THE ISLAND OF CEYLON. 2g5 
This was in a great measure to be attributed to the slo- 
venliness and negligence of the Dutch ; for though vanity 
induced them to keep their rooms for the reception of 
company sufficiently clean, the other parts of their bouses, 
particularly their go-downs or out-houses for their servants 
and slaves, were so dirty and full of old lumber as to 
harbour all sorts of vermin, nor were the dogs and cats 
of the country of much service in destroying them. Since 
the residence of the British officers on the island, their 
terriers have been continually employed in clearing the 
houses of rats, the number of which have sensibly dimi- 
nished. More attention is also now paid to the cleanliness 
of those apartments allotted to the servants, who naturally 
follow the example of their masters, and are consequently 
much more cleanly in the service of the English than the 
Dutch. 
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, phea- 
sants, parrots and parroquets are all found in great num- 
bers, both wild and tame. 
