Volume 1 / Part 2 — CHAPTER I.
Reading edition
MAMMALIA.
Neglect of Zoology in Ceylon 127
Monkeys 128
Wanderoo 129 Error regarding the Silenus Veter (note) 129 Presbytes Cephalopterus 130 P. Ursinus in the Hills 131 P. Thersites in the Wanny 132 P. Priamus, Jaffna and Trincomalie 132 No dead monkey ever found 133
Loris 133
Bats 135
Flying fox 135 Horse-shoe bat 136
Carnivora.—Bears 137
Their ferocity 138
Singhalese belief in the efficacy of charms (note) 139
Leopards 139
Curious belief 140 Anecdotes of leopards 142
Palm-cat 144
Civet 144
Dogs 144
Jackal 145
The horn of the jackal 145
Mungoos 145
Its fights with serpents 146 Theory of its antidote 147
Squirrels 148
Flying squirrel 148
Tree rat 149
Story of a rat and a snake 149
Coffee rat 149
Bandicoot 150
Porcupine 150
Pengolin 151
Ruminantia.—The Gaur 151
Oxen 152 Humped cattle 152 Encounter of a cow and a leopard 153 Buffaloes 154 Sporting buffaloes 155 Peculiar structure of the hoof 155
Deer 156
Meminna 157
Elephants 158
Whales 158
General view of the mammalia of Ceylon 159
List of Ceylon mammalia 159
Curious parasite of the bat (note) 161
CHAP. II.
BIRDS.
Their numbers 163
Songsters 163
Hornbills, the "bird with two heads" 164
Pea fowl 165
Sea birds, their number 165
I. Accipitres.—Eagles 166
Falcons and hawks 166 Owls—the devil bird 167
II. Passeres.—Swallows 167
Kingfishers—sunbirds 168 Bul-bul—tailor bird—and weaver 169 Crows, anecdotes of 170
III. Scansores.—Parroquets 172
IV. Columbiæ.—Pigeons 173
V. Gallinæ.—Jungle-fowl 174
VI. Grallæ.—Ibis, stork, &c. 175
VII. Anseres.—Flamingoes 175
Pelicans 176 Game.—Partridges, &c.176
List of Ceylon birds 177
List of birds peculiar to Ceylon 180
CHAP. III.
REPTILES.
Lizards.—Iguana 182
Kabragoya, barbarous custom in preparing the cobra-tel poison (note) 183 The green calotes 184 Chameleon 184 Ceratophora 185 Geckoes,—their power of reproducing limbs 185, 186
Crocodiles 186
Their power of burying themselves in the mud 187
Tortoises—Curious parasite 188
Land tortoises 189 Edible turtle 190 Huge Indian tortoises (note) 190 Hawk's-bill turtle, barbarous mode of stripping it of the tortoise-shell 190
Serpents.—Venomous species rare 191
Cobra de capello 192 Instance of land snakes found at sea 193 Tame snakes (note) 193 Singular tradition regarding the cobra de capello 194 Uropeltidæ.—New species discovered in Ceylon 195 Buddhist veneration for the cobra de capello 195 Anecdotes of snakes 196 The Python 196 Water snakes 197 Snake stones 197 Analysis of one 199 Cæcilia 201 Large frogs 202 Tree frogs 202
List of Ceylon reptiles 203
CHAP. IV.
FISHES.
Ichthyology of Ceylon, little known 205
Fish for table, seir fish 205
Sardines, poisonous? 206
Sharks 207
Saw-fish 207
Fish of brilliant colours 207
Curious fish described by Ælian (note) 207
Fresh-water fish, little known,—not much eaten 208
Fresh-water fish in Colombo Lake 209
Immense profusion of fish in the rivers and lakes 209
Their re-appearance after rain 209
Mode of fishing in the ponds 210
Showers of fish 210
Conjecture that the ova are preserved, not tenable 212
Fish moving on dry land 213
Instances in Guiana (note) 214 Perca Scandens, ascends trees 215 Doubts as to the story of Daldorf 217
Fishes burying themselves during the dry season 218
The protopterus of the Gambia 218 Instances in the fish of the Nile 218 Instances in the fish of South America 219 Living fish dug out of the ground in the dry tanks in Ceylon 220 Other animals that so bury themselves, Melaniæ, Ampullariæ, &c. 220 The animals that so bury themselves in India (note) 220 Analogous case of (note) 221 Theory of æstivation and hybernation 221
Fish in hot-water in Ceylon 224
List of Ceylon fishes 224
Instances of fishes failing from the clouds 226
Overland migration of fishes known to the Greeks and Romans 227
Note on Ceylon fishes by Professor Huxley 229
Comparative note by Dr. Gray, Brit. Mus.231
CHAP. V.
MOLLUSCA, RADIATA, AND ACALEPHÆ.
I. Conchology—General character of Ceylon shells 233
Confusion regarding them in scientific works and collections 234 List of Ceylon shells 235
II. Radiata.—Star fish 244
Sea slugs 245 Parasitic worms 245 Planaria 235
III. Acalephæ, abundant 246
Corals little known 246
CHAP. VI.
INSECTS.
Profusion of insects in Ceylon 247
Imperfect knowledge of 247
I. Coleoptera.—Beetles 248
Scavenger beetles 249 Coco-nut beetles 249 Tortoise beetles 250
II. Orthoptera.—Mantis and leaf-insects 250
Stick-insects 252
III. Neuroptera—Dragon flies 252
Ant-lion 252 White ants 253 Anecdotes of their instinct and ravages (text and note) 254
V. Hymenoptera.—Mason Wasps 256
Wasps 257 Bees 257 Carpenter Bee 258 Ants 258 Burrowing ants 262
VI. Lepidoptera.—Butterflies 262
Sylph 263 Lycænidæ 264 Moths 265 Silk worms (text and note) 265 Wood-carrying Moths 266 Pterophorus 267
VII. Homoptera 267
Cicada 267
VIII. Hemiptera 267
Bugs 267
IX. Aphaniptera 268
X. Diptera.—Mosquitoes 268
General character of Ceylon insects 269
List of insects in Ceylon 274
CHAP. VII.
ARACHNIDE, MYRIOPODA, CRUSTACEA, ETC.
Spiders 294
Strange nests of the wood spiders 295 Olios Taprobanius 295 Mygale fasciata 295 Ticks 296 Mites.—Trombidium tinctorum 297
Myriapods.—Centipedes 297
Cermatia 298 Scolopendra crassa 298 S. pollipes 299
Millipeds—Iulus 299
Crustacea 300
Calling crabs 300 Land crabs 301 Painted crabs 301 Paddling crabs 301
Annelidæ, Leeches.—The land leech 302
Medical leech 305 Cattle leech 306
List of Articulata, &c.307