34 



PHYSICAL GEOGEAPIIY. 



[PART I. 



some places are used by lapidaries in polishing the 

 softer stones, and in sawing the elephants' grinders 

 into plates. The cook of a government officer at 

 Galle recently brought to him a ruby about the size 

 of a small pea, which he had taken from the crop of a 

 fowl. 



Of late years considerable energy has been shown by 

 those engaged in the search for gems ; neglected dis- 

 tricts have been explored, and new fields have been 

 opened up at such places as Karangodde and Wera- 

 loopa, whence stones have been taken of unusual size 

 and value. 



It is not, however, in the upper strata of gravel, nor 

 in those now in process of formation, that the natives 

 search for gems. They penetrate to the depth of 

 from ten to twenty feet, in order to reach a lower 

 deposit distinguished by the name of Nettan, in which 

 the objects of their search are found. This is of so 

 remote an origin that it underlies the present beds of 

 rivers, and is generally separated from them or from 

 the superincumbent gravel by a hard crust (called 

 Kadua\ a few inches in thickness, and so consolidated 

 as to have somewhat the appearance of laterite, or of 

 sun-burnt brick. The nellan is for the most part hori- 

 zontal, but occasionally it is raised into an incline as it 

 approaches the base of the hills. It appears to have 

 been deposited previous to the irruption of the basalt, 

 and to have undergone some alteration from the contact. 

 It consists of water-worn pebbles firmly imbedded in 

 the soil, and occasionally there occur large lumps of 

 granite and gneiss, in the hollows under which, as 

 well as in " pockets" in the clay (which from their 

 shape the natives denominate " elephants' footsteps") 



was valueless, but the appearance of 

 the sand was very inviting, as the 

 shallow stream in rippling over it 

 magnified the tiny gems into stones 

 of some magnitude. I passed an hour 



in vainly searching for a ruby worth 

 collecting, but the largest did not 

 exceed the size of a mustard seed." 

 BAKEE'S Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. 

 p. 181. 



