ELEPHANTS IN STREAM

CHAPTER VII.

FISH AND GAME,

Sketch of the Animal Life of Ceylon.

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\. WILLEY, D.Sc... F.R.S., Director of the Colombo Museum.

LE natural history of Ceylon, as of every other
circumscribed area, comprises the study of
the commonwealth of life upon the Island,
of the conditions under which the numerous
communities of animals and of plants exist
severally and relatively to each other and to
man, whether at peace or war, as allies, enemies or guests, as
permanent residents, seasonal migrants, or occasional visitors.
What is aimed at here is merely the presentation of a
rough outline of a portion of the animal kingdom, more
particularly of the Mammalian Class of the Vertebrate
sub-kingdom, according as it manifests itself in Ceylon,
for the information of such sportsmen, field naturalists, and
collectors as are not already acquainted with what this
country has to offer for their amusement.
To a very large extent, especially from the point of view
of the hunter after big game, the animal life of Ceylon is an
abridged edition of that of India, since practically all the
furred game of Ceylon is met with on the neighbouring
continent, though many Indian mammals, such as antelopes
and tigers, do not cross Palk’s Strait. The absence of the
royal tiger from Ceylon is a significant fact of distribution,
because individuals are occasionally shot in the much
smaller island of Singapore