951 
Creepers, Drongos or King Crows, loras, Green 
Bulbuls, Ground Babblers, Solitary Babblers, Bab- 
bling Thrushes, Crowtits. The following are the 
birds of mixed diet, partly insectivorous and 
partly fruit and grain-eaters : Tits, Sibias, White 
Eyes, Bulbuls, Nuthatches, Orioles, Starlings, 
Mynas, Thrushes, Finches, Larks, Sunbirds, 
Flowerpickers, Pheasants, Partridges, Button 
Quails, Eails, Cranes, Bastards, Waders. The 
next list comprises birds which live in or near 
water, their food consisting of fish, frogs and 
tadpoles, aquatic larvre of insects, and small 
animals such as freshwater Crustaceans, 
Ouzels, Kingfishers, Cormorants, Pelicans, Herons, 
Egrets, Ibis, Ducks, Gulls aad Terns. The 
carnivorous birds are Owls, Vultures and Hawks; 
Omnivorous: — Crows and Storks; Frugivorous: — 
Hill Mynahs, Weaver birds, Hornbills, Barbe'ts, 
Parrots, Pigeons^ Sandgrouse. 
Very few of the purely insectivorous birds 
are said to be among tliose destroyed for plumage 
or food. It has been observed that in Upper 
India most small birds breed between April and 
July, and the four months April, May, June, 
July practically cover the breeding time of 
nearly all the birds which require protection. 
The breeding time of course varies in different 
climes. If the Director of the Museum would 
draw up a list of Ceylon birds similar to the 
above, and note the close seasons of birds, say 
in the various Provinces, it would greatly aid 
the Agents of these Provinces in putting into 
effect what is practically a dead law for the 
protection of birds in Ceylon. 
For human beings the minimum air space 
consistent with health is 400 cubic feet; horses 
it is said require double the area, but no less than 
1,200 cubic feet have been advised. In England 
tlie cubic space of cattle byres varies from 350 to 
800 cubic feet. In London 600 cubic feet are 
required. Dr. Russell, the well-known Sanitarian 
of Glasgow, has lately been enquiring into this 
matter, as regards cattle, and after collecting 
a deal of information on the subject, and 
discovering probably that the regulations con- 
cerning the cubic contents of cattle byres had 
been framed with imperfect knowledge of the 
subject, in view of amending the regulations 
referring to Glasgow, recommends : — 1. "That 
the registration, regulation, and control of 
byres should be placed in the hands of the 
sanitary authorities. 2. That in all existing 
byres the cubic space should be raised to 600 
cubic feet. That in all new byres it should be 
800 cubic feet, and that the regulations 
generally, as to lighting, ventilation, cleaning, 
drainage, and water supply, should be carefully 
revised, so as to give full effect to the mind 
of the sanitary authority, and thereby enable 
them to discharge themselves of the responsibi- 
lity impo.suil upon them by the Legislature." 
If some such system for the inspection and 
regulation of cattle pens in Ceylon be adopted, 
it will go a great way towards preventing out- 
breaks of disease and arresting tiieir progress ; 
for, want of jjrojior ventilation is the chief 
cause of lowered vitality, of colds aiuF most 
diseases of the air passages, and of other 
descriptiou.s of .sickness, 
KITUL PALM. 
THE MODE OF EXTBACTING TODDY. 
The processes adopted for the extraction of 
toddy are to begin with tedious, and a man 
should go through a complete course of training 
before he undertakes to practice the art. 
When the flower is on the verge of burst- 
ing, which often happens before maturitj', 
preparations are made by the toddy drawers 
to tap the palm. Having tied on i bamboo 
to the tree, he climbs up with ■ a table 
knife and a chisel, and commences work by 
removing the sheaths (hannasus). An oblong- 
shaped cavity is then cut about a span from the 
axil of the inflorescence, and " a medicine " com- 
pounded of various ingredients is deposited in 
this cavity. Salt, pepper, ginger, white onion, 
the roots of ratnatul {Plumbago rosea) and the 
bark of the murunga {Movinga jiterygospervna) 
are taken in certain quantities and pounded well 
in a mortar, first applying a sprinkling of leema 
or caffer lime juice. After depositing the "medi- 
cine" a thick coating of ashes is placed over the 
mouth of the cavity, and a piece of gunny bag 
is wrapped round it in several folds and tied 
with a rope. The flower is then washed with 
the juice of caffer lime. This done, the apex of 
the inflorescence is sliced with a knife. 
The terms Kanu Mala and Alanala are used 
for the flower at different stages of its develop- 
ment. On the second day the man similarly 
cuts the flower once, and on the third day he 
cuts it twice (morning and evening), and 
suspends a vessel from the wounded inflorescence. 
If the flower is shaded by leaves so as to pre- 
vent the free access of sun, such leaves are cut 
away. As a preventative against the flower 
breaking, it is tied to an upper leaf, and in order 
to keep it motionless, a few stones are sus- 
pended. 
It is important to observe that there are two 
kinds of flowers called the Kohu Mala and the 
Ala Mala respectively. 
The same "medicines" are used for both the 
flowers, but the most striking difference is, that 
the Kohu Mala always require a dry season, 
but if there is excessive rain, the flower becomes 
so hard that the sharpest knife would fail to cut 
it. There is also every probability of this flower 
rotting. Any prevailing weather generally suits 
the Ala Mala. Of course there are exceptional 
instances where this flower also rots, but such 
cases are very rare. Another difference is that 
the Kohu Mala is not liable to be broken easily, 
while the Ala Mala is very easily broken. 
The first yield of sweet toddy is generally 
rejected. To make sweet toddy ferment and 
become sour, the roots of eramaniya lyZlxgjiliu.'^ 
jujuba), and Sevendera {Aj^dropogon zeylaniats) are 
first sliced into fine pieces, put into the vessel 
and liung from the flower. Similarly to pi-event 
fermentation, the bai'ks of the Hal tree (Vaferia 
aai.mutata) and the leaves of Ank&nAo^ {Acrony- 
ckia laurifolia) are put into the vessels. 
1 have observed in the case of an extremely 
fertile tree an uninterrupted flow of the juice, 
while in trees of ordinary vigour the flow goes 
on at intervals. A jn-ofit of i;.")00 to IMOO could 
siifely bo calculated (deducting oxpeuses for 
