x INTRODUCTION. 



Pt. Pedro to Mullaittivu, and thence back to the Central Road. The specimens procured on all 

 these trips, as well as during Layard's residence at Pt. Pedro and other parts of the island, were 

 sent to Blyth for identification, which resulted in the names given by the latter to not a few of 

 the peculiar forms. He published papers from time to time in the ' Journal of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal,' and also in 'The Ibis' so late as 1867. 



Blyth, however, received specimens from another source, namely, from Dr. Kelaart, a native 

 of Ceylon, and who went out from England in 1849 as Staff-Surgeon to the Forces. This 

 gentleman, though he did not shoot himself, obtained specimens of many of the hill-birds 

 inhabiting the vicinity of Nuwara Elliya, where he resided, and furnished Blyth with skins 

 and notes for some of his papers, one of the most important of which is a " Report on the 

 Mammalia and more remarkable Species of Birds inhabiting Ceylon," published in the 'Journ. 

 Asiat. Soc. Bengal' for 1851. In 1852 Dr. Kelaart published his ' Prodromus Faunae Zeylanicse' 

 in Ceylon, chiefly noted for the outline account of the mammals and reptiles of the island, with 

 which he was better acquainted than with its birds. For this work, Layard, as he writes in 

 • The Ibis ' for the current year, supplied him with all his " lists and numerous specimens, 

 not only of birds, but of many mammals and reptiles new to him ; and it was arranged that we 

 should bring out a second part of the ' Prodromus ' (then in MS. only), which should consist 

 of the Birds, to be written by me." It appears, however, that Kelaart broke faith with him, 

 and issued his ' Prodromus' with the notice of the birds (Part II.) compiled by himself. Thus 

 " left out in the cold," Layard, on his return to England, published the valuable notes referred 

 to above. He also compiled a considerable portion of the notice of the birds of the island 

 contained in Emerson Tennent's ' Natural History of Ceylon,' and furnished the author with 

 voluminous notes, whilst his large collection supplied the materials for the " List of Birds " printed 

 in the work. This was published in 1868, and besides describing the habits and instincts of the 

 mammalia, birds, reptiles, fishes, and insects of the island, includes an interesting monograph of 

 the elephant. During the interval between the last-mentioned date and the year 1854 scarcely 

 any thing was published concerning the ornis of Ceylon, with the exception of a stray paper now 

 and then contributed to the ' Journal of the Asiatic Society,' some of which emanated from the 

 pen of Mr. Hugh Nevill, C.C.S., who recorded the occurrence of the Wood-Snipe in the Part 

 for 1867, which was not published till 1870. At this time Mr. Holdsworth was devoting his 

 attention to the ornithology of the island, and a co-worker, the author, who arrived on the island 

 a year later (Oct. 1868), had likewise commenced to collect vigorously. Mr. Holdsworth, who 

 landed in the island in September 1875, was sent out from England to study the habits of the 

 Pearl-Oyster, and find out the cause of the failure of the Pearl-fisheries, with a view of advising 

 the Government what should be dohe for their better management. His appointment necessi- 

 tated his residence, off and on, at Aripu, which is adjacent to the Pearl-banks, and while there 

 he devoted his spare time to a study of the birds in the vicinity of the station. He also collected 

 at Colombo and at Nuwara Eliya during both monsoons. The outcome of his labours during 

 seven years' residence in Ceylon was his " Catalogue of the Birds found in Ceylon," published in 



