became a winner. This is the only instance that I know of a
leopard being run into and killed with hounds and a knife.

CHAPTER XIII.

Wild Denizens of Forest and Lake--Destroyers of Reptiles--The Tree
Duck--The Mysteries of Night in the Forest--The Devil-Bird--The
Iguanodon in Miniature--Outrigger Canoes--The Last Glimpse of Ceylon--A
Glance at Old Times.

One of the most interesting objects to a tourist in Ceylon is a
secluded lake or tank in those jungle districts which are seldom
disturbed by the white man. There is something peculiarly striking in
the wonderful number of living creatures which exist upon the
productions of the water. Birds of infinite variety and countless
numbers--fish in myriads--reptiles and crocodiles--animals that feed
upon the luxuriant vegetation of the shores--insects which sparkle in
the sunshine in every gaudy hue; all these congregate in the
neighborhood of these remote solitudes, and people the lakes with an
incalculable host of living beings.

In such a scene there is scope for much delightful study of the habits
and natures of wild animals, where they can be seen enjoying their
freedom unrestrained by the fear of man.

Often have I passed a quiet hour on a calm evening when the sun has
sunk low on the horizon, and lie cool breeze has stolen across the
water, refreshing all animal life. Here, concealed beneath the shade
of some large tree I have watched the masses of living things quite
unconscious of such scrutiny. In one spot the tiny squirrel nibbling
the buds on a giant limb of the tree above me, while on the opposite
shore a majestic bull elephant has commenced his evening bath,
showering the water above his head and trumpeting his loud call to the
distant herd. Far away in the dense jungles the ringing sound is
heard, as the answering females return the salute and slowly approach
the place of rendezvous. One by one their dark forms emerge from the
thorny coverts and loom large upon the green but distant shores, and
they increase their pace when they view the coveted water, and
belly-deep enjoy their evening draught.

The graceful axis in dense herds quit the screening jungle and also
seek the plain. The short, shrill barks of answering bucks sound
clearly across the surface of the lake, and indistinct specks begin to
appear on the edge of the more distant forests. Now black patches are
clotted about the plain; now larger objects, some single and some in
herds