408 MR. E. W. H. HOLDSWORTH ON CEYLONESE BIRDS. [Mar. 5, 



although almost savages compared with the rest of the natives, are 

 said to retain the honourable distinction of high caste. The extreme 

 south and south-west are generally well cultivated ; and paddy-fields 

 and cocoa-nut plantations are general in that part of the country. 



The mountain-districts lie almost in the centre of the southern 

 half of the island ; and in this half, at various elevations ranging 

 from sea-level to 8000 feet, are found by far the greater number of 

 the peculiar Ceylon birds. A. conspicuous feature of the Ceylon hills 

 is the luxuriant vegetation which clothes them from their foot to the 

 tops of the highest ranges ; and although masses of rock may be seen 

 here and there projecting from the mountain-sides, even these are 

 largely covered with ferns and creeping plants. The mountain 

 region may be divided ornithologically into the lower and upper hills. 

 The country up to between 1500 and 1600 feet, the elevation of 

 Kandy, is only partly cultivated ; and its diversified character provides 

 suitable habitats for a great variety of birds. This is particularly 

 the case in the neighbourhood of Kandy, where there is some really 

 wild jungle, in which some of the rarer hill species as well as low- 

 country birds are found at certain seasons. 



From the elevation of Kandy to about 5000 feet are the coffee- 

 districts ; and where this cultivation is general the number of birds is 

 small, and they are found mostly at the higher and lower boundaries 

 of the estates. If, however, the soil be unsuited for coffee and the 

 jungle remain uncleared, birds are numerous, and many of the pecu- 

 liar kinds, Athene castaneonota, Palazornis calthropce, &c, may be 

 met with. These lower hills are the great resort for the passerine 

 immigrants ; and birds of prey abound there. From 5000 to 8200 

 feet (the highest point in the island) constitutes what I shall have 

 frequent occasion to speak of as the upper hills. They are almost 

 entirely covered with tree jungle, with a dense undergrowth of "nilloo" 

 (Strobilanth.es), small straggling bamboo, tree ferns, and a variety of 

 other plants. These hills are the great stronghold of the Sambur 

 Deer ; and Elephants and Leopards mount to their summits. Nuwara 

 Eliya, the sanatorium of the island and a place where I have collected 

 largely, is at an elevation of 6000 feet, and lies in a narrow plain, the 

 houses being mostly scattered along the sides at the foot of the sur- 

 rounding jungle-covered hills. The birds found in this locality and 

 the neighbouring district are not numerous in species ; but they are 

 mostly of kinds peculiar to the island, and include Ohrysocolaptes 

 stricklandi, Brachypteryx jjalliseri, Cissa ornata, Zosterops cey/on- 

 ensis, and several others, whose range does not generally extend far 

 below the upper hills. 



Migratory Birds. — The migration of hirds within and into Ceylon 

 is a subject about which there is still a great deal to be learnt ; but, 

 owing to the absence of observers, there is little reason to expect much 

 trustworthy information will be gained for some time. The migra- 

 tions take place at the changes of the monsoons. The S.W. monsoon 

 blows steadily and for the most part strongly from April to October 

 on the west side of the island. In October there is a lull for a few 

 days between the two winds. It is the season for cyclones in the 



