. Sketches of the natural history of Ceylon : with narratives and anecdotes illustrative of the habits and instincts of the mammalia, birds, reptiles, fishes, insects, &c. : including a monograph of the elephant and a description of the modes of capturing and training it with engravings from original drawings . monkey, iscertain to live for ever. This piece of folk-lore hasevidently reached Ceylon from India, where it is be-lieved that persons dwelling on the spot where a hanu-man monkey, Semnopithecus entellus, has been killed,will die, that even its bones are unlucky, and that nohouse erecte
. Sketches of the natural history of Ceylon : with narratives and anecdotes illustrative of the habits and instincts of the mammalia, birds, reptiles, fishes, insects, &c. : including a monograph of the elephant and a description of the modes of capturing and training it with engravings from original drawings . monkey, iscertain to live for ever. This piece of folk-lore hasevidently reached Ceylon from India, where it is be-lieved that persons dwelling on the spot where a hanu-man monkey, Semnopithecus entellus, has been killed,will die, that even its bones are unlucky, and that nohouse erected where they are hid under ground canprosper. Hence when a dwelling is to be built, it isone of the employments of the Jyotish philosophers toascertain by their science that none such are concealed;and Buchanan observes that ^ it is, perhaps, owing tothis fear of ill-luck that no native will acknowledsfe hishaving seen a dead hanuman. ^ * Buchanans Survey/ ofBkagid- monTccy has never been found onfoor, p. 142. At GilDraltar it is the rock,believed that the body of a dead , 12 MAMMALIA. [Chap. I. The only other quadrumanous animal found in Cey-lon is the little loris ^, which, from its sluggish move-ments, nocturnal habits, and consequent inaction duringthe day, has acquired the name of the Ceylon THE LORIS. There are two varieties in the island; one of the ordi-nary fulvous brown, and another larger, whose fur isentirely black, A specimen of the former was sent tome from Chilaw, on the western coast, and lived forsome time at Colombo, feeding on rice, fruit, and vege-tables. It was partial to ants and other insects, andwas always eager for milk or the bone of a fowl. Thenaturally slow motion of its limbs enables the loris to * Loris gracilis, Geof. Chap. L] BATS. 13 approach its prey so stealthil}^ that it seizes birds beforethey can be alarmed by its presence. The natives assertthat it has been known to strangle the pea-fowl at night,to feast on the brain. During the d
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