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,, Birds of Ceylon. 
The talgoi is a species of the ant-eater ; and destroys the 
ants in the same manner as the others, by laying his slimy 
tongue before their nests, and drawing it back into his mouth 
as soon as he finds it covered with those insects. 
The Birds of Ceylon are a very numerous class. All sorts 
of our domestic poultry, turkeys excepted, are natives of the 
island ; and there are few birds found in our woods or marshes 
that do not here abound. Ducks, geese, pheasants, parrots and 
parroquets are all found in great numbers, both wild and tame; 
and usually in flocks. 
The loivrie or lory is a species of parrot, and varies in its 
size. There are several varieties of this species. 
Snipes are found in great plenty in the hot season, which 
is the best time for shooting them. The painted snipe is a 
very beautiful and striking bird. In size it differs little from 
our common snipe ; only the bill is somewhat shorter, the 
body and wings are spotted with red, yellow, and black spots, 
which give it a very fine appearance. 
The florican is a species of the crane kind, about the size 
and weight of a large capon, and is esteemed excellent eating. 
It lives among the woods which skirt the banks of pools or 
lakes. The neck and body are longish, but not so slender in 
proportion to their length as those of the crane or heron. 
The banks of the rivers and lakes abound with storks, cranes, 
herons, and water fowls of various descriptions. 
Wood-peckers are found with beautiful top-knots of a gol- 
den colour. 
Pigeons, both wild and tame, form a prominent part of the 
birds of Ceylon. The most remarkable species is the cinnamon 
pigeon, so called from being particularly partial to the cinna- 
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