Ceylon; an Account of the Island Physical, Historical, and / Topographical with Notices of Its Natural History, Antiquities and / Productions, Volume 1

by Sir James Emerson Tennent

• The Flora of Ceylon imperfectly known [83]
• Vegetation similar to that of India and the Eastern Archipelago [84]
• Trees of the sea-borde.—Mangroves—Screw-pines, Sonneratia [85]
• The Northern Plains.—Euphorbiæ Cassia.—Mustard-tree of Scripture [87]
• Western coast.—Luxurious vegetation [87]
• Eastern coast [88]
• Pitcher plant.—Orchids [88]
• Vines [89]
• Botany of the Mountains.—Iron-wood, Bamboo, European fruit-trees [90]
• • Tea-plant—Rhododendron—Mickelia [90]
  • Rapid disappearance of dead trees in the forests [91]
  • Trees with natural buttresses [91]
• Flowering Trees.—Coral tree [92]
• • The Murutu—Imbul—Cotton tree—Champac [93]
  • The Upas Tree—Poisons of Ceylon [95]
  • The Banyan [95]
  • The Sacred Bo-tree [97]
  • The India Rubber-tree—The Snake-tree [98]
  • Kumbuk-tree: lime in its bark [99]
• Curious Seeds.—The Dorian, Sterculia foetida [100]
  • The Sea Pomegranate [100]
  • Strychnos, curious belief as to its poison [101]
• Euphorbia—The Cow-tree, error regarding (note) [101]
• Climbing plants, Epiphytes, and flowering creepers [102]
• Orchids—Brilliant terrestrial orchid, the Wanna-raja.—Square-stemmed Vine [103]
• Gigantic climbing Plants [104]
  • Enormous bean [105]
  • Bonduc seeds.—Ratans—Ratan bridges [106]
• Thorny Trees.—Raised as a natural fortification by the Kandyans [107]
  • The buffalo thorn, Acacia tomentosa [108]
• Palms [109]
  • Coco-nut—Talipat [110]
  • Palmyra [111]
  • Jaggery Palm—Arcea Palm [112]
• Betel-chewing, its theory and uses [112]
  • Pingos [114]
• Timber Trees [115]
  • Jakwood—Del—Teak [116]
  • Suria [117]
• Cabinet Woods.—Satin-wood—Ebony—Cadooberia [117]
• • Calamander, its rarity and beauty [118]
  • Tamarind [119]
• Fruit-trees [119]
• • Remarkable power of trees to generate cold and keep their fruit chill [121]
• Aquatic Plants—Lotus, red and blue [123]
• • Desmanthus natans, an aquatic sensitive plant [123]

PART II.

ZOOLOGY.

CHAPTER I.

MAMMALIA.

• Neglect of Zoology in Ceylon [127]
• Monkeys [128]
• • Wanderoo [129]
  • Error regarding the Silenus Veter (note) [129]
  • Presbytes Cephalopterus [130]
  • P. Ursinus in the Hills [131]
  • P. Thersites in the Wanny [132]
  • P. Priamus, Jaffna and Trincomalie [132]
  • No dead monkey ever found [133]
• Loris [133]
• Bats [135]
• • Flying fox [135]
  • Horse-shoe bat [136]
• Carnivora.—Bears [137]
• Their ferocity [138]
• Singhalese belief in the efficacy of charms (note) [139]
• Leopards [139]
• • Curious belief [140]
  • Anecdotes of leopards [142]
• Palm-cat [144]
• Civet [144]
• Dogs [144]
• Jackal [145]
• • The horn of the jackal [145]
• Mungoos [145]
• • Its fights with serpents [146]
  • Theory of its antidote [147]
• Squirrels [148]
• • Flying squirrel [148]
• Tree rat [149]
• • Story of a rat and a snake [149]
• Coffee rat [149]
• Bandicoot [150]
• Porcupine [150]
• Pengolin [151]
• Ruminantia.—The Gaur [151]
• • Oxen [152]
  • Humped cattle [152]
  • Encounter of a cow and a leopard [153]
  • Buffaloes [154]
  • Sporting buffaloes [155]
  • Peculiar structure of the hoof [155]
• Deer [156]
• Meminna [157]
• Elephants [158]
• Whales [158]
• General view of the mammalia of Ceylon [159]
• List of Ceylon mammalia [159]
• Curious parasite of the bat (note) [161]

CHAP. II.

BIRDS.

• Their numbers [163]
• Songsters [163]
• Hornbills, the "bird with two heads" [164]
• Pea fowl [165]
• Sea birds, their number [165]
• I. Accipitres.—Eagles [166]
• • Falcons and hawks [166]
  • Owls—the devil bird [167]
• II. Passeres.—Swallows [167]
• • Kingfishers—sunbirds [168]
  • Bul-bul—tailor bird—and weaver [169]
  • Crows, anecdotes of [170]
• III. Scansores.—Parroquets [172]
• IV. Columbiæ.—Pigeons [173]
• V. Gallinæ.—Jungle-fowl [174]
• VI. Grallæ.—Ibis, stork, &c. [175]
• VII. Anseres.—Flamingoes [175]
• • Pelicans [176]
  • Game.—Partridges, &c.[176]
• List of Ceylon birds [177]
• List of birds peculiar to Ceylon [180]

CHAP. III.