1873.] MR. E. L. LAYARD ON CEYLONESE BIRDS. 203 



vious. The mesenteric border of the caecum was nearly as black as 

 the strangulated part ; but it was more normal in colour elsewhere. 

 The alimentary canal was not at all over-distended with food ; and 

 the colon was nearly empty. 



Till the attack came on which caused its death, the animal was in 

 excellent health. It was ill only forty hours. At first it lay out 

 straight on its back for some hours ; but during the last day of its 

 life it was much doubled up, with its head between its legs. 



3. Notes on Mr. E. W. H. Holdsworth's Catalogue of 

 Ceylon Birds. By E. L. Layard, F.Z.S. 



[Eeceivecl January 29, 1873.] 



Through the kindness of my friend Mr. E. W. H. Holdsworth, 

 I have just received a copy of his " Catalogue of Ceylon Birds " 

 P. Z. S. 1872, p. 404 et seq.); and I wish to make a few observa- 

 tions thereon which strike me on the perusal of his remarks. 



Mr. Holdsworth has added twenty-five species to the Ceylon list 

 which I did not meet with, but has failed to find several which 

 occurred to me. This is precisely what happened to me at the Cape, 

 following M. Verreaux's footsteps, and should teach us to be very 

 careful in imputing inaccuracy to a brother naturalist. I commenced 

 collecting in Ceylon in 1846, twenty-six years ago; what changes 

 have taken place since then ! It appears to me that (as I found it 

 at the Cape) some species, for reasons unknown to us, have altered 

 their line of travel or migration and left the country ; while others, 

 perhaps influenced by the same causes, have deflected their line of 

 route and come in. This is especially marked among the Waders 

 and Water-fowl ; for instance, Oallinago gallinula. The late Mr. 

 Vassil Burleigh, my "sportsman's authority," was a well-known 

 collector and sportsman in the northern province, and one of the 

 best snipe-shots of my day. He knew the bird well, and regretted 

 its sudden disappearance from his shooting-grounds. 



Limosa cegocephala, Totanus fuscus, and T. calidris. The first 

 of these was scarce, the two others common in my time. What has 

 caused them to disappear, and the Heron (Ardea cinerea) to become 

 common 1 Surely I could not have overlooked A. cinerea, a bird I 

 have known since childhood ! and then in my keen search for eggs, 

 in which I visited some of the most noted breeding-places for the 

 Ardeidae, I could not have passed over my old friend had it been 

 nesting with others. As to the identity and existence of Branta 

 rufina, I am as sure of it as one can be of any thing in this world. 

 How I did strive to circumvent those I saw between Jaffna and 

 Chavagacherry ; when I found I could not approach them with 

 my shot gun, I actually had my little American rifle-barrel restocked, 

 hoping to get a shot at them. I certainly never handled a Ceylon 

 specimen ; but I knew the Duck well, and had specimens then in my 

 collection received from Mr. Blyth. 



