Mr. E. L. Layard's Rambles in Ceylon. 231 



had taken for the stump of a tree, came slowly out into the tank, 

 showing (4. a huge elephant ; Q. waited till it had got clear of the 

 trees, and then walking up fired both barrels into its head; unluckily, 

 as he aimed, a cloud obscured the moon, and he could not see clearly ; 

 the animal however dropt on its knees, but regainmg its feet, ran 

 across the swamp and disappeared. Talking over the adventure, we 

 fell asleep, but about 2 o'clock were roused by the rushing of the 

 storm through the branches of the trees ; the rain streamed in tor- 

 rents through our roof and into our beds, so we got up and sat 

 cowering under the table. At 4 a.m. I started for Irambacolom, and 

 Q. rode with me to put me in the way. Breakfasting at a village 

 called Parandan, on cold peacock, I reached the great central road 

 about 4 o'clock, having seven miles still to go to where I expected to 

 meet Mr. B. of the Madras Service, my baggage, and my buggy. 

 On the open road animal life abounded : puddles left by the night's 

 rain were surrounded by large flights of Euploea corns and E. prothoe 

 in some instances, and by Cat. alcmeone and C. Hillaria in others. 

 Jungle-fowl with their broods scratched upon the lumps of elephants' 

 dung. The little red monkey gambolled among the branches (this 

 bemg apparently theu- farthest northern limit). Pericrocotusflammeus 

 had replaced P. peregrinus. The common horn-bill, Bucerospica, was 

 associated with the smaller species, B. gingalensis ; and I saw for the 

 first time a pair of rocket-tailed shrikes, but could not procure them. 

 I halted for a moment to observe a fine Papilio Erythronius drinking ; 

 it had thrust its trunk in the muddy water and was sucking it up 

 eagerly, its wings quivering and antennae moving to and fro ; on 

 lookmg closely, I saw that as fast as it sucked in the liquid, it ejected it 

 ab am, in clear filtered drops. I stood and watched this for some 

 minutes, during which the insect, though usually very wary, never 

 took the slightest notice of me ; so I rode on and left it, and reached 

 my destination near night-fall, and found, instead of my friend and 

 a comfortable dinner, a rest-house full of noisy Tamul coohes ; I had 

 nothing to lie on or to eat off, or wherewith to make a light. A 

 jungle-fowl, meant to be stuffed, was converted into a curry by the 

 horsekeeper; a plantain-leaf, pinned at the corners with thorns, 

 served as a plate ; one old preserved-meat tin, often used to boil 

 snails m, made a first-rate cup for some coffee (procured from the 

 coolies and drank without milk and sugar) ; and a bundle of straw, 

 taken from some bullocks, served as table, chair, and bed, on which 

 I threw my Umbs, weary with a walk of some twenty miles. I slept 

 soundly from 7 that evening (at which time I turned in for want 

 of light to do anything else) till 5 next morning, when I shouldered 

 my collecting gun and went to look out for specimens. Rounding 

 the corner of a paddy field, I espied a herd of pigs ; so ramming down 

 a little 120 ball on the top of my dust shot, I singled out the largest 

 boar of the herd and sent the ball into his spine ; on this he turned 

 and charged me furiously, and I had to fall back on fowling-piece 

 loaded with No. 6, when just as piggy reached me, his spine gave 

 way and he sat on his hind-quarter, frantically tearing up the ground 

 all round him, till another 120 in the brain rolled him over lifeless. 

 About 8 o'clock B. came up ; at 11 the bullock bandy, with my 



