On the Distribution of Birds in Southern Ceylon. 7 



Since, as is mentioned above, the characters of this egg 

 appear with great probability to indicate its belonging to the 

 Struthious group, I propose to call it, with reference to the 

 unknown gigantic bird. Strut hiolithus chersonensis*. 



III. — On the Distribution of Birds in the Southern Hill-region 

 of Ceylon. By W. Vincent Legge, Lieut. E-.A. 



The southern province of Ceylon possesses a range of moun- 

 tains of its own, quite distinct from the central zone, inas- 

 much as it is separated from that region by a long strip of 

 low country extending from the western province, on the south 

 of Ratnapoora, through, in an easterly direction, to the flat 

 and jungle-clad plains of the south-east of the island. The 

 system commences at the eastern boundary of the Morowa 

 Korlef, at a point thirty miles north of the southernmost 

 extremity of the island (Dondra Head), and, after shooting 

 up at once from the plains of Hambantotte and culminating 

 in its highest point, 4500 feet, stretches away in a westerly 

 direction to a point some twenty miles from the sea on the 

 west coast. The river Gindurah rises in the highest portion 

 of the range, and takes a westerly course, separating it into 

 two parts by a deep valley, in the north of which numerous 

 spurs shoot out into the Saffragam district, while on the south 

 the higher mountains are supplemented by many smaller par- 

 allel-lying ridges, which again break into an endless succes- 

 sion of smaller hills, dwindling down until they form the un- 

 dulating country in the immediate vicinity of Point de Galle. 

 The south-west corner of Ceylon may therefore be said to be 

 a perfect labyiinth of hills, clothed in their highest parts with 

 lofty primeval forest, except where the axe of the mountaineer 

 has left its mark in the coui-se of hill-grain cultivation, and 

 covered in the lower districts with secondary or scrubby jungle, 

 in the composition of which the small bamboo {Ochlandra 



* Subsequently Professor Kessler lias informed me that he had this egg 

 in his hands some years ago, and attempted unfortunately in vain to ac- 

 quire it for the zoological collection of the University of Kiew. 



t " Korle" corresponds, as a terrestrial division, to county. 



