- Author:
- Hornaday, William Temple
- Publication Info:
-
New York:
Scribner,
1904,
pg 248
Text on page 248
248
TWO YEARS IN THE JUNGLE.
washed thoroughly. When the specimens have been cleaned, they must be immersed for thirty hours in proof spirits, after which they may be put out in a shady place to dry. It is a curious fact that all the echini of Ceylon and Malayana lose their spines unless soaked in spirits before drying, whereas those of the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and the West Indies can be dried without soaking, and the spines will not fall off.
In a very short time nearly a dozen natives were at work collecting for me and I had my hands full in caring for what they captured and brought in. My instructions from Professor Ward were very simple, but widely comprehensive. a Plunder Ceylon. Rake the island over as with a fine-toothed comb ; catch everything you can in three months time, and send me the best of it.a
During my first three weeks in Colombo I reaped a rich harvest of fishes, reptiles, crustaceans, and shells, some of which I preserved in spirits while the rest were dried. To give an idea of the richness of Colombo as a collecting ground I will copy from my journal a list of what was brought to me in one day.
3 Soft-shelled turtles {Emyda Ceylonensis).
1 Tortoise (Etnys trijuga).
31 Crabs (Matuta victor).
6 Painted crabs {Graspus strigosus).
12 Alabaster crabs (Ocypode ceratopihalmus\ 15 Sea cockroaches (Henipes sp.).
12 Green lizards (Calotes versicolor).
4 Lizards (Calotes nigrUabris).
2 Bats (Vespertilio).
9 Jumping fish (Salarius altims).
1 Horned skate (Dicerobatis eregoodoo),
6 Fishes of various species.
4 Prawns (Peneus).
100 shells, more or less, of many species.
This represents a fair daya s work. The next one brought me in snakes of various kinds, frogs, fishes, and invertebrates, making a list quite different from that given above. When the more common species of animals had been gathered in, I used to stimulate my collectors by offering a reward for the first specimen of any desirable kind not already obtained, and in this way my motley crew was induced to search the fields, the sea-shore, and the freshwater ponds high and low. I have never anywhere else had native collectors who were so active and diligent in the field when left to
