13 
Birds in Southern Ceylon. 
in extent than the males. Hirundo hyperythra is very nu¬ 
merous, and breeds in store-rooms and such places in the Fort 
of Galle, the nest being a very large structure with a spout¬ 
like entrance. Collocalia nidifica is numerous in the north¬ 
east monsoon about the neighbouring hills of Galle, and also 
in the Morowa Korle mountains. Cypselus affinis is a winter 
visitor to this region, being generally met with on close rainy 
evenings along the sea-shore, darting after the countless in¬ 
sects with which the atmosphere then swarms. Acanthylisgi- 
gantea is an inhabitant of the upper ranges of hills, and is found 
there at a much lower elevation than in the central province. 
It is numerous in the great hill-forest tract known as the Singha 
Raj ah wilderness. In the evenings it appears in great numbers, 
descending, probably, from the immense heights where it has 
been hunting during the day, and dashes up and down and 
across the wild mountain-gorges with an incredible rapidity. 
Dendrochelidon coronata is plentiful here, and resident all the 
year round, affecting chiefly the sides of rocky wooded hills, 
particularly where there are dead trees, on which they pass 
much of their time. Harpactes fasciatus is found throughout 
the whole southern hills down to the forests of the low country. 
Of the three Bee-eaters of Ceylon, Meropsphilippensis and M. 
quinticolor are common, the former arriving here in September 
and rapidly spreading itself over the whole country to the 
highest parts of the hills, the latter resident on the rivers of the 
south-west to within twenty miles inland and breeding in 
June and July in the holes in the banks by the water's edge. 
These beautiful little Bee-eaters are numerous on the Gin- 
durah river, and pass the day perched in the branches of tall 
trees near the bank, from which they sally out in quest of 
insects. The larger bird comes to this country for the greater 
part in young plumage, in most cases with either one long 
tail-feather or both the uropygials short. These would ap¬ 
pear to be moulted one at a time, and one mature attenuated 
feather acquired before the second short one is dropped. It 
is noteworthy that this bird is more abundant in the extreme 
south than in other parts of Ceylon. On a rainy evening, 
when the atmosphere is alive with winged ants and other in- 
