HUNTING & SHOOTING IN CEYLON 



point for the western ascent of the famous Adam's 

 Peak. 



The Central Province, again, is all mountains, and con- 

 tains the great Tea districts. Visitors wishing for sport in 

 this province must have " friends at court " to enable them 

 to enjoy " small game hunting on the estates with dogs and 

 gun," and if they visit Nuwara Eliya, friends can introduce 

 them to the " sport of Princes," by which is meant the 

 hunting of elk " to the knife " in the Nuwara Eliya 

 forests, or the Horton Plains a few miles south of Nuwara 

 Eliya, at 7000 feet elevation. The railway traverses this 

 province. Wet seasons are October to January, April, and 

 June to August inclusive. 



The Province of Uva contains many fine sporting centres 

 to be reached from inland via Bandarawela and Badulla. 

 The mountains are full of estates, and in the triangle 

 between the Nuwara Eliya-Badulla road and the Badulla- 

 Bandarawela-Haputale road are situated the famous Uva 

 patnas, rolling hills, and downs of short grass, the home 

 of the painted partridge. Diyatalawa, on the edge of 

 these patnas, was the site of a large " camp " of Boer 

 prisoners, now used as a military sanatorium and exercise 

 camp, the climate being cool, dry, and bracing, the general 

 elevation being about 4000 feet above sea- level. In the 

 hill forests, above 3000 feet, are to be found the lovely 

 wood pigeons peculiar to Ceylon (Palumbus Torringtoni*), 

 and a visitor, if he has local friends, may enjoy good sport 

 amongst them. 



In the northern low country portion of the province, 

 which may be reached by road and bridle path from Kandy, 

 some good snipe shooting may be had in the season, also 

 general shooting, a little way inland from the river, at all 

 kinds of big game. Coming southward and skirting the 



