Chap. III.] 



TORTOISES. 



189 



around Putlam and Cliilaw, and is distinguished by the 

 bright yellow rays which diversify the deep black of its 

 dorsal shield. From one of these which was kept in my 

 garden I took a number of flat ticks {Ixodes), which 

 adhered to its fleshy neck in such a position as to baffle 

 any attempt of the animal itself to remove them ; but 

 as they were exposed to constant danger of being crushed 

 against the plastron dming the protrusion and retraction 

 of the head, each was covered with a horny case almost 

 as resistant as the carapace of the tortoise itself. Such 

 an adaptation of structure is scarcely less striking than 

 that of the parasites found on the spotted hzard of 

 Berar by Dr. Hooker, each of which presented the 

 distinct colour of the scale to which it adhered.^ 



Tlie marshes and pools of tlie interior are frequented 

 by the terrapins ^, which the natives are in the habit of 

 keeping ahve in wells under the comiction that tliey 

 clear them of impurities. The edible turtle ^ is found 

 on all the coasts of the island, and sells for a few shil- 

 lings or a few pence, according to its size and abundance 

 at the moment. At certain seasons tlie turtle on the 

 soutli-western coast of Ceylon is avoided as poisonous, 

 and some lamentable instances are recorded of death 

 which was ascribed to their use. At Pantura, to the 

 south of Colombo, twenty-eight persons who had par- 

 taken of turtle in October, 1840, were seized with sick- 

 ness immediately, after which coma succeeded, and 

 eighteen died during the night. Those who survived 

 said there was nothing unusual in the appearance of 

 the flesh except that it was fatter than ordinary. Other 

 similarly fatal occurrences have been attributed to turtle 

 curry ; but as the}^ have never been proved to proceed 



1 Hooker's Himalayan Journals, 

 vol. i. p. 37. 



^ Emyda Ceylonensis, Gray, Cata- 

 logiie, p. 04, tab. 29 a. ; May. Nat. Hid. 

 p. 265 : 1856. Dr. Ivelaart, iu liis 

 Proclromva (p. 179), refers this te the 

 common Imlican species, E. punctata ; 

 but Dr. Gray has shown it to be a 



distinct one. It is generally dis- 

 tributed in the lower parts of Cey- 

 lon, in lakes and tanks. It is put 

 into wells to act the part of a scav- 

 enger. By the Singhalese it is named 

 Kiri-ibba. 



^ Chelouia virgata, Schiceiy. 



