r S L A N D a F C E y L O N. 20: 



The fafciated Curucui^ Ind. Zool. tab. iv. and the fpotted, Corucuc 

 B-raivn's Ilh/Jir. tab. xiii, are elegant birds from Mr. Loten\ Col- 

 lection, as is the Zcylan Barbety and the red crown'd, Bro^-jjit's 

 lllufir. tab. xiv. xv. 



The red-headed cuckoo forms the 5th plate of my Indian Cuckoo> 

 Zoologv, as does the red-wingVl wood - pecker, tab. vi. Mr. 

 Latham gives another, ii. 580, under the name of the Ceylon. 



The European Hoopoo is frequent th-ere. I may fay that our Hoopoo. 

 common nut-hatch, and creeper, the wheat-ear, the wry-neck, 

 tiie yellow wren, the houfe fwallow, the woodcock, and fnipe, are 

 alfo natives of India. The creepers of this ifland, the Ceylon^ 

 Latham^ ii. 712, and tlie Lotenianyjic^i and the green-gold, 716, 

 are elegant little birds. 



Kjiox mentions a fmall green Parrot found in Ceylon, but Parrot, 

 not remarkable for its loquacity. The Romans were very fond 

 of the parrot kind, which they muil have had from the eaftern 

 fide. The Indians (BarbariJ profited of this paffion, and made 

 them an article of commerce. The Wedas are moft fkilful ar- 

 chers, and probably do the fame. Thefe birds inhabit the 

 forefls, in which, fays Sollnns^ c. ^c^^ the trees were fo lofty, 

 that they were beyond the reach of the arrows aimed at their 

 inhabitants. Parrots were efteemed by the Indians as facred, 

 particularly by the Brachmans *. 



The yellow-crov/n'd tlirufli, Brown's Illujir. tab. xxii, is kept Thrush^ 

 here in cages, and is remarkable for its powers of mimicking 

 every note that is whi-ftled to it.. 



* ^Elian, de Nat. An. lib. xiii. c. 18. 



It 



