I . CHAPTER XIV.
r .Animals o f 'C'eylpn-
H a v in g described Ihe lsiand^^ot ISeylon,' and tlae "severaf
races t>f its inhabitants, I new"1 proceed to give some account
of its natural productions. From my ~ profession and haj >its of
life, a systematic description jmffnese' carinot lie Expected. I
shall therefore, in plain and common language, rdafeljWhafi, I
have myself observed, and what I *haye Learnt from., authentic
information: thosb who lire m -thq same premcament ydth myT
self, and who are unacquainted witly th d terms employe d by;
.scientific mem ihay" find such am account ^at ’ least rqore' 'readily
understood; and those who havestudley natuial history as,
a science, will be easily abledo refer the facjfs I .ady a ^ e fto a
■regular system.
At the head of the class 6f quadrupeds. a n d superior-,-, ±o
those o f the same sp'ecies found in any other part SBILihq "world,
are the .elephants of Ceylon. The number A f these nobfe; animals
produced there is very, great, and nowhere .are they-found
either so docile or so excellent in their shape an d appearance.
To give any particular description of a .species .scknften described
and so universally known would be superfluous: but as
the manner of catching them in fceylon is considerably dif-.
ferent from that practised on the continent of- India, some
account of it may not be without entertainment to' my
readers.