PEBADENIYA—KANDY 
109 
Of Orsotriaena mandata, Moore, I saw only one, but the pretty 
little Yphthima ceylonica was swarming amongst the sensitive-plants. 
Mr. E. E. Green, the entomologist to the Ceylon Government, sug¬ 
gested that its colouring might be indirectly protective, since on the 
wing it looks much smaller than it is, only the white posterior two- 
thirds of the hind-wings being conspicuous, and these the least vitally 
important to the insect. The only Blue seen was Zizera karsandra. 
A second visit to the gardens, rather late one afternoon, produced 
no insects, but gave me my only sight of a wild Cobra {Naia tripudi- 
ans), about 2J feet long, with a very large hood. I found myself 
for the first time in the near presence of a dangerously poisonous 
serpent without any plate-glass intervening. For a moment there 
was a struggle between the impulse to compass its destruction, and 
the fear of breaking my net stick in the endeavour, meanwhile the 
laidly beast crawled quickly away into the roots of a so-called 
Travellers’ Palm, Urania speciosa, and I saw it no more. 
Unfortunately for me, Mr. Green was on the point of going to 
England on leave, but though busy with his preparations for depar¬ 
ture, he was good enough to show me several very interesting things, 
such as young snakes, larvae of the leaf-insect, etc.; above all he 
gave me some very useful advice. Peradeniya, he said, was not as 
rich a locality as Kandy; and, as regarded the highlands of Ceylon, 
he told me that, at any rate at that time of the year, Lepidoptera 
were for the most part confined to certain favoured spots, which it 
was unlikely that I should hit upon. He therefore strongly recom¬ 
mended me to concentrate my attention on Lady Horton’s Drive 
at Kandy, advice that proved to be sound. 
Kandy, alt. 1500 ft. 
March 11th—15th, 1904. 
On the eastern side of the artificial lake at Kandy stand some 
low hills, covered for the most part with natural forests, through 
which have been cut a number of roads named after the wives of 
former governors. Lady Horton’s Drive is one of these, it runs 
about half-way up the hill, winding around its southern and eastern 
slopes. A wide road, bounded on either side with forest of rich and 
varied tropical growth, lying fully open to the morning sun, com¬ 
manding, moreover, a glorious view over groves of palms to the bluest 
of distant hills, it affords an almost ideal collecting-ground. The 
climate of Kandy, so far as I experienced it, is delightful; tropical 
heat tempered by elevation, and with a pleasant softness in the air, 
