-) the country insectivorous birds and to 

 protect and encourage such as we have. A strict 

 and stringent law should be passed to prevent the 

 destruction of small birds: the benefit derived from 

 them is incalculable. Mr. Whyte's favourite of all 

 Ceylon birds is the robin, and I feel every sympathy 

 with him in this. Like our " robin redbreast" of 

 the story books he is a domestic pet and will 

 breakfast witli you at the table and as an insect- 

 destroying bird is equal to the home starling. 

 Whenin Nuwara Eliya I was greatly instructed 

 by Mr. Whyte's oonversation on matters relating 



to bird and insect lite, I suggested that a most 

 useful bird might be naturalized or domesticated 

 here, the Australian magpie or piping crow ; these 

 birds are most amusing, the natural call of the 

 male is a beautiful clear piping call like the note 

 of a flageolet ; they can be taught to talk and will 

 sing any common or simple air, and like the 

 mocking bird will imitate the call or song of any 

 domestic animal or bird, but as insectivorous 

 birds I know none so valuable. I have seen a 

 piping crow watch a tuft of grass and in an 

 instant dart like a flash of lightning on a snake 

 14 or 16 inches long, seize it at the back of the 

 head and break its neck. If Mr. Whyte can induce 

 the people of Ceylon not only to care tor and 

 preserve their own beautiful birds but introduce 

 others he will do good service to his country. 



My steamer is due and time is short but I could 

 write more of the beauties of Nuwara Eliya did 

 time permit. What a wealth of vegetable lite is 

 there ! There a botanist might spend a month on the 

 lichens of the Nuwara Eliya plains alone. 



[We can from personal observation confirm 

 every word said in praise ot the great shrike called 

 the Australian magpie, both as insectivorous bird, 

 songster and mimic. When we were in Australia 

 many of the so-called magpies were dying from 

 inability to digest the thousands of grasshoppera 

 they were preying upon. We have seen a tame 

 " magpie " stretch his neck in order to crow like 

 a cock, while next moment his head was down 

 and he was gobbling like a turkey. An accom- 

 plished specimen at Echuca began with an ortho- 

 dox coo-ee ! asked " Who are you ? " and after 

 several other observations whistled a tune. We tried 

 to obtain specimens for Ceylon, but we failed as the 

 bird is strictly protected. But our Government could 

 get a dozen pairs by applying to the Government ot 

 Victoria. The shrikes could be let loose in Nuwara Eliya 

 and surrounding districts to teed on the cockchafer 

 beetles and other insects. — Ed.] 



IN SEARCH OF A HOME IN TASMANIA- 

 {By an Old Colonist.) 



BY THE BANKS OF THE DEVERON — .4ND DEBWENT — FIRST 

 IJIPIiESSIONS — A CIHRMlNO SPOT ON THE BANKS OF 



THE DERWENT HOUSE-HUNTING AND DISAPPOINTMENT 



NO FREE LAND GRANTS IN TAS5IANIA NOW— I.IKE THE 



PERPLEXED HUSBAND IN "CALLED BACK." 



It was years ago, while fishing from the banks 

 of the Deveron, that dear old Tytler and I resolved 

 to seek a home in Tasmania. We knew all about 

 it, tor had we not read tha best authorities on the 

 subject? The climate of course, all agreed, «as the 

 very acme of perfection for old Indians. The soil, 

 it somewhat patchy, we knew how to select. "Here" 

 said B. B. T. with a wave ol his hand, "all is 

 musty, bug and witheration ; there vigorous youth 

 with a glorious future, a grand home for the bairns. 

 Here we are cramped; there abundance of elbow- 

 room. Why, man, an island as large as Ceylon or 

 Ireland or 18,000,000 acres occupied as yet by a 

 population only equal to that of the granite city. 

 And oh, man, the glorious rivers now stocked 

 with salmon and trout! Mind you arirer frontage 

 is a sine qua noii ; and while the boys look after 

 the sheep or orchard and the girls the poultry or 

 dairy, ii'c, my boy, will do the fishing and talking !" 

 Meanwhile dear old K. B. T. has been c.-illed home 

 to a better paradise, while I alone am left to 

 realize or otherwise the dreams of Oeveronside. 

 At present my notes must be brief, for the time for 

 dreams and sentiment is past and the time for 

 work arrived. Moreover it will be borne in mind 

 that tliese are simply /ic.t( impressions liable to b 



