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BRACHYURIJS (Erythbopitta. Bon.) CELEBENSIS.
I CELEBES PITTA.
P itta Celebensis. Forst. Bijdr. tot. de Dierkun, p. pi. 3.
P itta Forsteni. M ill & Schleg. Verhand. Natuur. Geschied. Ned. Ind., p. 16.
P itta öelébensis. G. It. Gray, Gen. o f Birds, vol. i., p. 213.
Brachyui'us Celebensis. Bon. Consp. Ay ., (1850,) v o l. i., p. 255, sp. 15.
E rythropitta Celebensis. Bon. Consp. Voluc. Anisod., (1854,) p. 7, No. 188
P itta Celebensis. Wallace, Ibis. vol. ii., p. 142.
Viridis: capite ru fo : vitta verticali caerulante: alis, caudaque caeruleis; remigibus nigris albo
punctatis: fascia pectorali cyanea: gula rufa. Rostro brunneo, pedibus pallescentibus.
Habitat.—Celebes.
Adult.—Head reddish brown, with a blue stripe on the to p : back greenish, front o f neck, and band on
lower part o f the breast b la ck : breast blue, bordered narrowly with green: abdomen and crissum red.
Wings, rump, and tail purplish blue; primaries black, with a white spot. Bill brownish black ; feet and
tarsi light brown.
This species might easily be taken for Braehyurus Erythrogastra, but the following
characteristics serve to render it distinct: The color of the head is lighter, and the blue
stripe on the top, is wanting on that of the Red Breasted Pitta: the fore-part of the
breast of the present species is nearly all of a light blue, bordered but narrowly with
green, while that of its relative has merely the centre of a dark blue, the rest being a
dark green ; and to render the distinction still more complete, the Celebes Pitta has a
broad band of black below the blue, which is never found in B. Erythrogastra. Also
the latter species has a half-ring of blue around the back of the neck, while in B. Celebensis
it is of a reddish brown.
This fine species was first discovered by Mr. Eorsten in the vicinity of Tondona, on
Celebes, and I am not aware of its having been found on any of the islands near by.
It is a singular fact that some of the species of this family seem to restrict themselves