CUTIA NIPALENSIS, Hodgs.
Nepaul Cutia.
Cutía Nipalensis, Hodgs. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. vol. v. p. 774, and vol. vi. p. 112.— Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc.
Beng. vol. xi. p. 183.—Ib. Cat. o f Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta,, p. 98.—Gray and Mitch. Gen.
of Birds-, vol. iii. App. p. 15.—Gray,' List of Spec, and Draw, of Mamm. and Bird® presented to Brit.
Mus. by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., p. 96.—Bonap. Gonsp. Gen. Av. p. 373.—Horsf. Cat. o f Birds in Mus.
East Ind. Comp. vol. i. p. 227.
Heterornis (Cutia) nipalensis,'Ylotigs. in Gray’s Zool. Misc. p. 84.
Khatya or KMtya, of the Nepaulese.
T h e Cutia Nipalensis is a most singular bird, the style and colouring of its plumage reminding us of some
of the menibers of the genus Pteruthius, while its structure resembles that of Pastor. It is a native of
Nepaul and Bootam. and is.by no means common in our collections. Mr. Hodgson had the honour of first
giving it generic and specific appellations, accompanied by the following brief note, which I find in the fifth
volume of the “ Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal: ”—
“ These birds inhabit the central and northern regions o f Nepaul, adhering to the wilds, and feed on seeds
and hard ground insects.” Specimens of both sexes are contained in the collection a t the British Museum,
and in that of the Honourable East India* Company; and it is to the Court of Directors that I am indebted
for a fine example of each sex which I myself possess : a fine male was also presented to me by Edward
Vernon Harcourt, Esq.
As will be seen on reference to the accompanying Plate, a well-marked difference occurs in the sexes; the
back o f the male being of a uniform colour, while in the opposite sex the uniformity is broken by tear-shaped
spots of black.
The male has the forehead and crown dark slate-grey, passing into deep black on the lo re s ; ear-coverts
and base of the neck, back, scapularies, rump and upper tail-coverts orange-red, bounded towards the wings
with a streak of a greyer h u e ; wings black, the primaries and secondaries broadly margined at the base of
the external webs with bluish grey, and slightly tipped with white; chin, throat and centre of the abdomen
white; sides of the neck and flanks buff, decorated with conspicuous crescentic bands of brownish black;
under tail-coverts b u ff; irides brown ; base of the under mandible blue ; remainder of the bill black ; legs
reddish or orange flesh-colotir.
In the female the lores and ear-coverts are reddish brown; the upper surface is of a dull red, with a tearshaped
spot of black near the tip of each feather; in other respects this sex resembles the male, but the
colours are not so bright.
The figures are of the natural size.
The plant is Ruellia anisophylla.