( 44 ) 



fish alcove. The edible turtle, Chelone mydas, attaining a length 

 of four feet, is herbivorous.* The loggerhead turtle, Thalasso- 

 chelys caretta, is obtained by harpooning and netting by the natives 

 of Iranativu and elsewhere off the coast ; it is carnivorous, feeding 

 on crustaceans and molluscs. The leathery turtle, Dermochelys 

 coriacea, was presented by C. H. de Soysa, Esq.; it is not common. 

 Finally, a specimen of the tortoise-shell turtle, Chelone imbricata, 

 and a young edible turtle, are shown in small tanks on either side 

 of the staircase. 



Some of the Amphibians of Ceylon are shown uver Table Case IV., 

 next to the Eagle Group. The large bull-frog is Rana tigrina, 

 the common toad Bufo inelanostictus. The common frog of the 

 Colombo lake is Rana hexadactyla. The tree-frog, f Ixaiun 

 adspersus^ peculiar to Ceylon, has been found at Pattipola, 6,200 

 feet, and is one of the rarest frogs existing. The climbing frogs of 

 the genus Rhacophorus attach their foam-like nests to the leaves of 

 shrubs and trees overhanging water, into which the tadpoles drop 

 when they hatch. The most singular batrachian occurring in the 

 hills of Ceylon above 2,000 or 3,000 feet is the worm-like, legless 

 * salamander,"! Ichthyophis ghttinosus. It burrows in soft mud ; 

 the female lays eggs of large size, and coils round the clump of 

 eggs until they are hatched. The larvas are aquatic, and are 

 provided with a respiratory orifice or spiraculuni on each side 

 of the neck. The development has been worked out by two 

 >5wiss naturalists, Drs. Fritz and Paul Sarasin. 



FISHES. 



A large series of sharks and bony fishes is shown in the eastern 

 alcove of the gallery. The largest and rarest is the huge shark 

 which rests upon the platform along the centre of the room. 

 This is a specimen of the Basking Shark {Rhinodon typAcus)^ 23 

 feet long, caught at Moratuwa in 1883. This species has also 

 been obtained off the Seychelles and the Cape of Good Hope ; 

 it was first recorded from the west coast of Ceylon by Mr. 

 Amyrald Haly, the former Director of the Colombo Museum. 

 In spite of its bulk the specimen shown is not full-size, and 

 it is a harmless shark. It is regarded as one of the gems of 

 the entire collection. 



* Clielonia vlrgata is syaonymous with Chelone mydas [BouleugeiJ. 



t The true tree-frogs of the family Hylidse are not represented in Ceylon. 



X The tailed batrachians (newts and salamanders) form the order Urodela. 

 which is unrepresented in Ceylon ; the tailless batrachiant; (frogs and toads) 

 form the order Anura : the legless batrachians or the ciecilians belong to the 

 order Apoda. 



