A dult, F emale.—Differs from the male in having the eyebrows rufous, and a very narrow black band on the
fore part o f the n e ck ; under part striped transversely with black. Top o f head and back dark
brown. Tail blue.
Y oung.—Of a dull brown on the back and wings, the head a little darker, with the centre o f each feather
a yellowish white, a broad stripe on each side extending to the nape o f the neck dull brownish white.
Throat white, with indistinct black spots; breast dark brown, centre o f each feather light brown;
abdomen yellowish white. Tail blue. Upper mandible brown, tipped with horn-color; under mandible
dull white. Feet and tarsi flesh-color. •
This species, belonging to the true Pitta, has been known to ornithologists for many
years, and there seems to have been less confusion regarding it than with almost any
of the other members of this family. Although of the same plump form, its longer
tail gives to it a more graceful appearance than that possessed by its relatives of
the genus Braehyurus; yet in beauty of plumage it is surpassed by several of the
other species.
I am happy to he able to give the following interesting account of its habits, from
observations made in its native haunts, by Messrs. Muller and Schlegel, who thus write
of i t : “ This species, which has hitherto been but seldom met with in Java, is known
to the Sundanese in the western part of the island under the name of Manok Paok
while, according to Dr. Horsfield, it is by the real Javanese in the eastern section of the
island called Punglor. The first appellation is derived from its cry, which consists of a
pretty loud and deep whistling, a kind of shriek, which the males utter at frequent intervals
during the morning hours.
“ The Pitta Cyanura is a mountain bird, and is but seldom met with in level wooded
regions, but is most often seen on old coffee plantations, and in places closely overgrown
with shrubbery and reeds, at a height of from 600 to 3,000 feet above the level of the
sea. It is found usually in the gloomiest spots, and generally on or near the ground.
u I t runs very fast, often stopping short for a few moments, after each quick forward
movement, with either its head bent downward as if gazing on the ground, or else
raised so as to look all around.
“ They are often met with in pairs, and also frequently singly; whenever several
birds are together, say five or six, they are invariably in such cases one family, of which
the young have but lately left the nest, and for a certain period still remain with the
old. When two old males meet they often fight with each other in the same manner as
the Quail {Hemipodius Pugnax) and other quarrelsome birds do, which are in the
habit of dwelling on the ground. As with those species, the time for these battles
PITTA CYANURA.
among the Pitta Cyanura is generally shortly before their breeding season, the appointed
time for which seems to be. from January to May.
“ Upon one occasion we discovered near Mount Parang, in the Parang Regencies, a
nest' of this bird on the 4th of February, which, like another brought to us a few weeks
later, contained five eggs ; a third nest with four eggs we found during the month of
March on the western slope of Mount Pangerango, and finally a fourth with an equal
number of eggs we succeeded in obtaining at the beginning of April.
“ The nest is generally built a little above the ground, hardly ever more than from
six to eight feet. It is most often placed in a secluded spot among the tough branches
of the orchideen bush, which in many cases grows as a parasite on the trunk of some
old tree. These closely grown plants being frequently damp and mouldy throughout, it
follows that occasionally the nest becomes soaked through from beneath.
“ It is constructed without art, but with some solidity, of dry leaves and roots, and
sometimes interwoven with straws and dried bits of reed. Its almost bell-shaped form
measures in diameter about one palm and four to six inches.
“ The eggs, four to five in number, compared with those of European birds, come
the nearest to those of the Oriolus Galbula, but are of a less oval shape, and subject to
many deviations as regards color. The reddish brown and black points and spots, with
the brighter marbled coloring frequently observed between the spots, accumulate mostly
near the larger end of the egg. In some cases the coloring is so pale and indistinct,
that the egg has the appearance of being of a dull white; the shape also differs occasionally,
some being an oval, others of a more rounded form.
“ Amongst the Indian birds it will be noticed that the eggs of the Eurylaimus
Nasutus, and those of the Edolius Longus, possess by far the greatest resemblance
to those of the Pitta Cyanura,
“ On the whole, the Pitta Cyanura is not of very shy habits, although one is sometimes
met with at which it is not easy to get a shot. When chased they fly along the
ground with a strong, free, rapid flight, take refuge at various distances, and alight
either near the ground on a projecting stump, or upon the branch of some trunk.
“ Seeking their food upon the ground, they are seen sometimes like a chicken
scratching with their feet, and greedily examining with their bill the scattered dry
leaves and the uncovered spot of ground. Their food consists of earth-worms, beetles,
and other insects and their larvae.”
To .this account there is nothing left to add, and we may naturally suppose that all