22 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
India wherever conditions are suitable. For this reason, as 
regards Ceylon, comparatively few of them need be looked 
for in the Kandyan districts. There are few large tanks for 
the swamp birds, few suitable lagoons for the waders, and no 
sandy tracts for the shore birds. 
With reference to the haunters of sandy shores and wastes, 
we have two suitable centres in Ceylon. One the northern 
serub tract, where the Ceylon coast approaches the Carnatie, 
and a similar stretch near the south-east coast. Now there 
are several species found in the northern tract which are 
not found in the south-eastern, and in running through the 
remaining orders of birds I wish specially to note these 
species, for a reason which will become apparent later on. 
To return to the Rails. They belong to an order which also 
contains the Cranes and Bustards, the two last noteworthy 
gaps in our avifauna. Of our Rails, the three Water Hens— 
Porphyrio poliocephalus (the Purple Water Hen), Amaurornis 
phamicurus (the White-breasted Water Hen), and Gallinula 
chloropus (the Moor Hen)—are all birds with a wide range. 
Five other species are rare migrants to our shores, and only 
one, Gallicrex cineria—the Water Cock—is noteworthy, as not 
occurring in the Carnatic. It is locally distributed through 
our low-country swamps, but as far as my experience goes it 
is more scarce in the north of the Island. 
Turning to the Limicole, or Waders, of the three families 
(dicnemide, Dromadidx, and Glareolide, which comprise our 
aberrant Plovers, we have in Ceylon six species. They are all 
birds which love sandy tracts near the sea or in river beds. 
Four of them—(Mdicnemus scolopax (the Stone Plover), sacus 
recurvirostris (the Great Stone Plover), and the two Swallow 
Plovers, Glareola lactea and G. Orientalis—are found both in 
the north and the south-east. Dromas ardeola—the Crab 
Plover—and Cursorius coromandelicus—the Indian Courser— 
are only found inthe north. It may be noted that C. coroman 
delicus is rare on the Malabar coast. Our true Plovers, as a 
rule, are found over a large part of India. The remainder of 
the Waders call for little comment. 
-The same may be said of our Gulls, Terns, and Pelicans, 
and various sea birds. 
