twe era this line and Colombo. About Hanwella, In the Ikkade-barrawe forest. 
In the jungles near Pore, and thence South to Horenne, its deep booming note 
may always be recognized by those who know It, and In the Ikkade forest It 
is abundant. I found it numerous in the Ratnapura district, and traced it 
up to Pallabaddoola, which is high up, (2500 feet), in the Peak forest. 
Westward of Ratnapura I met with it through the Pasdun Korale to Agale- 
watta, and Southward of this it will be found to occur sparingly in the jungl 
gles on either side of the Bantotta river, and other heavily timbered local¬ 
ities between there and the Hlnedun Pattu hills. I have heard it near Den- 
niya and in the Singha Rajah forests. 
Near Galle it is met with in the Kottowe jungles. I have taken pains to 
trace out the distribution of this little known bird more minutely than may 
at first sight be thought necessary; but it seems expedient to do so, as it 
is so seldom seen that many who are not acquainted with its note would pass 
it entirely over did they not know in.what districts to look for it. 
HABITS 
Of all our forest birds perhaps the present species is the most wary and 
seldom seen, scarcely ever emerging from the almost impenetrable fastnesses 
in which it lives. The Ceylon Conoal almost defies discovery excepg by 
those who, having made themselves with its note, can folio?/ it to its re¬ 
treat. It is a denizen of tangled thickets, dense bamboo jungle (to which 
it is especially partial), rattan cane brakes, and sucn like, and rarely 
shews itself in the open except by the side of a road passing through forest 
to which it will drop for an instant from an adjoining tree on its espying 
a grasshopper or other Insect, quickly retreating again under cover before 
any but the quickest shot can secure it. In the early morning, when tne 
bamboo cheenas in the wild part of the Western Prpvince are resounding with 
Its deep far reaching call, it mounts up from the underwood Into some creep¬ 
er covered tree, which is a favourite situation, and gives forth its sono¬ 
rous, long-drawn Hoo - whoop, whoooop, which can be heard with distinctness 
for many miles round, echoing far over the luxuriant glades and waving rice 
fields into the distant beetling wooded crags, from which it is answered 
back by more than one of its lurking fellows, for one\ note thus given out is 
the signal for many more called forth from all sides until there is a sudden 
cessation as if by common consent. 
As. will be gathered from these remarks it is an extremely difficult bird to 
procure. Kor years I had been seeking it in the jungles of Ceylon, knowing 
well that the loud peculiar Conoal notes which I often heard in the damp fo- 
