Mr. E. L. Layard's Rambles in Ceylon. 395 



On our return home we found a note from G., who stated that he had 

 come down to the river, but thought it too dangerous to attempt ; he 

 had been detamed eighteen hours at the Sitt-aar the previous day. 

 We have sent to tell him the water is falling, and if the rain holdup 

 he may venture tomorrow, and we will come down to help him. 



Anarajahpoora, 7th May. 

 • J ,^*5"*^ tomorrow monamg, so I must write up my "log," as it 

 IS doubtful if I shall be able to do so again till I reach Jaffna. G. 

 jomed us early on the morning of the 1st of May, and, as much as 

 the state of the weather permitted, we wandered about, visiting the 

 rums and tanks, collecting specimens as opportunities offered. G. 

 has brought a Portuguese with him to stuff his birds, and between 

 us we have 13 shrikes, 4 specimens of the lesser hornbill, 2 pair 

 ot the lovely httle ring ducks, and many others. I have also a new 

 rapiho, of the swallow-tailed group, which I look upon as a great 

 prize; I caught it on the edge of the large tank. It is the only 

 specimen I have seen. 



The follomng description will give you some idea of it. Expanse 

 ot wmg 3 inches ; ground colour a pale green ; two dark brown bands 

 run from the anterior margin of the upper wing about two-thirds 

 down the ulterior margin of the lower whig, the outermost nearly 

 touching the exterior vein of the discoidal cell ; three angular 

 patches of the same colour run from the anterior margin to the 

 central nerve of the upper wing, while the whole exterior margin 

 is occupied by a broad angular band divided by a row of nine spots 

 of the ground colour, circular near the apical angle and oval or semi- 

 lunar towards the anal angle ; this band is extended round the 

 exterior margm of the lower wing, the spots assuming a deep crescent 

 shape towards the interior margin. Tail 8 Unes in length, with a 

 dark centre stripe. 



Body and thorax longitudinally banded with three dark brown 

 bands, antennae black. 



I have a Unio^o Qgw to our fauna, which I discovered in the river 

 here ; it is a shorter and thicker shell than TJ. marginalis (which is 

 also found with it) and never grows to the same size. Length 1 inch 

 9 lines, breadth 10 lines. Umbones generally eroded, ligament pro- 

 minent ; general colour of shell brownish-green ; in young specimens 

 the green predominates and the umbones are longitudinally sculp- 

 tured. Found under sand, but not very common. 



The tanks and river have each supplied me with a separate species 

 o{Paludotnus^' andvarieties oiMelaniaelegans an&Pyramis^K These 

 two species are subject to great variation in shape and colouring, or 

 else many species are classed with them. 



M. elegans is found throughout the island in paddy-fields, tanks, 

 rivers and mountain-streams, imbedded in mud or sand. Caltura 

 river furnishes the longest-spined species. M. Pyramis is found in 



^ Tliis Unio has not come to hand.— W. H. Benson. 

 " Paludomus Ckilinoides, Reeve. 

 ^ Vide supra, note 8. 



26* 



