took, allowing about two months for the building of the nest, as stated by Heer Hooyman in "Batavian Transactions." Dr. Blyth states in his pamphlet that a friend of his, a Captain Lewis, saw much of these birds in the Nicobars, and especially, he has often remarked, that they retire early in the afternoon to their caverns (i.e., about 4 P.M.). But he states that the edible nests, as we see them, are only the lining, which comes out entire, though independently affixed to the rock, being underlaid by a network of some vegetable fibrous substance placed on the ledges, which the gatherers are careful never to remove. In both particulars the Ceylon birds differ from this. Though it was a dull afternoon, nay, even rained a little, the birds were on the wing till dark;* and in the dirty soiled nests composed of the vegetable and fibrous substances, and which certainly had never had a lining, but evidently formed in one solid fabric, I captured the young birds; neither were the ledges, where such things were, sufficient to sustain a deposit of material, and in most places the nests were glued to the smooth surface of the rock, which, as before stated, overhung. I was told that in the neighbourhood of Hevessa there were one or two other caves in which the swifts were known to breed, but had not time to visit them. I should think, however, judging from the numerous flocks of birds I saw soaring round the detached summits of the hills in that district, and also from the fact of finding them in Kandy during November and December, that very many caves exist, which remain to be discovered, and to add to our Colonial revenue. The apathy of the natives will in a great measure defeat this: they leave it entirely in the hands of

* December, 1848 :-Walking late in the evening by moonlight in the Cinnamon Gardens, my attention was attracted by the twittering of C. nidifica, and looking up I descried thousands hawking for flies; they seemed, however, to keep progressing in a N.E. direction.

the Chinese, never attempting to speculate in it themselves, and when, as is the custom, the "rent" is put up to auction by the Government, the Chinese are the only bidders.' Other species of nest-builders may perhaps be found in the Island. C. fucifaga, for instance, being probably an exclusively sea-coast species, may breed among the rocks and clefts of the Trincomalee coast. They are known to breed along the Bay of Bengal; their nests are of a superior quality to those of C. nidifica, and might be worthy the attention of any person residing on the eastern side of our Island.

For the purpose of enabling our readers to identify the species, I give the description of C, nidifica from a specimen before me, that of C. fucifaga from Dr. Blyth's pamphlet :

C. nidifica. -Length from 4 in. to 4 in.; of middle tail feather 2 in., outer in. longer, thus forming, when spread, an indented tail; length of wing about 4 in. The general colour is a glossy fuscous brown, rather light on the body, and below very pale; bill very short; nostrils broad and prominent; eyes large and sunken.

C. fucifaga; H. fucifaga (Thim.).—About 31⁄2 in. in length by 9 in. in expanse; the tail 1 in., and even; wing 3 in.; colour above blackish green, and purple glossed; below, fuscous brown, passing to white on the middle of the belly, with whitish edges to the lower tail-coverts. A single large feather with a distinct supplementary plumelet grows on the hind toe, being nearly as long as the toe with its claw: this is always normally present, but is often lost in dry specimens.

Before quitting this subject I must glance at a paragraph which has been brought to my notice in a work entitled" Illustrations of Instinct," by J. Couch, Esq., F.L.S.,

C. nidifica; H. nidifica (Lath.); H. esculenta, assud. Horsfield; H. fucifaga, assud. Shaw; H. brevirostris (McClelland); H. unicolor (Jordon), and Cypselus concolor, of the same author.

&c., page 127. It is as follows, and I quote it at length that the subject may be freely canvassed :-"It is believed that all the species comprised in the Linnean genus Hirundo, scattered as they are in almost every corner of the earth, are impressed with a migratory character, and that their nests are generally formed in some cooler temperature than that which receives them at the opposite season of the year. And though it is known that in the Island of Madeira, in Ceylon, Surinam, Egypt, and probably in some other parts of Africa, swallows are found throughout the year, yet it seems that in all these the numbers vary with the season, which implies a migration of part of them; and it does not appear that any of those which remain produce a brood." Now, assuredly this means that the Hirundines build their nests in a cooler climate than that in which they generally reside; and that, though in Ceylon and elsewhere swallows are found throughout the year, yet that the bulk migrate to cooler latitudes, and the moiety which remain do not produce nests. This I have shown to be incorrect in this paper, which was written before I saw the passage referred to. As to H. hyperythra, B., it is confined to the Island as far as we know, never having been received from any other part of the world; and from what I have seen, I suspect it is limited to the Kandy or hill country.* . I notice this to show how little is known of the Fauna of Ceylon. Surely there are some of our Members who could find time to notice a few of the common traits of nature, which are occurring under their eyes almost every day of their lives; and I do hope this Society will be the means of diffusing, through its Journal, a spirit of inquiry and research among the native population, of whom many may be found having abundant time and opportunity.

* Mr. Brodie's specimen was procured near Kurunégala.

ON CEYLONITE FOUND NEAR TRINCOMALEE. By Lieutenant HENDERSON, C.R.R.

(Read February 24, 1849.)

CEYLONITE, So called from having been first discovered in Ceylon, is, in its primitive and usual form, a regular octohedron. It, however, also occurs as a cuneiform octohedron, and has been found, though more rarely, in rolled grains.

In size it reaches from eight to ten carats. The planes of its crystals are smooth, shining, and possessing a vitreous lustre. Its structure is lamellar, and its fracture what may be termed flat conchoidal. Occasionally it has been found to be imperfectly foliated.

Its specific gravity ranges from 3.6 to 3.7. The lighter coloured varieties (which I have not seen) are said to be transparent. The darker specimens can scarcely be called -semi-transparent. On the edges of the crystals they are translucent. It is singly refractive; in hardness superior to quartz, but inferior to Oriental ruby or spinelle.

Subjected to the blow-pipe it is found to be infusible, without addition.

Ceylonite, otherwise called Pleonaste, has, since its discovery in Ceylon, been met with also in Norway. It is of the same family as the ruby, but more closely allied to that variety termed spinelle. This latter, indeed, which with

different lines assumes the various names of Balais ruby, Vermeil, and Rubicelle, by mixture with blue, passes through divers colours, till it finally arrives at indigo blue, which is frequently so deep as to be barely distinguishable from black.

This then is the Ceylonite, which more resembles a piece of jet than any other mineral. As a gem it can hardly be said to hold any rock. It seldom or never comes under the hands of the jeweller, but I can conceive that it might be very well adapted to be formed into mourning ornaments.

Ceylonite belongs to formations of the primative class, as will be seen from the position in which I found it. It is said to have been found imbedded in calcareous spar, and in adulasia, accompanied by magnetic pyrites and crystals of mica; but of the correctness of this I am not aware. The crystals I met with were found in the low bank, both in the small water-courses formed by the rain and (by digging) apparently in situ within eight or ten inches of the surface. Its matrix appears to be a compact gravel.

The whole of the neighbouring rock belongs to the primary formation. On one side, at the distance of a couple of hundred yards or so, a cut in the road exposes a mass of gneiss (the predominant rock of the country), affording an excellent view of its conformable strata, dipping considerably towards the east. On the opposite, or western side, at no great distance, is discovered a vein of graphic granite, the characters of which are very beautifully and distinctly marked. On each side, and in contact with it, are veins of quartz and felspar, more or less commingled, as also a vein of mica. These, as shown by the section which has exposed them, stand nearly in a perpendicular position. One is struck by the arrangement which seems to mark the gradual weakening, on each side of the graphic granite, of that agency or power of peculiar crystallisation, which