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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XII. 



supply of fresh water being obtainable for domestic purposes at all 

 times of the year. If this important and essential condition were 

 satisfactorily established, the conversion of Ritigala into a sanatarium, 

 and a garden for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables for the North- 

 Central Province, is a mere question of cost and public policy, on which 

 it is not my province to offer any remarks. 



The Hon. the Surveyor-General. I am, &c, 



D. Gr. Mantell. 



10. The Assistant Secretary next read the following 

 short Paper : — 



NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION 

 OF CHR YS OPHL EG MA XA N TH ODER US. 

 By F. Lewis. 



The nesting habits of this interesting woodpecker, as far 

 as I am aware, have not hitherto been known ; so I take it 

 that it will be of interest to record an instance in which I 

 had the fortune to observe the building of a nest, ending 

 with my getting the eggs. 



I found a pair of these moderately rare woodpeckers 

 affecting the edge of a small piece of jungle in the Pannila 

 village in the Atakalan Korale, about four miles fromRakwana. 

 They appeared to be confining their attention to a very 

 circumscribed area, when, to my surprise, I found the fresh 

 chips of wood from a rotten fig tree (Ficus glomerata) that 

 indicated the presence of a nest. 



Carefully watching this I soon found a cock and hen 

 Chrysophlegma at work, and finally I secured the eggs on 

 the morning of the 8th March. These were two in number, 

 pure white in colour, and broad ovals in shape, measuring 

 1'05 in. by *80 in. The eggs are not particularly glossy, 

 having, on close examination, a very slightly " pitted " 

 surface, more particularly so on the " broad " end. 



The nest was hollowed out of a decomposed portion of the 

 trunk of the tree, carried down to a depth of about 10 in. by 

 in., the communication from the outside being a perfectly 

 circular hole at the summit, and at right angles with the axis 

 of the nest itself. 



