INDIA — CEYLON AND SOUTHERN INDIA 



303 



The Cingalese district., which almost approaches the character 

 of a distinct province, presents several remarkable points of 

 dissimilarity from the rest of India. It consists of the island 

 of Ceylon, and of a portion of S. India whose exact limits have 

 yet to be defined. It appears, however, that the Western or 

 Malabar coast, with the hills parallel to it, is more akin to 

 Ceylon than the Eastern or Coromandel coast. The Travancore, 

 Malabar, and S. Canara districts, with the Palnai, Anamalai, 

 and Nilghiri Hills, are markedly Cingalese, while there seems to 

 be no distinct evidence of similar relationship on the part of the 

 Madras or even the Cuddalore district. 



Among the principal features of the Cingalese district is the 

 occurrence of tliree peculiar genera of Helke^ one (^Acavus') large 

 and finely coloured, another ( Corilla) smaller, with a singularly 

 toothed aperture. While the Corilla group shows relations with 

 Plectopylis and other Burmese and Siamese sub-genera Acavus 

 (Fig. 204) is totally distinct from any other Indian form, and 

 shows signs of close relationship, in the great size of the 

 embryonic shell, to the Helices of Madagascar (p. 335). In 

 Ceylon the group is entirely isolated, and its occurrence, besides 



