than four inches long, and having , the > body ? covered 'with
thick black hair. The webs which-it makes are strong enough
to, I entangle and' hold even „small birds, which .form its usual
prey. • ®
There is am -insect ft>und, here,'which resembles an immense
-overgrown beetle.. ,I t is called by us a carpenter, f r o n tit s
boring large holes in- timber, of~-a'regular forrnj, and to the
depth ofo,Several feet; ha which wheni'.finished it takes up .its
habitation* r
Fish of every-sort in great abundance are found.in. the lakes
and rivers of Ceylon, as well as in ithfe surrounding .seas. Thppp
-found in the fresh water are much: idore remarkable , for their
Vast numbers than their, quality.
good, ancL perhaps the best of the fresh-water; fish. Nope.-gf
the' species, as far as I could lean, are peculiar, to Ceyloji”; 'but
all common to the warm latitudes, though differing fromt.be; Emm-
p^,n. One1 circumstance has ofteposftruek me withi astonishment
that in every pond or muddy pool, casually, supplied with rain water,
or even only recently foraied,' and entirely i unconnected, with
any other water, swarms o f fishes- are continually found . ,; The only
explanation which i t appears possible toi" giyeaofi; this phenomenon
us, that the spawn is by some unknown-..process carried
up with the rain -into the sky, and then let down : with
it upon the earth in a condition immediately, to become
alive.
Many excellent kinds of fish are caught all around the coasts
of the island, and form a principal article both of the traffic
and food of the natives.
: CHAPTER
Vegetables o f fe y Ion.
is p articu lar^ prpj^p ^l^jost^al^ tbp^e*
fruits which are peculiar tO flndja and .tj^^pu^trfes -within the fro-
pical climate^, ^r^^ere' found^n grept abundance apd ^P c rip r
quality. ^ Except in onp yr tw(o species,-. tmj j^ai^goe^qf Massegpq,
a v r l ! l ,which, has wifhj^ last
few ^ m . j t o . ^ s e d atBpmW.th isislan d 'main tain s an^ndenia-
b l e - s u p e r i oM |» a l l our settlements ^ ^ e 'c O n tip e i t'b f 'jn d ia '
,<adaptec|?ftG[ ’
V p |;^ d b c s'„ p o t
in *. ~^ost fruits, natiy^spf
STaTS 'CTV ^ R H I I '
anf ithf | H S B | |
peasants' is n P B H g .and bring {hem t o ^ m a r k e t ' ''
thgy „■$£$ ■ at a very tJpyr price.
!>• . ^ m° ng $ p fru^ which grow spontaneously in' %
*%fi<u'nd of those ^'which^c^psfci^e file ^
liciT |o d^ | e^ ? . 8M' 0iUr Eurqpean\ ta b le d sugh a ^ h i e ^ i
? $ n£ es> Pomegranates,- qitrpnC Wms,-;^ 9% s ,
vkin^ v ^ ter- ^ # ^ U l i I B B W M S I
bilbeh'iej, bogbernes,ikc. a ll^ f jw^oh?,a re g l®bfV5 jLknq>vn £o
require any 'part icular description.
The mango is of an .oblong t y l i ^ i c ^ y o rm , in - ^% e and'
size resembling ah egg. Its taste and flavour % peculiar, m d