PITTA. BEKGÆEHSIS „
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PITTA BENGALEN SI S.
Bengal Pitta.
Pitta bengalensis, Vieill. Enc. Méth. Ora., 2e partie, p. 685.—Jerd. Birds of India, vol. i. p. 503.—Gould, Birds
of Asia, pt. 23 (1871).
Pitta brachyura, Less. Traité d’Om., p. 394.—Gould, Cent, of Himal. Birds, pi. xxiii.
Pitta coronata (P. L. S. Muller), G. R. Gray, Hand-list of Birds, part i. p. 294.—Capt. Legge, Birds of Ceylon,
pt. ii. p. 687.
Pitta triostegus (Sparrm.), Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 157.
Corvus brachyurus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1766, vol. i. p. 158.
Turdus triostegus, Sparrm. Mus. Carls., pi. 84.
[To give all the different names which have been applied to old species would he useless.]
In Jerdon’s ‘ Birds of India ’ it is stated that “ this prettily plumaged Ground-Thrush is common in the
Indian forests, but is also occasionally met with in every part of the country that is tolerably wooded. In
the Carnatic it chiefly occurs in the beginning o f the hot weather, when the land-winds first begin to blow
with violence from the west: and the birds in many instances appear to have been blown by the strong
wind from the Eastern G h a ts ; for, being birds of feeble flight, they are unable to contend against the
strength of the wind. At this time they take refuge in huts and houses, or any building that will afford
them shelter. The first bird of this kind that I saw had taken refuge in the General Hospital at Madras ;
and subsequently, at Nellore, I obtained many alive under the same circumstances. Layard states that
in Ceylon it is migratory, coming in with the Snipe iu the beginning of the cold weather. He further
remarks that it is shy and wary, resorting to tangled brakes and ill-kept native gardens. ' I t seldom alights
on trees, and is generally found single; but I have seen three or four together; and it feeds chiefly on the
ground, on various coleopterous insects. Like others of its family, it progresses by hopping, and is in
general a most silent bird, but is said to emit at times a fine loud whistling note. Its Singalese name is
said to be derived from its call—Aoitch-i-a, pronounced slowly and distinctly. Blyth was informed that it
uttered a loud screeching note.” In the North-west Province of Ceylon, according to Captain Legge, the
native name is Ayitta ; and a correspondent, Mr. Parker, sent him the following explanation “ I t is said
that this bird once possessed the Peacock’s plumes; but one day, when he was bathing, the Peacock stole his
d res s ; ever since that he has gone about the jungle calling for them, ‘ Ayittam, ayittam ’ (my dress, my dress).
Another legend is that the Pitta was formerly a prince who was deeply in love with a beautiful princess.
His father sent him to travel for some years, as was in olden times the custom with princes here. When
he returned, the princess was d e ad ; and the unfortunate prince wandered disconsolately about, continually
calling her by name, ‘ Ayitta, Ayitta.’ Out o f pity to him, the gods transformed him into this bird.” A very
good account of the habits of this Pitta will be found in Capt. Legge’s ‘ Birds o f Ceylon,’ to which island
it is a winter visitant, The nest and eggs are described by Mr. Hume in his work entitled ‘ Nests and
Eggs of Indian Birds ’ (p. 224).
There is no apparent difference in the colouring of the sexes ; but specimens frequently occur among the
skins sent to England with dark elongated marks down the stem of the feathers o f the back and rump,
while in others these parts are uniform in colour. Other differences also occasionally present themselves,
the superciliary stripe being in some instances brownish buff, while in others it is o f a lighter, hue and,
moreover, marked with green.
A line down the centre of the head from the bill to the nape black, narrow from the forehead to the
crown, thence to the nape wide; a narrow black line under the eye, continued in a broader one down the
sides o f the neck, unites with the black at the nape ; upper surface and greater wing-coverts dark grass-
green ; lesser wing-coverts glossy verditer-blue; rump and upper tail-coverts the same; primaries black,
with pale bluish-grey tips, and with a large patch o f white about the middle of their length, forming a
conspicuous oval mark when the wing is spread ; the secondaries are also black, conspicuously tipped with
white, and the external ones margined with green ; on the apical portion o f the black, in those nearer the
body, the green gradually increases in breadth till the black is nearly invisible; under surface of the wing
black, interrupted by the oval spot of white, faintly tinged with b lu e ; tail black, tipped with blue; chm
and sides of the neck creamy wh ite ; breast and under surface light cinnamon-brown, brightest on the
b re a s t; vent and under tail-coverts bright scarlet; bill black, with a fleshy brown base ; irides hazel; legs
and feet pinkish flesh-colour.
The Plate represents an adult male and a younger bird, both of the natural size.