190 TO (JALLE. 



swallow tails, fully eight inches across its outspread 

 wings. The birds of Ceylon are mostly the same as 

 those of Southern India : the roller, the golden oriole, 

 the hoopoo, the wild pea-fowl, parrakeets, thrushes, fly 

 catchers, pheasants, etc. ; ibis, snipe, and teal amongst 

 the rice fields and swamps; and occasionally a flamingo 

 on the lakes. Serpents are not frequent in Ceylon, I am 

 told ; I certainly saw none ; but plenty of white ants, 

 most destructive creatures. Of fishes there are seir, of 

 the mackerel family, and other small fry. 



Kandy and Colombo having been reached in due 

 time, and a few purchases of curiosities effected in both 

 places, I left the latter town one early morning for 

 Galle by coach. The road was in excellent condition, 

 and we passed, in almost constant succession, clean 

 picturesque villages, cinnamon gardens and cocoanut 

 groves ; every now and then we came close upon the 

 sea which cooled the atmosphere very perceptibly. 

 The entire distance of seventy-two miles was accom- 

 plished in ten hours, being occasionally delayed by 

 unmanageable horses. At Bentolle, about half way, 

 we stopped an hour for tifiin, which consisted of a 

 variety of fish dishes and oysters ; the latter, however, 

 were coarse and unwholesome. The natives on the 

 coast occupy themselves solely with fishing, and catch 



