94 



JOURNAL, E.A.S. (CEYLON). [ VOL. II., PART E 



took, allowing about two months for the building of the 

 nest, as stated by Heer Hooyman in " Batavian Transac- 

 tions." Dr. Bly th states in his pamphlet that a friend of his, 

 a Captain Lewis, saw much of these birds in the Nicobars, 

 and especially, he has often remarked, that they retire early 

 in the afternoon to their caverns (i.e., about 4 p.m.). But 

 he states that the edible nests, as we see them, are only the 

 lining, which comes out entire, though independently affixed 

 to the rock, being underlaid by a network of some vege- 

 table fibrous substance placed on the ledges, which the 

 gatherers are careful never to remove. In both particulars 

 the Ceylon birds differ from this. Though it was a dull 

 afternoon, nay, even rained a little, the birds were on the 

 wing till dark ;* and in the dirty soiled nests composed of 

 the vegetable and fibrous substances, and which certainly 

 had never had a lining, b\ c evidently formed in one solid 

 fabric, I captured the young birds ; neither were the ledges, 

 where such things were, sufficient to sustain a deposit of 

 material, and in most places the nests were glued to the 

 smooth surface of the rock, which, as before stated, overhung. 

 I was told that in the neighbourhood of Hevessa there were 

 one or two other caves in which the swifts were known to 

 breed, but had not time to visit them. I should think, 

 however, judging from the numerous flocks of birds I saw 

 soaring round the detached summits of the hills in that 

 district, and also from the fact of finding them in Kandy 

 during November and December, that very many caves 

 exist, which remain to be discovered, and to add to our 

 Colonial revenue. The apathy of the natives will in a great 

 measure defeat this : they leave it entirely in the hands of 



* December, 1848 : — Walking late in the evening by moonlight in the 

 Cinnamon Gardens, my attention was attracted by the twittering of C. 

 nidijica, and looking up I descried thousands hawking for flies ; they 

 seemed, however, to keep progressing in a N.E. direction. 



