
312 Reptiles o f Geylo%.
sgrotind/ On- being - ©pèïîêd/"' it was 'fèuM ‘to havé -in its belly
SÉïèt fceàfl and mm, bfi a I black man not ’ yèt^QTnpKèly digested y
The skin was of ‘a knottybfliomy texture, like* th a t'b f a young
-TbinoG&roSj / and qdi|fe*wimperfe'trable to a musket ball: 1 In Fet
bruary of tte^sffShe *'yeàr, ^hefe Itfoer Escort, ©f the governor,
An bis way to meet the Candian ambassador; arrived at vS4tti—
vacça/' some1 ôf ' thé ' soldiérSf having 'gone/ after the rfàtigdè§wf
their march, to refresh; themselves Iby' bathing'in the '«ipivwhMl-
funs through’ this beautiful and- rotapntick spot-, théjy Werê
alarmed to ' ••■■fijcid' ’ thfc '’fÔSt^^reSooetiffiôd by & numb® o"f alliga-
tors. : Being present' at thé ■ time, and happening to have a fow-
^ no-P^®e 111 my hand, I fired at two and killed them. They
were young ones about' eight feet in lengths-
Th# iguana in appearance -very' much 'resembles’ the-alligSffilk
I t W^a very disgustâng animal to look a t /b u t is perfecthf^aifif*»
less, and lives in holes'in the ground. I t is Ijgfefta'éd ’gdod ïébd-
by :the natives, and makes- excellent curry, brurict^f&up.'>' •' The
flesh tastes v ery: like that of ~a rabbit.'
An immense number of toads; Wizards, blood-suckefs7 f'Ôâxne2
lionis, and à variety, of others of the "same class abound* fevêpy
where throughout the island ; but a particular dtesbripfion&of
tffem Could 'afford no entertainment to niy readers. -
■One species, however, h a s’left too deep an impression, on
my mind to be passed over unnoticed- Besides the leeches em-v
ployed by apothecaries to’ reduce tumours and carry miS cork
ruptéd blood, there is another species which infesfiri^hnmènsè!
numbers the woods and swampy grounds óf ; Ceylón,r particu-v
lady in the rainy season/to the great annoyance Of every one’
who passes’through them. The leeches o f this species are very
small,' not much larger than a pin ; and are of a dark red colour,
31.3
^peyklytL* J n - tlp ir .n^ptiom they dg-uotvcrawl like f a worm, or
- like the leehnfes; we /aie l^ ^ jis tQ p ie a f^ ^ s e ^ Ip Eyrppè/ but
keep constantly j^pringijçîg, by first fixing, their head oü a place,
(and th y n ^ b /h lg ii^ .t^ ir^ il up ftd iÿwith â /shddeiFjerk5 while
atjthe same time their head is, thrown fprwardèPfor another hold.
In this. n^ang^vthey jddyolm exÇ ^ iiig ly , quick, that Aefoyre
' d^/ithey ’contd ^ ^ f o ‘ upon oneV1 clothes,
when ,% y ' immediately, end^vour by s m ^ a M t » 3 o find an
i^ntijanc^tp |^eg skip. As époh as they -reach^ihnjthfey^bfdin to
;dryw .^L0jo^;(Jand as tlÆyrcaii effect thisÆven, through,,the*light
jc^thiog yforjn-( in this . climate , . it/ is almosjt ^impossible Ip pass
„through the;I^qo.ds, and swainps^ ^ raipy weather without, being'
^ o y m e ^ t^ ith I}Üo^l. £, | ) n m i r way*, to Candy, in /&ârchîng
through the nvarrow paths among tp e , woodS, 5 Ve ,were terribly
,.annpyedf by- thèse 'vermin '; 1 for? wRea/ver .any .of ,us sat "down
hayefcfor a moment, we were,|sury? to .be.imrnediately
attacked by multitiides ^of thym ; and before we eopld get rid Of
them„our glpyes^and boots were filled with blood/ This was at-
A te id ^ /rfth , no- small danger; for if a soldier/were* From drunk-
j^ e ss^ p r^ to fell asleep on the ground, lie must'have
pggjghed Jay .bleeding. to death. On rising/in the ' morniri/ I
„ have/ oïtje^r.found pry/bed do they.,.and^ k |ip ■ ^yei-jett wilh jblqod
,ia^an,, alarrqing, manner .v The" Dutch/in thcm/^Échèâdnto the
iirterjLpr .at d em en t times lost several Of/their men; .add on
pur. setting out they told ms that we should hardly be ‘able to
jin^^e our ^ yray for them. But,* ihoùgri/^e ,wefb terribly ' annoyed,./$
ve( all escaped/without any/seno.us' ac<^®t., "Other
.animalsi as well as man, are subject to1; tne-atfacks o^ these
.J^yches. in particular, from their èxces^vé plunging and
,}dcking to get riA of. these, .creaturés when they fasten upon
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