Birds in Southern Ceylon, 29 



obtuse end under the brown markings ; axis 1 inch 4 lines, 

 diameter 11 lines. Some eggs are magnificently clouded with 

 sepia and want the pencil-like strokes. With regard to ^. 

 mongolicus, I forgot to mention above that it sometimes re- 

 mains very late in this country, even down here in the south, 

 before it migrates northwards. I have procured it on the 

 27th April on the sandy banks of our chief river, the Gin- 

 durah, still in the immature plumage in which most of our 

 visitors of that ilk are clothed, without a sign of moulting to 

 the adult garb. As may be supposed, our list, in the south, of 

 Longirostres is not a strong one, the country not being suited 

 to their habits. There is, as it were, a gap, as far as this class 

 is concerned, extending from the mud flats of Negombo, to 

 the north of the capital, to the flat and salt-pan-begirt shores 

 of the south-east, where Waders of all kinds become so won- 

 derfully numerous. Numenius arquata is found in the Ma- 

 tura-district ; but I doubt liN.phaopus, which seems confined 

 to the north of the island, ever comes so far south. Tringa 

 minuta is now and then met with, along with Golden Plover, in 

 newly ploughed paddy-fields, where they may be seen search- 

 ing for the various worms and other insects turned up by the 

 plough. This species wanders a good deal inland. I have 

 found them in muddy drains running through swamps in the 

 northern province ; and it was in such a locality, out of a flock 

 of three Little Stints, that I obtained, some months ago, T. 

 temminckii, for the first time recorded from Ceylon. Actitis 

 glareola is very common in this province, being our first visitor 

 at the fall of the south-west monsoon — that is, if I except A. 

 hypoleucus, which I cannot but believe is a resident in the 

 island to a large extent. These two species frequent the 

 brackish mangrove-lined lagoons of these parts, being the 

 only birds of the kind found there. They may be often seen 

 running along the edges of the loathsome cori-pits, where the 

 cocoa-nut husks are allowed to rot before being beaten out 

 into cori yam-spots. But to return to Totaninse, T. stagna- 

 tilis is the only species I have met with here. While wander- 

 ing in the haunts of this and other like species in the north 

 of the island, watching the movements of happy little parties 



