SKETCHES

OF THE

NATURAL HISTORY OF CEYLON

WITH

NARRATIVES AND ANECDOTES

Illustrative of the Habits and Instincts of the

MAMMALIA, BIRDS, REPTILES, FISHES, INSECTS, &c.

INCLUDING A MONOGRAPH OF

THE ELEPHANT

AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE MODES OF CAPTURING AND TRAINING IT

WITH ENGRAVINGS FROM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS

BY

SIR J. EMERSON TENNENT, K.C.S. LL.D. &c.

1861

INTRODUCTION.

A considerable portion of the contents of the present volume formed the zoological section of a much more comprehensive work recently published, on the history and present condition of Ceylon.¹ But its inclusion there was a matter of difficulty; for to have altogether omitted the chapters on Natural History would have impaired the completeness of the plan on which I had attempted to describe the island; whilst to insert them as they here appear, without curtailment, would have encroached unduly on the space required for other essential topics. In this dilemma, I was obliged to adopt the alternative of so condensing the matter as to bring the whole within the prescribed proportions.

But this operation necessarily diminished the general interest of the subjects treated, as well by the omission of incidents which would otherwise have been retained, as by the exclusion of anecdotes calculated to illustrate the habits and instincts of the animals described.

A suggestion to re-publish these sections in an independent form has afforded an opportunity for repairing some of these defects by revising the entire, restoring omitted passages, and introducing fresh materials collected in Ceylon; the additional matter occupying a very large portion of the present volume.

I have been enabled, at the same time, to avail myself of the corrections and communications of scientific friends; and thus to compensate, in some degree for what is still incomplete, by increased accuracy in minute particulars.

In the Introduction to the First Edition of the original work I alluded, in the following terms, to that portion of it which is now reproduced in an extended form:—

"Regarding the fauna of Ceylon, little has been published in any collective form, with the exception of a volume by Dr. KELAART entitled Prodromus Faunæ Zeilanicæ; several valuable papers by Mr. EDGAR L. LAYARD in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History for 1852 and 1853; and some very imperfect lists appended to PRIDHAM'S compiled account of the island.² KNOX, in the charming narrative of his captivity, published in the feign of Charles II., has devoted a chapter to the animals of Ceylon, and Dr. DAVY has described some of the reptiles: but with these exceptions the subject is almost untouched in works relating to the colony. Yet a more than ordinary interest attaches to the inquiry, since Ceylon, instead of presenting, as is generally assumed, an identity between its fauna and that of Southern India, exhibits a remarkable diversity, taken in connection with the limited area over which the animals included in it are distributed. The island, in fact, may be regarded as the centre of a geographical circle, possessing within itself forms, whose allied species radiate far into the temperate regions of the north, as well as in to Africa, Australia, and the isles of the Eastern Archipelago.

"In the chapters that I have devoted to its elucidation, I have endeavoured to interest others in the subject, by describing my own observations and impressions, with fidelity, and with as much accuracy as may be expected from a person possessing, as I do, no greater knowledge of zoology and the other physical sciences than is ordinarily possessed by any educated gentleman. It was my good fortune, however, in my journeys to have the companionship of friends familiar with many branches of natural science: the late Dr. GARDNER, Mr. EDGAR L. LAYARD, an accomplished zoologist, Dr. TEMPLETON, and others; and I was thus enabled to collect on the spot many interesting facts relative to the structure and habits of the numerous tribes. These, chastened by the corrections of my fellow-travellers, and established by the examination of collections made in the colony, and by subsequent comparison with specimens contained in museums at home, I have ventured to submit as faithful outlines of the fauna of Ceylon.

"The sections descriptive of the several classes are accompanied by lists, prepared with the assistance of scientific friends, showing the extent to which each particular branch had been investigated by naturalists, up to the period of my departure from Ceylon at the close of 1849. These, besides their inherent interest, will, I trust, stimulate others to engage in the same pursuit, by exhibiting chasms, which it remains for future industry and research to fill up;—and the study of the zoology of Ceylon may thus serve as a preparative for that of Continental India, embracing, as the former does, much that is common to both, as well as possessing a fauna peculiar to the island, that in itself will amply repay more extended scrutiny.

"From these lists have been excluded all species regarding the authenticity of which reasonable doubts could be entertained³, and of some of them, a very few have been printed in italics, in order to denote the desirability of more minute comparison with well-determined specimens in the great national depositories before finally incorporating them with the Singhalese catalogues.

"In the labour of collecting and verifying the facts embodied in these sections, I cannot too warmly express my thanks for the aid I have received from gentlemen interested in similar studies in Ceylon: from Dr. KELAART⁴ and Mr. EDGAR L. LAYARD, as well as from officers of the Ceylon Civil Service; the Hon. GERALD C. TALBOT, Mr. C.R. BULLER, Mr. MERCER, Mr. MORRIS, Mr. WHITING, Major SKINNER, and Mr. MITFORD.

"Before venturing to commit these chapters of my work to the press, I have had the advantage of having portions of them read by Professor HUXLEY, Mr. MOORE, of the East India House Museum; Mr. R. PATTERSON, F.R.S., author of the Introduction to Zoology; and by Mr. ADAM WHITE, of the British Museum; to each of whom I am exceedingly indebted for the care they have bestowed. In an especial degree I have to acknowledge the kindness of Dr. J.E. GRAY, F.R.S., for valuable additions and corrections in the list of the Ceylon Reptilia; and to Professor FARADAY for some notes on the nature and qualities of the "Serpent Stone,"⁵ submitted to him.

"The extent to which my observations on the Elephant have been carried, requires some explanation. The existing notices of this noble creature are chiefly devoted to its habits and capabilities in captivity; and very few works, with which I am acquainted, contain illustrations of its instincts and functions when wild in its native woods. Opportunities for observing the latter, and for collecting facts in connection with them, are abundant in Ceylon; and from the moment of my arrival, I profited by every occasion afforded to me for observing the elephant in a state of nature, and obtaining from hunters and natives correct information as to its oeconomy and disposition. Anecdotes in connection with this subject, I received from some of the most experienced residents in the island; amongst others, from Major SKINNER, Captain PHILIP PAYNE GALLWEY, Mr. FAIRHOLME, Mr. CRIPPS, and Mr. MORRIS. Nor can I omit to express my acknowledgments to Professor OWEN, of the British Museum, to whom this portion of my manuscript was submitted previous to its committal to the press."

To the foregoing observations I have little to add beyond my acknowledgment to Dr. ALBERT G&ÜNTHER, of the British Museum, for the communication of important facts in illustration of the ichthyology of Ceylon, as well as of the reptiles of the island.

Mr. BLYTH, of the Calcutta Museum, has carefully revised the Catalogue of Birds, and supplied me with much useful information in regard to their geographical distribution. To his experienced scrutiny is due the perfected state in which the list is now presented. It will be seen, however, from the italicised names still retained, that inquiry is far from being exhausted.

Mr. THWAITES, the able Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradenia, near Kandy, has forwarded to me many valuable observations, not only in connection with the botany, but the zoology of the mountain region. The latter I have here embodied in their appropriate places, and those relating to plants and vegetation will appear in a future edition of my large work.

To M. NIETNER, of Colombo, I am likewise indebted for many particulars regarding Singhalese Entomology, a department to which his attention has been given, with equal earnestness and success.

Through the Hon. RICHARD MORGAN, acting Senior Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court at Colombo, I have received from his Interpreter, M.D. DE SILVA GOONERATNE MODLIAR, a Singhalese gentleman of learning and observation, many important notes, of which I have largely availed myself, in relation to the wild animals, and the folk-lore and superstitions of the natives in connection with them.

Of the latter I have inserted numerous examples; in the conviction that, notwithstanding their obvious errors in many instances, these popular legends and traditions occasionally embody traces of actual observation, and may contain hints and materials deserving of minuter inquiry.

I wish distinctly to disclaim offering the present volume as a compendium of the Natural History of Ceylon. I present it merely as a "mémoire pour servir," materials to assist some future inquirer in the formation of a more detailed and systematic account of the fauna of the island. My design has been to point out to others the extreme richness and variety of the field, the facility of exploring it, and the charms and attractions of the undertaking. I am eager to show how much remains to do by exhibiting the little that has as yet been done.

The departments of Mammalia and Birds are the only two which can be said to have as yet undergone tolerably close investigation; although even in these it is probable that large additions still remain to be made to the ascertained species. But, independently of forms and specific characteristics, the more interesting inquiry into habits and instincts is still open for observation and remark; and for the investigation of these no country can possibly afford more inviting opportunities than Ceylon.

Concerning the Reptilia a considerable amount of information has been amassed. The Batrachians and smaller Lizards have, I apprehend, been imperfectly investigated; but the Tortoises are well known, and the Serpents, from the fearful interest attaching to the race, and stimulating their destruction, have been so vigilantly pursued, that there is reason to believe that few, if any, varieties exist which have not been carefully examined. In a very large collection, made by Mr. CHARLES REGINALD BULLER during many years' residence in Kandy, and recently submitted by him to Dr. Günther, only one single specimen proved to be new or previously unknown to belong to the island.

Of the Ichthyology of Ceylon I am obliged to speak ill very different terms; for although the materials are abundant almost to profusion, little has yet been done to bring them under thoroughly scientific scrutiny. In the following pages I have alluded to the large collection of examples of Fishes sent home by officers of the Medical Staff, and which still remain unopened, in the Fort Pitt Museum at Chatham; but I am not without hope that these may shortly undergo comparison with the drawings which exist of each, and that this branch of the island fauna may at last attract the attention to which its richness so eminently entitles it.

In the department of Entomology much has already been achieved; but an extended area still invites future explorers; and one which the Notes of Mr. Walker prefixed to the List of Insects in this volume, show to be of extraordinary interest, from the unexpected convergence in Ceylon of characteristics heretofore supposed to have been kept distinct by the broad lines of geographical distribution.

Relative to the inferior classes of Invertebrata very little has as yet been ascertained. The Mollusca, especially the lacustrine and fluviatile, have been most imperfectly investigated; and of the land-shells, a large proportion have yet to be submitted to scientific examination.

The same may be said of the Arachnida and Crustacea. The jungle is frequented by spiders, phalangia⁶, and acarids, of which nothing is known with certainty; and the sea-shore and sands have been equally overlooked, so far as concerns the infinite variety of lobsters, crayfish, crabs, and all their minor congeners. The polypi, echini, asterias, and other radiata of the coast, as well as the acalephæ of the deeper waters, have shared the same neglect: and literally nothing has been done to collect and classify the infusoriæ and minuter zoophytes, the labours of Dr. Kelaart amongst the Diatomaceæ being the solitary exception.

Nothing is so likely to act as a stimulant to future research as an accurate conception of what has already been achieved. With equal terseness and truth Dr. Johnson has observed that the traveller who would bring back knowledge from any country must carry knowledge with him at setting out: and I am not without hope that the demonstration I now venture to offer, of the little that has already been done for zoology in Ceylon, may serve to inspire others with a desire to resume and complete the inquiry.

J. EMERSON TENNENT

London: November 1st, 1861.

Footnote 1: (return)

Ceylon: An Account of the Island, Physical, Historical, and Typographical; with Notices of its Natural History, Antiquities, and Productions. By Sir JAMES EMERSON TENNENT, K.C.S., LL.D., &c. Illustrated by Maps. Plans, and Drawings. 2 vols. 8vo. Longman and Co., 1859.

Footnote 2: (return)

An Historical, Political, and Statistical Account of Ceylon and its Dependencies, by C. PRIDHAM, Esq. 2 vols. 8vo., London, 1849.

Footnote 3: (return)

An exception occurs in the list of shells, prepared by Mr. SYLVANUS HANLEY, in which some whose localities are doubtful have been admitted for reasons adduced. (See p. 387.)

Footnote 4: (return)

It is with deep regret that I have to record the death of this accomplished gentleman, which occurred in 1860.

Footnote 5: (return)

See p. 312.

Footnote 6: (return)

Commonly called "harvest-men."

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

MAMMALIA.

• Neglect of zoology in Ceylon 3
• Labours of Dr. Davy3
• Followed by Dr. Templeton and others 4
• Dr. Kelaart and Mr. E.L. Layard 4
• Monkeys 5
  • The Rilawa, Macacus pileatus 5
  • Wanderoos5
  • Knox's account of them 5
  • Error regarding the Silenus Veter (note) 6
  • Presbytes Cephalopterus 7
  • Fond of eating flowers 7
  • A white monkey 8
  • Method of the flight of monkeys 9
  • P. Ursinus in the Hills 9
  • P. Thersites in the Wanny 10
  • P. Priamus, Jaffna and Trincomalie 10
  • No dead monkey ever found 11
• Loris 12
• Bats 13
  • Flying Fox, Pteropus Edwardsii 14
  • Their numbers at Peradenia 16
  • Singularity of their attitudes 17
  • Food and mode of eating 18
  • Horse-shoe bat, Rhinolophus 19
  • Faculty of smell in bat 19
  • A tiny bat, Scotophilus foromandelicus 20
  • Extraordinary parasite of the bat, the Nycteribia 20
• Carnivora.—Bears 22
  • Their ferocity 23
• Singhalese belief in the efficacy of charms (note) 24
• Leopards 25
  • Erroneously confounded with the Indian cheetah 25
  • Curious belief 26
  • Anecdotes of leopards 27
  • Their attraction by the smallpox 28
  • Native superstition 28
  • Encounter with a leopard 29
  • Monkeys killed by leopards 31
  • Alleged peculiarity of the claws 32
• Palm-cat 32
• Civet 32
• Dogs 33
  • Cruel mode of destroying dogs33
  • Their republican instincts34
• Jackal 34
  • Cunning, anecdotes of 35
  • The horn of the jackal 36
• Mungoos 37
  • Its fights with serpents38
  • Theory of its antidote 40
• Squirrels 41
  • Flying squirrel 41
• Tree-rat 42
  • Story of a rat and a snake 43
• Coffee-rat 43
• Bandicoot 44
• Porcupine 45
• Pengolin 46
  • Its habits and gentleness 47
  • Its skeleton 48
• Ruminantia.—The Gaur 49
  • Oxen 50
  • Humped cattle 51
  • Encounter of a cow and a leopard 51
  • Draft oxen 52
  • Their treatment 53
  • A Tavalam 53
  • Attempt to introduce the camel (note) 53
  • Buffaloes 54
  • Sporting buffaloes 55
  • Peculiar structure of the foot 56
• Deer 57
• Meminna 57
• Elk 59
• Wild-boar 59
• Elephants 60
  • Recent discovery of a new species 60
  • Geological speculations as to the island of Ceylon 61
  • Ancient tradition 61
  • Opinion of Professor Ansted 61
  • Peculiarities in Ceylon mammalia 63
  • The same in Ceylon birds and insects 63
  • Temminck's discovery of a new species of elephant in Sumatra 64
  • Points of distinction between it and the elephant of India 65
  • Professor Schlegel's description 66
• Cetacea 68
  • Whales 68
  • The Dugong 69
  • Origin of the fable of the mermaid 70
  • Credulity of the Portuguese 70
  • Belief of the Dutch 70
• Testimony of Valentyn 71
• List of Ceylon mammalia 73

CHAP. II

THE ELEPHANT

Its Structure.

• Vast numbers in Ceylon 75
• Derivation of the word "elephant" (note) 76
• Antiquity of the trade in elephants 77
• Numbers now diminishing 77
• Mischief done by them to crops 77
• Ivory scarce in Ceylon 78
• Conjectures as to the absence of tusks 79
• Elephant a harmless animal 81
• Alleged antipathies to other animals 82
• Fights with each other 86
• The foot its chief weapon 87
• Use of the tusks in a wild state doubtful 88
• Anecdote of sagacity in an elephant at Kandy 89
• Difference between African and Indian species 90
• Native ideas of perfection in an elephant 91
• Blotches on the skin 92
• White elephants not unknown in Ceylon 93

CHAP. III.

THE ELEPHANT

Its Habits.

• Water, but not heat, essential to elephants 94
• Sight limited 95
• Smell acute 96
• Caution 96
• Hearing, good 96
• Cries of the elephant 97
• Trumpeting 97
• Booming noise 98
• Height, exaggerated 99
• Facility of stealthy motion 100
• Ancient delusion as to the joints of the leg 100
• Its exposure by Sir Thos. Browne 100
• Its perpetuation by poets and others 102
• Position of the elephant in sleep 105
• An elephant killed on its feet 107
• Mode of lying down 107
• Its gait a shuffle 108
• Power of climbing mountains 109
• Facilitated by the joint of the knee 110
• Mode of descending declivities 111
• A "herd" is a family 112
• Attachment to their young 113
• Suckled indifferently by the females 113
• A "rogue" elephant 114
• Their cunning and vice 115
• Injuries done by them 115
• The leader of a herd a tusker 117
• Bathing and nocturnal gambols, description of a scene by Major Skinner 118
• Method of swimming 121
• Internal anatomy imperfectly known 122
• Faculty of storing water 124
• Peculiarity of the stomach 125
• The food of the elephant 129
• Sagacity in search of it 130
• Unexplained dread of fences 131
• Its spirit of inquisitiveness 132
• Anecdotes illustrative of its curiosity 132
• Estimate of sagacity 133
• Singular conduct of a herd during thunder 134
• An elephant feigning death 135
• Appendix.—Narratives of natives, as to encounters with rogue elephants 136

CHAP. IV.

THE ELEPHANT

Elephant Shooting.

• Vast numbers shot in Ceylon 142
• Revolting details of elephant killing in Africa 142
• Fatal spots at which to aim 143
• Structure of the bones of the head 144
• Wounds which are certain to kill 145
• Attitudes when surprised 148
• Peculiar movements when reposing 148
• Habits when attacked 150
• Sagacity of native trackers 150
• Courage and agility of the elephants in escape 151
• Worthlessness of the carcass 153
• Singular recovery from a wound (note) 154

CHAP. V.

THE ELEPHANT.

An Elephant Corral.

• Early method of catching elephants 156
• Capture in pit-falls 156
• By means of decoys 157
• Panickeas—their courage and address 158
• Their sagacity in following the elephant 159
• Mode of capture by the noose 160
• Mode of taming 161
• Method of leading the elephants to the coast 162
• Process of embarking them at Manaar 162
• Method of capturing a whole herd 163
• The "keddah" in Bengal described 164
• Process of enclosing a herd 165
• Process of capture in Ceylon 165
• An elephant corral and its construction 166
• An elephant hunt in Ceylon, 1847 167
• The town and district of Kornegalle 167
• The rock of Ætagalla 168
• Forced labour of the corral in former times 170
• Now given voluntarily 171
• Form of the enclosure 172
• Method of securing a wild herd 173
• Scene when driving them into the corral 174
• A failure 176
• An elephant drove by night 177
• Singular scene in the corral 178
• Excitement of the tame elephants (note) 178

CHAP. VI.

THE ELEPHANT.

The Captives.

• A night scene 180
• Morning in the corral 181
• Preparations for securing the captives 181
• The "cooroowe," or noosers 181
• The tame decoys 182
• First captive tied up 183
• Singular conduct of the wild elephants 184
• Furious attempts of the herd to escape 186
• Courageous conduct of the natives 187
• Variety of disposition exhibited by the herd 189
• Extraordinary contortions of the captives 190
• Water withdrawn from the stomach 191
• Instinct of the decoys 191
• Conduct of the noosers 194
• The young ones and their actions 194
• Noosing a "rogue." and his death 196
• Instinct of flies in search of carrion (note) 196
• Strange scene 197
• A second herd captured 199
• Their treatment of a solitary elephant 200
• A magnificent female elephant 201
• Her extraordinary attitudes 201
• Wonderful contortions 203
• Taking the captives out of the corral 204
• Their subsequent treatment and training 205
• Grandeur of the scene 205
• Story of young pet elephant 6

CHAP. VII.

THE ELEPHANT.

Conduct in Captivity.

• Alleged superiority of the Indian to the African elephant—not true 207
• Ditto of Ceylon elephant to Indian 209
• Process of training in Ceylon 211
• Allowed to bathe 213
• Difference of disposition 214
• Sudden death of "broken heart" 216
• First employment treading clay 217
• Drawing a waggon 217
• Dragging timber 218
• Sagacity in labour 218
• Mode of raising stones 218
• Strength in throwing down trees exaggerated 219
• Piling timber 219
• Not uniform in habits of work 220
• Lazy if not watched 220
• Obedience to keeper from affection, not fear 221
• Change of keeper—story of child 222
• Ear for sounds and music 223
• Hurra! (note) 223
• Endurance of pain 224
• Docility 225
• Working elephants, delicate 225
• Deaths in government stud 226
• Diseases 227
• Subject to tooth-ache 227
• Question of the value of labour of an elephant 229
• Food in captivity, and cost 230
• Breed in captivity 231
• Age 232
• Theory of M. Fleurens 232
• No dead elephants found 234
• Sindbad's story 236
• Passage from Ælian 237

CHAP. VIII.

BIRDS.

• Their numbers 241
• Songsters 241
• Hornbills, the "bird with two heads" 242
• Pea fowl 244
• Sea birds, their number 245
• I. Accipitres.—Eagles 245
  • Falcons and hawks 246
  • Owls—the devil bird 247
• II. Passeres.—Swallows 248
  • Kingfishers—sunbirds 249
  • The cotton-thief 250
  • Bul-bul—tailor bird—and weaver 251
  • The mountain jay 253
  • Crows, anecdotes of 253
• III. Scansores.—Parroquets 256
• IV. Columbidæ.—Pigeons 257
• V. Gallinæ.—Jungle-fowl 259
• VI. Grallæ.—Ibis, stork, &c. 260
• VII. Anseres.—Flamingoes 261
  • Pelicans 262
  • Strange scene 263
  • Game—Partridges, &c. 265
• List of Ceylon birds 265
• List of birds peculiar to Ceylon 269

CHAP. IX.

REPTILES.

• Lizards.—Iguana 271
  • Kabara-goya, barbarous custom in preparing the kabara-tel poison 272
  • Blood-suckers 275
  • The green calotes 276
  • The lyre-headed lizard 277
  • Chameleon 278
  • Ceratophora 279
  • Geckoes,—their power of reproducing limbs 281
• Crocodiles 282
  • Their sensitiveness to tickling 285
  • Anecdotes of crocodiles 286
  • Their power of burying themselves in the mud 286
• Tortoises.—Curious parasite 289x
  • Terrapins 290
  • Edible turtle 291
  • Cruel mode of cutting it up alive 291
  • Huge Indian tortoises (note) 293
  • Hawk's-bill turtle, barbarous mode of stripping it of the tortoise-shell 293
• Serpents.—Venomous species rare 294
  • Tic polonga and carawala 296
  • Cobra de capello 297
  • Tame snakes (note) 298
  • Anecdotes of the cobra de capello 298
  • Legends concerning it 299
  • Instance of land snakes found at sea 300
  • Singular tradition regarding the robra de capello 300
  • Uropeltidæ.—New species discovered in Ceylon 302
  • Buddhist veneration for the cobra de capello 303
  • The Python 303
  • Tree snakes 305
  • Water snakes 306
  • Sea snakes 306
  • Snake stones 312
  • Analysis of one 315
  • Cæcilia 317
  • Frogs 317
  • Tree frogs 320
• List of Ceylon reptiles 321

CHAP. X.

FISHES.

• Ichthyology of Ceylon, little known 323
• Fish for table, seir fish 324
• Sardines, poisonous? 324
• Sharks 325
• Saw-fish 325
• Fish of brilliant colours 326
• The ray 326
• The sword-fish 328
• Curious fish described by Ælian 330
• Salarias alticus 332
• Beautifully coloured fishes 332
• Fresh-water fish, little known,—not much eaten 335
• Fresh-water fish in Colombo Lake 336
• Perches 336
• Eels 337
• Immense profusion of fish in the rivers and lakes 339
• Their re-appearance after rain 340
• Mode of fishing in the ponds 340
• Showers of fish 341
• Conjecture that the ova are preserved, not tenable 342
• Fish moving on dry land 344
  • Ancient authorities, Greek and Roman 345
  • Aristotle and Theophrastus 346
  • Athenæus and Polybius 346
  • Livy, Pompomus, Mela, and Juvenal 346
  • Seneca and Pliny 346
  • Georgius Agricola, Gesner, &c. 347
  • Instances in Guiana (note) 347
  • Perca Scandens, ascends trees 348
  • Doubts as to the story of Daldorf 350
• Fishes burying themselves daring the dry season 351
  • The protopterus of the Gambia 352
  • Instances in the fish of the Nile 352
  • Instances in the fish of South America 353
  • Living fish dug out of the ground in the dry tanks in Ceylon 354
  • Molluscs that bury themselves 355
  • The animals that so bury themselves in India 357
  • Analogous case of 8
  • Theory of æstivation and hybernation 358
• Fish in hot water in Ceylon 358
• List of Ceylon fishes 359
• Instances of fishes falling from the clouds 362
• Note on Ceylon fishes by Professor Huxley 364
• Comparative note by Dr. Gray, Brit. Mus. 366
• Note on the Bora-chung 367