September 2, 1889.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
the beginning of April, he went via Batnapura and Pel- 
madulla to Balangoda, in the neighbourhood of which 
place he stayed for some time, and then ho took a trip 
over the hills to the lowoountry round about Bintenne. 
In this neighbourhood he stayed altogether ten days 
after which he made his way to Belihuloya, which he 
describes as most interesting country for Naturalists, 
the hills round offering fine scope for the inseot-trappers. 
Here he collected some very good specimens, principally 
dragon-flies of scientific interest. Beetles were also 
plentiful in this part, and he was successful in obtaining 
some exoellent specimens of the rare family of the 
cetonidce, and also captured one or two of the leaf, 
butterflies, which are so seldom seen, and so difficult to 
catch when seen, owing to the practice they have when 
pursued of flying to a bush or a tree, where their pecu- 
liar color and shape, assimilating to the color and 
shape of the leaves render detect inn almost impossi- 
ble. He speaks well of the capital resthouse atBeli- 
hul-oya, and what with the arrangements for one's 
comforts, and the excellent specimens he was enabled to 
secure, he retains some very agreeable recollections of 
his visit there. 
On the 6th of May, Herr Friihstorfer went on via 
Haldummulla and Koslatide, toWellaway, whichjhe des- 
cribes as an unhealthy and dirty place, principally 
occupied by Moormen. The jungle, however, was most 
interesting, and he collected some beautiful butterflies 
in this part, securing notably several specimens of the 
family known as Papilios (montanus.) Eis next move 
was in the direction of Hatton ; and, in the jungle 
near the Kottiyagalle estate, he captured some splendid 
butterflies and an almost incredible number of grass- 
hoppers. Here he collected, amongst other interesting 
specimens, a number of the insects which, from their 
red bodies and golden cests, are called " soldier " 
grasshoppers. Leaving Hatton, he came back to Co- 
lombo for a time, and, during the few days he was 
here, he made an excursion to Panadure and the Bol- 
godde lakes, where, he found centipedes of all kinds, 
including many rarities. On the 8th of July, he 
journeyed to Kandy and Matale and on to Dam- 
bool, where he stayed a week, and where he 
gathered his best specimens of orthopteras or 
locusts, amongst them being some leaf-locusts of beau- 
tiful shape, and golden beetles, which are greatly in 
request by collectors and Museums. While in the 
neighbourhood of Dambool, he visited Anuradhapura, 
and then he went on, over Habboorenna, to Kanthalai 
and Trincomalee, where he chiefly added to his store 
of butterflies. But Herr Friihstorfer has not been the 
only one working. He determined to do the thing 
on a large scale, so he has subsidized altogether four- 
teen other collectors (German or Sinhalese), who have 
been collecting for him in all parts of the island, and 
the result is that he has now a gigantic collection, the 
number of which he says it would be difficult to esti- 
mate ; but be thinks he is well within the mark in say- 
ing that it includes 25,000 beetles, about 7,000 butter- 
flies, about 3,000 orthopteras, & like number of dragon- 
flies, and a thousand spiders and centipedes. He has a 
lot of butterflies, aud orthopteras that are not to be 
fouud in the Colombo Museum ; while, numerically 
speaking, he says he hus more than three times the 
number of drag m-flies to be seen there. Amongst his 
most valuable specimens are ihe leaf-butterflies and 
locusts and the long-horned beetles and mantidce. 
Besides all these, he has a good colltction of snakes 
amongst which are cobras, sea-snakes, and specimens 
of the uropeltidce and false snakes. * * * 
Herr Friihstorfer has secured specimens of both 
these kinds of snakes, including the uropeltis grandis, 
the stiange and anomalous structure of which Tennent 
thinks leaves little doubt as to the origin of the fable 
of the transformation of the cobra. Tho color alone, 
he says, would seem to identify the two reptiles, but 
the bead and mouth are no longer those of a serpent, 
an l the disappearance of the tail might readily suggest 
the mutilation which the tradition asserts. BesideB 
reptiles, Herr Friihstorfer, being also a conchologist, 
has a valuable colleotion of shells. For every specimen 
he has got, he says, he shall find a ready 
•ale in the Museums of Europe ; but the greater part 
of his colleotion will be sent to the Berlin Museum, 
from which he has a large number of orders. One 
remark of his was of interest. It was that while Indian 
cobras are very common in German Museums there are 
not many from Ceylon, and they are in some request. 
Speaking of the island as a field for Naturalists he 
says that it is very rich. He found the best beetles on 
the hills in the southern part of the island, and also 
the best dragon-flies, while he got the most butterflies 
there, too ; but; for all orthopteras he found the best 
part was between Dambool and Trincomalee, although 
he says he has no doubt the change of the monsoon 
would make things vice versa. — Local" Times." 
♦ 
TOBACCO IN MATALE EAST. 
(Fbom a Corbespondbnt.) 
Where did you get part of the information about 
the harvesting of the tobacco on Wariapolla ? It 
was premature: the truth is, that the manager is 
beginning to get rather anxious about the harvesting 
of the tobacco in the proper stage of ripeness ; the 
showery weather has been so persistently against 
him, even on a dry day, work cannot be began until 
about 9 a.m., that iB until the dew is off the leaves. 
The amount of labour required is enormous, as you 
oan imagine, when you think there are about 34 acres 
with about 7,200 plants per acre, say J million plants, 
and that two coolies can carry only 15 plants at a time 
and make, say, an average of 15 to 20 trips per day 
according to the distance. Then, for every ten men 
carrying about 5 men and women are necessary in field 
and drying shed, cutting the plants, attaching them to 
poles, and hanging up the poles with the plants 
suspended from them, in the faotory. The 
amount of foresight and preliminary preparation is 
immense. Fancy the number of poles, about 12 feet long, 
and fairly straight, to take 250,000 plants, at 15 per pole. 
Then each plant requires a pieoe of rope or bark 
or withe, about 2 feet long, say 500,000 feet of cord- 
age of some sort Wariapolla with its wealth of 
shrubs of all sorts, supplied the necessary ' cody ' 
(what coolies call jungle rope) from the bark of 
cotton plants growing in a hedge. With the best of 
weather, weeks will pass ere all is housed and per- 
haps 2,000 men coolies be neoeisary. 
♦ 
THE GEMMING CONCESSIONS IN EAKWANA. 
The following copy of a letter addressed by Mr. 
C. Shand to the Colonial Secretary anent the 
advertised sale of gemming concessions in Bak- 
wana has been handed to us for publication : — 
Colombo, 9th August 1889. 
S ir, — With reference to the advertisement of the 
sale by the Government Agent of the Province of 
Sabaragamuwa of the lease for gemming purposes, 
of a traot of land situated at Bakwana, I have 
the honor to inform you that in the opinion of 
those interested in the Bakwana district who also 
possess lands suited for gemming, 14 days' notice 
of the intended sale is far too short to admit of 
the full value of the lease being obtained. 
There are at present in England several parties 
desirous of purchasing gemming concessions, and 
I think if time were given to enable them to bid 
at the sale, a much higher price would be ob- 
tained for the lease, than if it is sold in a hurry 
to native aemmers. 
If the land in question is Bituated between 
Everton and Aberfoyle estates and bounded on the 
north by the Eangweltenne estate, it is, I believe, 
the most valuable gemming land in the island. 
The land I refer to is an extensive swamp, that at 
the foot of the mountains separating the Atakalan 
Korale from the Kolonna Korale, and the very reason 
the Government Agent puts forward for advising 
the sale, namely the impossibility of keeping out 
native gemmers, proves its great value. 
