CEYLON. 657 



ceit about his animal being fast, the poor thing will have to race, load 

 or no load, with every other turnout of the same sort that comes along. 

 Then the shrieks and wild bowlings of the rival jehus are almost un- 

 earthly, and the twisting of the poor brutes' tails, as a last resort to 

 increase their locomotion, is incessant and positively inhuman. 



These little animals are treated with much care, and only used as 

 roadsters ; whereas the mothers, and in fact all of their cows, when out 

 of milk, are put to the plow by the rural Singhalese, who would much 

 sooner behave thus ignobly towards the weak and obedient females 

 than be put to the bother and expense of keeping unruly male animals 

 for such purposes. 



The Singhalese cattle are of all colors though black, very dark-brown, 

 and red, are the prevailing colors. When white appears to any con- 

 siderable extent it indicates an intermixture with other blood, and fore- 

 bodes a want of hardiness. Many of the male animals are branded all 

 over the body, in huge designs, after the style of lace or fretwork, and 

 this is done for ornament originally, although there is a belief that it 

 improves the stamina and condition of a bullock to so brand it. Ac- 

 cordingly, whenever an inhuman cartman has by overwork, cruel neg- 

 lect, and starvation, reduced his animals to almost the last extremity, 

 he gives them a few clays' rest, meantime calling in some fiend with 

 firing irons, who cauterizes the wretched creatures into popular condi- 

 tion for further labor. 



In fact these people have a proverb (as I believe most other folks 

 have) to justify monstrosities and foolishness), viz., that "the bullock 

 will come to its owner once a year, and ask to be branded." Here let 

 me state that this practice of such doubtful utility, to say the best of 

 it, renders the hides of the animals almost worthless to the tanner, as, 

 wherever a hot iron has touched an animal's skin, the leather will be 

 fatally defective. 



IMPORTED CATTLE IN CEYLON. 



In years past, before railroads were common, and when, owing to a 

 large production of coffee, money was plentiful, many excellent draft 

 cattle of large size were imported, and Plate No. 4 fairly represents 

 those of a breed coming from Tanjore, which, though of fair longevity 

 in their own country, where the climate is dry, do not last long here 

 when put to work in the interior where, at high altitudes, cold rainy 

 weather prevails, causing amongst them such serious mortality that 

 now, fresh importations having fallen off for want of a demand, but 

 few respectable specimens of this really fine breed are to bo seen hers. 



Some of our rich estate proprietors in prosperous times also got down 

 Nellore cattle, bulls and cows, both for draft and the dairy purposes 

 for which they excel, but the cost of their keep, for they require to be 

 almost entirely stall-fed in Ceylon, and the absolute necessity for careful 

 European control and supervision, which is expensive and not always 

 to be had, render them a luxury which, owing also to early mortality, is 

 somewhat transient, and only to be enjoyed by the wealthy, a class not 

 common here now. 



There are a few reputable speciments of these Nellore cattle still to 

 be found in Ceylon, but I cannot regard them as fair representative 

 types of the breed. There are also Australian of mixed European 

 blood, and some English cattle, but the same conditions required by 

 the Kellores also largely apply to them and are not available, conse- 

 quently the breed is disappearing fast. 

 H. Ex. 51 42 



