
The iïïusk-rat,* or perfuming shrew, is’ very small, with ;a
Vórig' shout, much extended béyond the under jaw; In running
ahoiitW'makes a squeakii^'hoise l i k i ;the -squirirgl, but much
shriller and lotideh $ From* the intolerable smell of -musk which
accompanies, and remains - behind, these animals wjmrevèj* they
gB,^ they 'are vfery ‘disagreeable inmates;; and there iis * scarcely
a hbhse'; in Colombo particularly,' which has öjöt >been strongly
Éfcénted' by them in every"' eérheri *'Mtey articles-dhi-rendered
entirely, useless‘by - the smell of musk which -they eomteunicatê
in tnetely running Over them; For * if is a certain fact, that of
SO penetrating a nature is their effiuviar that if they eVeh pass
Over a bottle-of* wine ever Sb well eOfkèd a'nd Seated-up, :sit
becomes so strongly tainted with musk th at it Cann'Ott bet bsed ;
and a whole fcask may be rendered uselë’Ss in the ;'same--mam|iK; |
When 1 arrived " in Ceylon in the latter e n i öf -thg^yMË’
1796, the houses were terribly infested* With fats. This-was in
a great measure tb bê' atMbiifÖtf to' tlie slovenliness and*ftg-
ligenee of thé D u tch ; for though Vanity induced them %t# *hëdp
their rooms for the reception óf company sufficiently clean,
the other parts of* their housed, particularly their go-downs rir
out-diouses for their servants and slaves, wëré so difty and full
of old Iümber as to harbour all sorts of vermin,-nor were the
dogs and cats of the country of much serfiëe in ^destroying
them; Since the residence of the British officers oil; the island,
their terriers' have been continually employed in Clearing the
houses of rats, the number of which have sensibly diminished.
More attention is also now paid to the cleanliness of those
apartments allotted to the servants, Who naturally • follow the
example of their masters, and are consequently much more
cleanly in the service of the English than the Dutch.
The % > f'tó - è a ïe r ; ’and destroys the
%nts in* tiïêr%am'é marihbr ^al^the o ile rs ,' p i laying 'his 'slimv
‘fengd^i^or^ritheir nfèstfê; "aW#örawingrit febl? inti) his mouth
-as Sdbtf'^fs^Tïe ffndf^ity^?%red' ^ifcbPtKfblc J infects. 1,1
T® e*1 * Bh'®' Bf" eyïöif^'-lir^ïh.f > fyeirf* 'ntr35bf o t^ l^ a ss| All ’sdrts
e r n f " ' p ' o u 1’try^' t a r i e f natives1 b f 'the
ïsland; 8tn'd>'stH'è¥è '%$2 tfelf bbdPToündbn^^F'woodli br^èïaTShes
th a t^ d ^ u o t Jfere'"aboiirl(ï. Duffe, j^eefë,’^pheasants, ^ a tlb ts and
pairrfqiietr'afe all f o u n d ^ ^ è a t 1 nhrfibèrii, ^ t ^ w i l d and feline;
abd i?
ó?Tory “'isJ%tev0 ^ i é s ,^'%lfrot,j and varies«dn: its
size, b Tf#eHré'#êD®f$l r i a f f i ' t l f e j spMflésP" |
** "Snipe¥3a#i'WrM'-iriri^aV"'|)ftn^ in h e t’'season>1 which
ifM?héirb'él?t fo^" Éidètbig fohèth. painted*-snipe H | a
w^ f ^ Abeadtiful and'^frïfeifg bird. M l if differs little from
m i^ c b iS É b n ^ n l^ Ö&ty tfÉ**' bill id Sbmewhat Shdftfer,- the
a iid '-# ilg s ^ e i^ ó fte d -with* iÈdfcffSÊ&w,' and black spöfeq
jj sthieh a appèa'raiïCe;
«t '‘The' flbrMkn' is'-ar specie^’b ^ the Crane' Mind,-' about?'the size
and large *e&pón, and id bsteëmfed ^excellent' eating.
I f r# É ^ ^ h o i% tÉê> woods -which5 .start the banks of l pools Or
Tajcbs.' The*'neck and body are lodgisfit but stóhdèriiü
fjfÖpoMoh^tb 'their' lëiigth as ’ tfrdse’>Of the craned or heron.
A.#fsphe banks t>f the rifets and lakes- abound with -storks,5*cranesj
batons' and water fowls *05* various descriptions. -!-
Wbod-peckers site ‘found with beautiful top-knots:-of d gol-
tÖèn êèlötir.- - ï ffiSWlÉfe % ■ ssris < ;
PigéoWv both-wild arid ‘tkmé; form a ‘prominent part of thé
-birds ö f Ceylon. The^móSt rèmarkable species is the einnanibn
.pigeon, sb »called from beirfg* particularly partial to the cinha-
R.r