At About Four In The Afternoon They
Stroll Upon The Open Plains ,Bucks, Does And Fawns, In Beautiful
Herds; When Undisturbed, As Many As A Hundred Together.
This is
the only species of deer in Ceylon that is gregarious.
Neither the spotted deer, nor the bear or buffalo, is to be found
at Newera Ellia. The axis and the buffalo being the usual
denizens of the hottest countries, are not to be expected to
exist in their natural state in so low a temperature; but it is
extraordinary that the bear, who in most countries inhibits the
mountains, should in Ceylon adhere exclusively to the low
country.
The Ceylon bear is of that species which is to be seen in the
Zoological Gardens as the "sloth bear;" an ill-bred-looking
fellow with a long-haired black coat and a gray face.
A Ceylon bear's skin is not worth preserving; there is no fur
upon it, but it simply consists of rather a stingy allowance of
black hairs. This is the natural effect of his perpetual
residence in a hot country, where his coat adapts itself to the
climate. He is desperately savage, and is more feared by the
natives than any other animal, as he is in the constant habit of
attacking people without the slightest provocation. His mode of
attack increases the danger, as there is a great want of fair
play in his method of fighting. Lying in wait, either behind a
rock or in a thick bush, he makes a sudden spring upon the unwary
wanderer, and in a moment he attacks his face with teeth and
claws.
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