The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-10-13
CEYL0N is LAND
OF WALKING FISH
Famous Cinnamon Gardens of
Colombo Given Over to Park
and Home Sites.

| WaShingtOn.-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
sportive children-such, says a bulIe
| tin from the National Geographic So
| c1ety, is Ceylon, where Great Britain
is negotiating with the natives con-
corning important government reforms.
Colombo, the present capital" con-
tinues the bulletin, has a magnificent
artificial harbor built by the British.
That city superseded the former prin-
cipal seaport, Gale. In the new port
city the native quarter, with its beau
tiful Sinhalese girls, its jewel grinders
and lace makers, contrasts sharply
with stately government buildings and
European customs of the English Sec
tion.
Ancient Wonderfully.
THE famous Cinnamon gardens,
where the Dutch formerly cultivated
that spice in enormous quantities, to-
day are given over mainly to a park
and bungalows and here houses of
well-to-GO residents nestle in bowers
of wondrous beauty and sweet per-
fume
''Scanty remains of the ancient capt |
tai, Anaradhapura. lie in lofty noun |
tains amid matted jungle growths. /
Glowing descriptions of this ancient |
wonderfully by Arab, Persian and |
Greek voyagers led to the excavation
work, now going on, which has been
slow because of its vast size.
"Near by is the sacred mountain
of Mihintale, with its huge irrigation
tanks, one of them begun five centu-
ries before the Christian era. This
tank covered 40 square miles with its
waters when it was new.
Buddha's Enormous Tooth
Handy, the last native capital, sets
picturesquely above the blue waters of
a little lake, also artificial. In making
It the native ruler ruthlessly drowned
out scores of his subjects rice fields.
Hidden in gold and ruby encrusted bell
shrineS a mythical tooth of Buddha' is
preserved.
"The present tooth obviously could
not have grown in any human mouth
it is two inches long and half an inch
thick at the base. The visitor for ,
gives the fiction for the sake of the
August night celebration, when the
tooth is carried about the town accom-
panied by procession of devil dane
ers in their grotesque masks. r
adams Peak, a strange mountain +
top where huge natural depression S
resembles an enormous human foot. L
also is an object of generation. From
this mountain Buddha is supposed to
have assembled to heaven. Millions of
ievout pilgrims worship there. Even
he non-believer is impressed by the /.
scene at dawn when the sun first tnts
sea of clouds, and projects slender
shadows upon the countryside.
immigrants Supplanted Natives.
when the civilization of the Sin
lalese was at it's height, more than
700 years ago, the capital, Anaradha-
'ura, was a marvellous city extending
yer some $50 square miles. 1t was
Iustered with magnificent palaces,
agodas and monster relic-shrineS of
elicate design. This civilization was
verthrown by Tamil mercenaries
rhom the Sinhalese imported from
nda; subsequently the island was
cid successfully by the Portuguese.
butch and now by the English.
"The walking fish performs its ter
estrial antics when ponds dry up in
he hot season. Then it either bur
ows into the soft mud to wait for
hin, or, by night, crawls out of the
lst shallow depressions and goes
rithing off through dripping grass ON
he hunt for other pools. The natives
zen literally catch fish. sometimes |
altering them up by the bushel. i
sThc islands area is about that OF
est Virginia and M it live more PEG
e than there are in Texas"