Natural History in Ceylon, 408 



more volt mes tlxan all the other houses in the place together, inclu- 

 ding my court and the custom-house ? However, to the point : — 

 Brodie "is at Anarajahpoora, acting assistant agent ; he tells me he 

 has just employed a native whom he has instructed to procure speci- 

 mens from the jungle with which he is surrounded. He is in a very 

 favourable locality, and one untrodden in our paths save by poor 

 Dr. Gardner here and there, and now a little by our enlightened active 

 Government-agent Mr. Dyke, who was inoculated by Dr. Gardner 

 with some of his botanical ardour. Mr. Dyke however, I fancy, col- 

 lects principally for the improvement and embellishment of his di- 

 strict, by the introduction to notice of new and useful trees and plants 

 from the distant jimgles to the cultivated peninsula. Brodie has been 

 busy of late with native [illigible], and this together with his official 

 duties has left him little time for other pursuits, and I now seldom 

 hear from him. He lately transmitted to our friend Blyth in Cal- 

 cutta a live pair of the Paradoxurus zeylanicus, which are destined 

 for Lord Derby I believe ; so you may see them if they survive. 



Dr. Kelaart is at Newera ElUa — a terra incognita to the zoologist ; he 

 has consequently made several discoveries both among animals and 

 birds. I fear however that he thinks too many of his species new, 

 and will meet with disappointment from having his nomenclature re- 

 jected. Many of his novelties have already proved to be well known 

 on the continent. You are aware how singularly similar is the zoo- 

 logy of his district to that of the Neilgherries ; one marked difference 

 however exists — all our Ceylonese specimens are darker than their 

 Indian representatives. This is an observation Blyth and myself 

 have made, since we exchanged largely, in almost every instance. 



Mr. Thwaites is at his post, the Botanical Gardens at Peradenia ; 

 what he is doing I hardly know, but he has asked me to supply him 

 with seeds of all useful plants cultivated here, to enable him to intro- 

 duce them into the Kandian Province. We do not correspond much : 

 we run in different tracks, and have not met. My hands also are 

 full of my official business — so full, that I have but scanty time for 

 more necessary writing ; — and, lastly, there is myself, of whom I can 

 give you a fuller account, if egotism won't bore you. I have been 

 appointed here for a year and foiu- months, and during that time 

 have devoted what spare time I have, to my old pursuits of entomology 

 and ornithology, to which I have added that of conchology, and have 

 paid some little attention to the habits of the marine Crustacea, Holo- 

 thurice, &c. Mrs. Layard has also, as her very impaired health per- 

 mitted, painted the fish I catch on the coast, or wliich the little fisher 

 boys bring me for a few pice. I intend sending them to the British 

 Museum some of these days, when my pickling barrel is full. Lord 

 Torrington kindly supplied me vnth good spirit from the store for 

 this express purpose. I don't think you visited this part of the 

 island ; still you know that we are as flat as a table, with a hot dry 

 soil which is artificially irrigated. How I do wish that imaginary 

 river spoken of by Mr. Pridham in his wondrous book on Ceylon as 

 existing up here had any being ! Who could have been humbugging 

 the poor man so much ! Our cultivation is principally Palmirah-trees, 

 with paddy in the wet season ; tobacco and fine grains are also grown. 



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