_Trigonocephalus nigromarginatus_, which is so rare
that it has no popular name. The largest snake in Ceylon is the "boa,"
or "anaconda" of Eastern story (_Python reticulatus_); it is from 20
to 30 ft. in length, and preys on hog-deer and other smaller animals.
Crocodiles infest the rivers and estuaries, and the large fresh-water
reservoirs which supply the rice-fields; there are two species (_C.
biporcatus_ and _C. palustris_). Of lizards the most noteworthy are
the iguana, several bloodsuckers, the chameleon and the familiar
geckoes, which are furnished with pads to each toe, by which they are
enabled to ascend perpendicular walls and adhere to glass and
ceilings.

Insects exist in great numbers. The leaf and stick insects are of
great variety and beauty. Ceylon has four species of the ant-lion,
renowned for the predaceous ingenuity of its larvae; and the white
ants or termites, the ravages of which are most destructive, are at
once ubiquitous and innumerable in every place where the climate is
not too chilly or the soil too sandy for them to construct their domed
dwellings. They make their way through walls and floors, and in a few
hours destroy every vegetable substance within their reach. Of all the
insect pests that beset an unseasoned European the most annoying are
the mosquitoes. Ticks are also an intolerable nuisance; they are
exceedingly minute, and burrow under the skin. In the lower ranges of
the hill country land leeches are found in tormenting profusion. But
insects and reptiles do not trouble European residents so much as in
early years--at any rate in the towns, while in the higher planting
districts there is almost complete exemption from their unwelcome
attentions. Bungalows are more carefully built to resist white ants,
drainage and cleanliness prevent mosquitoes and ticks from
multiplying, while snakes and leeches avoid cultivated, occupied
ground.

Of the fish in ordinary use for the table the finest is the seir, a
species of scomber (_Cybium guttatum_). Mackerel, dories, carp,
whitings, mullet (red and striped), soles and sardines are abundant.
Sharks appear on all parts of the coast, and the huge saw fish
(_Pristis antiquorum_) infests the eastern coast of the island, where
it attains a length of 12 to 15 ft. There are also several fishes
remarkable for the brilliancy of their colouring; e.g. the Red Sea
perch (_Holocentr