816 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
iJui^E 1, 1900. 
GAME IN THE MAT ALE DISTRICT. 
INTERESTING ARTICLE IN " THE FIELD" 
It is a common occ\irrence to hear, in con- 
nection with the advice S^^en to a youns m«^i 
with planting intentions, words to the t(J low- 
ing effect -.-"Don't you imagme, young man 
that you are going to get liuntmg anywhere 
about the estates in Ceylon. Look at me ! I 
have been a planter for twenty-hve years 
The only game I hd,ve seen was a hare ; that 
ias mobbed by my pluckers." I commence 
with this statement, because ^'hen- 
twenty-live years ago, I proposed to take up 
co&antingasa, business, and >ig game 
hunting as a no less secondary pursuit. Woids 
much to this effect troubled my mind during 
my outward voyage, which the oldMessageries 
boat took twenty-six days to accomplish txom 
Marseilles to Point de Galle. I still live to 
thank that honest old Channel Islander for 
his warning; it has served its purpose. 
Business is business, but none the less sport 
Is Ipoi t ; and, as my good friend has long since 
nassed away, I can give no ofrence by say- 
1^4 thaH have proved his statement to be 
Incoirect-at least in part for, of course, m 
Ceylon, as in other countries, 
GAME MUST BE SOUGHT FOR 
where it is likely to be found. The lover of 
society, with its concomitant joys, lawn tennis 
and ci'oquet meets, &c., will n^i^urally seek a 
b llet oi^ purchase a property, if he be a man 
of capitak in one of the so called " favoured 
*^^The^ general feature of these districts at the 
m-esent time is one unbroken sheet of tea, tea, 
tea, stretching for miles interspersed only 
with lines of greviUeas, the silver oak of the 
southern colonies, and a few clumps of gums 
and wattles. In such a country Le/ms nigri- 
coUisis probably the only game which exists ; 
such a district was probably in my old 
friend's mind when he used that warning 
note. My own proclivities, though by no 
means adverse to the company of my fellow 
creatures, led me to avoid such a country, 
and to look for employment rather m such 
places as would be most likely either to hold 
S-aine, or to be within easy reach of its haunts. 
When, therefore, on arrival at ilancly, i 
became attached as assistant to a well-known 
ESTATE ONLY FIVE MILES OUT 
"of that town, my eyes began to wander 
around ; finally, from wandering they com- 
menced to settle, like the compass needle, 
and the direction of that settlement was, 
also like that of the needle, due north. 
In less than eighteen months I received 
^-he oiter of the choice of two berths ; one in a 
favoured district, and the other in the old 
and as it was then considered, worn-out 
cott'ec district of Matale, lying some twenty to 
thirtv miles north of Kandy. Needless to say, 
in spite of its imaginary drawbacks, I at 
once decided on the latter. The old district 
has now passed through its trials, and we 
can show fine fields of tea, though perhaps 
not such great stretches of it as some of 
those highly favoured and highly 
flavoured places where the day's work winds 
ui) with social gatherings and even at-homes 
and dancing ; but we can show besides, what 
thesci myi'C civilised places certainly cauuo 
show, tine clearings of cardamoms, cacao, 
coconuts, rubber, and vanilla walks, and 
amongst minerals, no small store of plumbago. 
On the whole, therefore, we are very welt 
satisfied. Here i.inongst these northern out- 
posts of the great mountain system of the 
island has been my home since the middle 
"seventies" — an 
IDEAL HOME FOR A NOT TOO AMBITIOUS 
.SPORTSMAN. 
I have spoken of these hills as the northern 
outpost hills, and such they are, culminating 
at an elevation of 6200 ft., but lower spurs 
stretch north and east into the level plains, 
thehome of the herd elephant, buffalo, leopard, 
bear, besides, of course, deer, peafowl, and in 
the season many species of waterfowl. Here 
we are perched 4,000 odd feet up in the mount- 
ains, yet not fifteen miles distant as the crow 
flies, and not more than one day's march with 
a good horse, from all this wealth of game. 
But of that more perhaps hereafter. We have 
now only to deal with such as comes within 
our daily observation. 
In a district with such a range of climate 
and elevation as this possesses, every man can 
suit his taste. The lover of warmth and con- 
stant sunshine will find a California in minia- 
ture amongst the cacao walks and coconut 
grov^es of the Matale valley. Here at the 
LITTLE TOWN OF MATALE, 
the headquarters of the Government Agent, is 
the railway terminus, distant hence some six- 
teen miles. From this point a " bike " journey 
of about three hours will land the sportsman 
in good game co\intry. The majority of men 
will, however, prefer the cooler climate of 
the hills, and they have for choice any ele- 
vation from 700 ft. to 5,000 ft. My own modest 
home stands at an elevation of 4,200 ft., 
almost in the centre of a natural amphi- 
theatre formed by a lofty ridge and its project- 
ing cliff-browed spur rising to 6,000 ft. 
This forest-clad range, its loftier ridges scant- 
ily clad with gnarle d and knotted rhododen- 
drons, gay osbeckia bushes, downy slopes of 
tassock grass, with great slabs of the mother 
rock glistening in the warm sunshine; —this is a 
never-ending source of interest and pleasure. 
From the bungalow to the highest point of 
the ridge may be some 2,500 yards, but the 
atmosphere is so clear that the movement 
of game, and even of such smaller animals as 
Wanderoo monkeys (Presbytes), which fre- 
quent the open grass and slabs at mid-day 
to bask and gambol, are clearly visible 
without the aid of field glasses. In the fine 
weather, after the N.B. monsoon, from 
January to May, when the ridge is usually 
free from clouds, sambur are rarely out of 
sight, except at mid-day ; sometimes as 
many as eight or ten may be seen at one 
time. One herd of five, with a magnificent 
master and a very wai'rantabte second in 
command, we have seen almost daily for 
several weeks, and only last week took toll 
in the life of No. 2. Neither is 
MY LORD 
the elephant absent we have occasionally 
seen as many as three, but one old fellow 
is always with us, generally on view and 
more or less under our protection. A 
troublesome oW gentleman; not so much 
