Ceylon; an Account of the Island | Page 2

charms (note) Leopards Curious belief Anecdotes of leopards Palm-cat Civet Dogs Jackal The horn of the jackal Mungoos Its fights with serpents Theory of its antidote Squirrels Flying squirrel Tree rat Story of a rat and a snake Coffee rat Bandicoot Porcupine Pengolin Ruminantia.--The Gaur Oxen Humped cattle Encounter of a cow and a leopard Buffaloes Sporting buffaloes Peculiar structure of the hoof Deer Meminna Elephants Whales General view of the mammalia of Ceylon List of Ceylon mammalia Curious parasite of the bat (note)
CHAP. II.
BIRDS.
Their numbers Songsters Hornbills, the "bird with two heads" Pea fowl Sea birds, their number I. Accipitres.--Eagles Falcons and hawks Owls--the devil bird II. Passeres.--Swallows Kingfishers--sunbirds Bul-bul--tailor bird--and weaver Crows, anecdotes of III. Scansores.--Parroquets IV. _Columbi?_.--Pigeons V. _Gallin?_.--Jungle-fowl VI. _Grall?_.--Ibis, stork, &c. VII. Anseres.--Flamingoes Pelicans Game.--Partridges, &c.176 List of Ceylon birds List of birds peculiar to Ceylon
CHAP. III.
REPTILES.
Lizards.--Iguana Kabragoya, barbarous custom in preparing the cobra-tel poison (note) The green calotes Chameleon Ceratophora Geckoes,--their power of reproducing limbs 185, Crocodiles Their power of burying themselves in the mud Tortoises--Curious parasite Land tortoises Edible turtle Huge Indian tortoises (note) Hawk's-bill turtle, barbarous mode of stripping it of the tortoise-shell Serpents.--Venomous species rare Cobra de capello Instance of land snakes found at sea Tame snakes (note) Singular tradition regarding the cobra de capello Uropeltid?.--New species discovered in Ceylon Buddhist veneration for the cobra de capello Anecdotes of snakes The Python Water snakes Snake stones Analysis of one C?cilia Large frogs Tree frogs List of Ceylon reptiles
CHAP. IV.
FISHES.
Ichthyology of Ceylon, little known Fish for table, seir fish Sardines, poisonous? Sharks Saw-fish Fish of brilliant colours Curious fish described by ?lian (note) Fresh-water fish, little known,--not much eaten Fresh-water fish in Colombo Lake Immense profusion of fish in the rivers and lakes Their re-appearance after rain Mode of fishing in the ponds Showers of fish Conjecture that the ova are preserved, not tenable Fish moving on dry land Instances in Guiana (note) Perca Scandens, ascends trees Doubts as to the story of Daldorf Fishes burying themselves during the dry season The protopterus of the Gambia Instances in the fish of the Nile Instances in the fish of South America Living fish dug out of the ground in the dry tanks in Ceylon Other animals that so bury themselves, Melani?, Ampullari?, &c. The animals that so bury themselves in India (note) Analogous case of (note) Theory of ?stivation and hybernation Fish in hot-water in Ceylon List of Ceylon fishes Instances of fishes failing from the clouds Overland migration of fishes known to the Greeks and Romans Note on Ceylon fishes by Professor Huxley Comparative note by Dr. Gray, Brit. Mus.231
CHAP. V.
MOLLUSCA, RADIATA, AND ACALEPH?.
I. Conchology--General character of Ceylon shells Confusion regarding them in scientific works and collections List of Ceylon shells II. Radiata.--Star fish Sea slugs Parasitic worms Planaria III. _Acaleph?_, abundant Corals little known
CHAP. VI.
INSECTS.
Profusion of insects in Ceylon Imperfect knowledge of I. Coleoptera.--Beetles Scavenger beetles Coco-nut beetles Tortoise beetles II. Orthoptera.--Mantis and leaf-insects Stick-insects III. _Neuroptera_--Dragon flies Ant-lion White ants Anecdotes of their instinct and ravages (text and note) V. Hymenoptera.--Mason Wasps Wasps Bees Carpenter Bee Ants Burrowing ants VI. Lepidoptera.--Butterflies Sylph Lyc?nid? Moths Silk worms (text and note) Wood-carrying Moths Pterophorus VII. Homoptera Cicada VIII. Hemiptera Bugs IX. Aphaniptera X. Diptera.--Mosquitoes General character of Ceylon insects List of insects in Ceylon
CHAP. VII.
ARACHNIDE, MYRIOPODA, CRUSTACEA, ETC.
Spiders Strange nests of the wood spiders Olios Taprobanius Mygale fasciata Ticks Mites.--Trombidium tinctorum Myriapods.--Centipedes Cermatia Scolopendra crassa S. pollipes _Millipeds_--Iulus Crustacea Calling crabs Land crabs Painted crabs Paddling crabs _Annelid?_, Leeches.--The land leech Medical leech Cattle leech List of Articulata, &c.307

PART III.
THE SINGHALESE CHRONICLES.

CHAPTER I
.
SOURCES OF SINGHALESE HISTORY--THE MAHAWANSO.
Ceylon formerly thought to have no authentic history Researches of Turnour Biographical sketch of Turnour (note) The Mahawanso Recovery of the "tika" on the Mahawanso Outline of the Mahawanso Turnour's epitome of Singhalese history Historical proofs of the Mahawanso Identity of Sandracottus and Chandragupta Ancient map of Ceylon (note) List of Ceylon sovereigns
CHAP. II.
THE ABORIGINES.
Singhalese histories all illustrative of Buddhism A Buddha Gotama Buddha, his history Amazing prevalence of his religion (note) His three visits to Ceylon Inhabitants of the island at that time supposed to be of Malayan type Legend of their Chinese origin Probably identical with the aborigines of the Dekkan Common basis of their language Characteristics of vernacular Singhalese State of the aborigines before Wijayo's invasion Story of Wijayo The natives of Ceylon described as Yakkos and Nagas Traces of serpent-worship in Ceylon Coincidence of the Mahawanso with the Odyssey (note)
CHAP. III.
CONQUEST OF WIJAYO, B.C. 543.--ESTABLISHMENT OF BUDDHISM, B.C. 307.
Early commerce of Ceylon described by the Chinese Wijayo as a colonizer His treatment of the native population B.C. 505. His death and successors A number of petty kingdoms formed Ceylon divided into three districts: Pihiti, Rohuna, and Maya The village system established Agriculture