308 Mr. E. L. Layard's Rambles in Ceylori. 



the surface of the month ; surface of shell finely streaked, between 

 the canal and the umbilicus (which is closed) assuming a coarser cha- 

 racter ; general colour reddish brown. Found in the same locality 

 and situations as the last. 



Friday, April 25. '. 



Here we are at Nalande, thirty-two miles from where I last wrote. 

 C. is taking his cheroot, and I resume my pen. 



On our way down the Balcadua Pass I found the nest of Hirundo 

 hyperythra (Layard and Blyth). It was built under the arch of a 

 drain, into which I had to creep on my hands and knees. In struc- 

 ture it precisely resembled that of the European swallow, H. rustica. 

 There were four half-fledged young ones in it, and I found the rem- 

 nants of broken eggs on the ground : from these I should say they 

 were of a pale cream-colour speckled with dark spots, as in those of 

 the English species. C. pointed out a nitre cave, which he said was 

 worked by the natives ; it appeared to be inhabited by myriads of 

 bats. I procured the curious Lyriocephalus scutatus, L., from some 

 low shrubs near it. 



At Matelle we rested under the hospitable roof of the assistant- 

 agent, Mr. T. He and his family were absent, but I had seen them 

 on my way down, and left my bullock-cart there. In his garden I 

 shot Calliope cyana, Hodg., and Loriculus philippensis, Briss., which 

 is very common here ; Palceornis cyanocephalus, L., Pal. Calthropes, 

 nobis, are also abundant ; and I shot P. Alexandri, L., about five 

 miles from the town, on my way hither : thus, with the exception of 

 P. torquatus, which I did not observe, I obtained all our island 

 parrots at this one place. P. torquatus is abundant about Jaffna, 

 breeding in hollow trees and laying three or four white eggs. I saw 

 them as far as Dambool, and doubt not they are sometimes foimd in 

 Matelle. 



We left Matelle this morning at daylight, and reached this about 

 ten o'clock : C. rode and I drove. We got along pretty well, stop- 

 ping now and then to go after birds, of which Bucco Jlavifrons, C, 

 and H. hyperythra, L. & B., were what I principally wanted. B.fla- 

 vifrons is strictly a hill species ; the other three, Bucco zeylanicus, L., 

 B. indicus. Lath., and B. ruficapillus, Gmel., being found equally 

 in the high and low country. B. jlavifrons does not seem to extend 

 farther than this. Our drive was very lovely, and I had more time 

 to admire the beautiful scenery than I had on my way down. We 

 were gradually descending from the Kandian country over a suc- 

 cession of undulating hills clothed with vegetation and abounding in 

 birds and insects. We passed through one magnificent forest of large 

 timber trees, whose branches were laced together and festooned with 

 gigantic flowering creepers and encircled by the broad bright green 

 leaves of the sword-fern, or clothed with the dark tapering 

 leaves of the finger-fern. In this forest I saw some of our most 

 valued indigenous butterflies : Minetra gamhisius, Papilio Helemis, 

 Charaxes Bernhardus, Pap. Crino, in abundance; Thecla Narada, a 

 beautiful copper-coloured Myritia, IphiasGlaucippe, and many others. 

 Unluckily, the bullock-driver had torn my net so much at starting. 



