PIONEERS OF CEYLON NATURAL HISTORY. 77 



Sir Emerson Tennent, in the introduction to his " Natural 

 History of Ceylon," remarks that, "with the exception of Kelaart, 

 Lay ard, Knox, and Davy, the subject of Natural History was (at 

 'that time) almost untouched in works relating to the Colony. Of 

 these names, the earliest is that of Robert Knox, who was captured 

 by the Singalese in 1657 and held a prisoner by the King of Kandy 

 for twenty years before effecting his escape." He published the 

 well known narrative of his adventures in 1681, and devotes three 

 chapters of his book to a consideration of " their Roots, Plants, 

 Herbs, Flowers ; of their Beasts, Tame and Wild Insects ; and 

 of their Birds, Fish, Serpents." His observations, though aiming 

 at no scientific value, are extremely interesting, and many of the 

 species that come under his notice are easily recognizable at the 

 present day. When deahng with the animals, Knox includes some 

 close observations of the appearance and habits of the bees and 

 ants, curiously interpolated between his account of the larger 

 mammals and the monkeys and carnivora. He describes the bird 

 that we recognize as the " Paradise Flycatcher," with its streaming 

 tail feathers, and he notices the difference in colour between the 

 two sexes. After reviewing the various serpents, he gives a fearsome 

 description of "a Spider called Democulo, very long, black, and 

 hairy, speckled and ghstering. Its body is as big as a man's fist, 

 with feet proportionable. These are very poisonous, and they 

 keep in hollow trees and holes. Men bitten with them will not die, 

 but the pain will for some time put them out of their senses." 



Some ten years later. Sir John Fryer, when on an embassy to 

 Persia, travelled in India and the neighbouring Islands, apparently 

 visiting Ceylon, which was then in the hands of the Dutch. On his 

 return to England, in 1682, he pubHshed a description of his travels. 

 Sir John appears to have devoted much attention to the Natural 

 History of the countries which he visited, and his book contains 

 descriptions and figures of many animals and plants that had 

 attracted his attention. I have not seen the work in question, and 

 am uncertain to what extent Ceylon figures in his account ; but 

 his name is worthy of record as that of the first British naturalist 

 to set foot in Ceylon. 



An interval of about thirty years occurs before we find another 

 name connected with the Natural History of this country. Legge, 

 in the introduction to his well-known book on our birds, mentions 

 that " during the latter half of the eighteenth century Gideon Loten 

 was nominated Governor of Ceylon by the Dutch, and, happening 

 to be a great lover of birds, collected and employed people to 

 procure specimens of species which attracted his notice ; and from 

 his labours we first learn something of the peculiar birds of the 

 Island. He had drawings prepared of many species, which he lent 

 to an English naturalist named Peter Brown, who published in 



