Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-07
LAND OF WALKING FISH
AND THE SPORTIVE CRAB
Island of Ceylon Unusual Place
in Unique Corner of the
World

A land where fishes walk along
the roads and climb rocks and trees,
where crabs fling sand into the air
and elephants play tricks like sport
i've children-such, says a bulletin
from the National Geographic So
ciety, is Ceylon, where Great Brit
ain is negotiating with the natives
concerning important government
reforms.
Colombo, the present capital"
continues the bulletin, has a mag
nificent artificial harbor built by the
British. That city supercedes the
former principal seaport, Gale. In
the new port city the native quar-
ter, with it's beautiful Sinhalese girls,
its jewel-grinders and lace makers
contrasts sharply with stately gov
eminent buildings and European
| customs of the English section.
The famous Cinnamon gardo S,
where the Dutch formerly cultivated
that spice in enormous quantities,
today are given owe mainly to a
park and bungalow and here hous-s
of well-to-do residents nestle in BE-
ers of wondrous beauty and sweet
perfume.
"Scanty remains of the ancient
capital, Anaradhapura, lie in lofty
mountains amid matted jun, g
| growths. Glowing descriptions OF
this ancient Wonderfully by Arab,
Persian and Green voyagers led to
the excavation work, now going on,
which has been slo = because of its
vast size.
Nearby is the sacred mountain OF
Mihintale, with its huge irrigation
tanks, one of them begun five CEN
turtles before the Christian Era. This
tank covered 40 square miles with
! It's waters when it was new.
Randy, the last native capital
sets p~icturesquely above the blue
waters of a little lake, also artificial
In making it the native ruler ruth
lessly drowned out score of his sub
iects' rice fields. Hidden in gold
and ruby-encrusted bell shrines a
mythical tooth of Buddha' is pre-
served.
The present tooth obviously
could not have grown in n hui
man mouth-it is two inches lone
and half an inch thick at the base,
The visitor forgives the fiction for
the sake of the August night cele-
! bration, when the tooth Is carried
about the town accompanied by a
procession of devil dancers in their
grotesque masks.
Adams Peak, a strange mountain
top where a huge natural depres-
sion resembles an enormous human
loot, also Is an object of veneration'
From this mountain Buddha is sup
posed to have assembled to Heaven
Millions of devout pilgrims worship
there. Even the non-belieVer is ii
pressed by the scene at dawn, When
the sun first tints a sea of clouds
! and projects slender shadows upon
the countryside.
when the civilization of the SIN
halese was at it's height, more than
1000 years ago, the capital, Anar~d-
| hapura was a marvellous city extend
ing over some $50 square miles. II
was clustered with magnificent pal
aces, dagobas and monster rellc-
shrines of delicate designs. This civ
lization was overthrow by TAM
mercenaries whom the Sinhalese I'M
ported from India; subsequently the
island was held successfully by the
Portuguese, Dutch and now by the
English.
1.-THE walking fish perform its ter
restrial antics when ponds dry VI
In the hot season. Then 1t eithel
burrows into the soft mud to wal
for rain, or, by night, crawls oui
Of the last shallow depressions anc
goes writing off through drippine
grass on the hunt for other pools
The natives then literally catcf
lIsh.' sometimes gathering them III
by the bushel.
"The islands area is about thai
Of West Virginia and on it live
more people than there + II
Texas"