THE PHYSICAL FEATURES 



foot of the hills to Bibile, on the Batticaloa road, good snipe 

 shooting is to be had in the season, and travelling farther 

 east from there to Nilgala lovely park country is to be found, 

 where general shooting can be indulged in. The eastern 

 half of the province is rather hilly, and is full of forest 

 and scrub, but the southern part is flat and very " gamey," 

 containing some "park" country as well as forest and 

 scrub. Good shooting may be got from the rest- 

 houses on the Haputale-Hambantota road which, by 

 the way, is a bad travelling road for carts. There are 

 very few roads or even tracks in the wild parts of this 

 province, and travelling is very difficult. Wet season 

 October to January, showery only at other parts of the 

 year. Water to be found usually in several good 

 rivers. 



Finally we have the Southern Province, par excellence 

 the sporting part of Ceylon for non-resident visitors in 

 particular. There is fine snipe, teal, and water-fowl shoot- 

 ing all along the coast and in the tanks and paddy fields 

 during the season, whilst pea fowl, jungle fowl, pigeons, &c., 

 abound as soon as you get beyond Tangalla. The shooting 

 country is easily reached, by rail to Matara, and thence by 

 coach or carriage to Hambantota and Wirawila, fine shoot- 

 ing centres. This is the only part of Ceylon where the 

 visitor is expected, and provided for. Competent guides 

 and shikaris, under Government licence and supervision, 

 can be engaged at Hambantota and at Wirawila and other 

 places, and necessary carts for transport are always available 

 at cheap rates, whilst most of the rest-houses form excellent 

 centres to shoot from. The country east of Palatupana, to 

 the Menik Ganga, 1 is supposed to be closed to non-resident 

 sportsmen, and beyond that, between the Menik Ganga 

 1 Also known as the Yala River. 



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