KANDY 
341 
on the coast; after a “ cold ” night the early morning temperature 
several times fell to 65° F., once even to 62° F. 
Our hotel stood in its own garden over-shadowed by palms of 
various kinds. The air was filled with the ceaseless chirrupping of 
grasshoppers, crickets, and cicadas. The Barbets, commonly called 
Copper-smiths, plied their trade assiduously, and though sometimes 
their “ tonk, tonk, tonk,” rather got upon the nerves, it was withal 
a cheerful note. 
In the dead of night now and again the Jackals’ cry was heard, 
but they never came very near. We did not see many Mammals. 
Once indeed a Mongoose and once a Hare crossed my path, while 
three-striped Squirrels were fairly common. Once at dusk I saw 
a large flock of Flying-foxes coming up from the direction of 
Peradeniya, where they are especially common; evidently they were 
journeying forth in search of their evening meal, just at the time 
that in England Rooks would have been seen returning home. The 
Flying-fox is a gregarious animal, large numbers may be seen by day 
hanging up together in one tree. One Sunday a large Bat flew about 
the chancel during Matins. 
Snakes were fairly common, though I saw no Cobras. One 
evening in the garden, close to our room, I nearly stepped upon a 
small thin species, but it was too dark to distinguish its markings. 
Some boys killed a thin whip-like Snake in Lady Macarthy’s Drive; 
it was at least 4 feet long, destitute of any special markings; though 
it had a suspicious-looking triangular head placed upon a slender 
neck, I failed to find any fangs. That same day I saw some other 
boys stoning a Snake which was swimming in a shallow part of the 
lake. This one was about 3 feet long, somewhat thickly made, and 
had a line of very sharply marked diamonds down its back. As it 
got away through a sluice I was unable to examine it more closely, 
but it was decidedly a handsome beast. Mr. E. E. Green writes that 
judging from my description this was almost certainly Tropidonotus 
piscator, which has a very Yiperine appearance, and is so pugnacious 
that it will deliberately strike at a stick held near it. Twice I came 
across Rat-snakes, rather slender, some 6 feet long, of a reddish- 
brown colour. They are harmless, and are said to enter houses in 
pursuit of rats. 
Lizards were very numerous both at Mt. Lavinia and Kandy. 
The most notable is a species of Calotes, which has the power of 
changing colour far more rapidly than a Chamaeleon. For instance, 
I saw one lying in the road at Kalutara, it was then of a grey-brown 
tint: I succeeded in popping my green net over it, lo ! it was 
