Walter Imp.
JGmilcb IrWBarù, del/eb M t/ h t x a . b o s c h u , m a n m eg.
M B
PITTA BOSCHI I, M u ll, et Schleg.
Yan der Bosch’s Pitta .
Pitta Boschii, Mull, e t Schleg. Verh. Na t. Gesch. Ned. Ind., pp. 5, 16, pi. 1.—Moore, Proc. of Zool. Soc. 1854,
p. 273.—Gray and Mitch. Gen. o f B irds, vol. i. p. 213, Pitta, sp. 10.— Horsf. and Moore, Cat. o f B irds in
Mus. East-Ind. Comp., vol. i. p. 398.—Elliot, Mon. Pittidse, pi. xxxi.
— elegans, Less. Voy. de la Bonite, pi. 3.—Temm. PI. Col. text.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., vol. i. p. 256, Pitta,
sp. 3.—Bonap. Consp. Vol. Anisod. 1854, p . 7. no. 201.
— ( Eucichla) elegans, Gray, Handl. of B irds, p a r t i. p. 296.
B e a u t ifu l in coloration as are the lo v e ly group of birds termed Pittas, the present species is certainly one
of the most charming of them. Mr. Elliot, in his Monograph o f the family, restricts the generic term
Pitta to this bird and its two elegant allies (Pitta cyanura and P . Schwaheri), while Reichenbach, as long
back as the year 1850, applied to the three species the subgeneric term Eucichla. In the present
work I have retained all these old-world Ground-Thrushes under the genus Pitta. At some future period,
when more species have become known and figured herein, I may deem it necessary to subdivide them
according to my own views or those of the various ornithologists who have paid attention to the subject with
a view to their classification. That the three species above mentioned form a natural section, I have for
many years clearly seen. Specimens of both sexes of Pitta Boschii were brought from Sumatra by the late
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles; and I remember I shortly after formed the intention o f naming the species
Pitta Rajflesi, an intention never carried out—which I now much regret, as it would have been very
pleasing to me that the bird should have borne the name of our celebrated countryman. The specimens
referred to ornamented for many years the interesting Museum of the Zoological Society of London, the
contents of which have since been scattered to the winds. Sumatra is unquestionably the native country of
this fine b ird ; Mr. Elliot has added that o f Malacca also—I believe,.on the authority of Dr. Cantor; and he
is probably correct in so doing, although, as yet, I have no positive evidence that any examples have been
sent from there. The present bird not only differs from its two immediate congeners in being more redundantly
coloured, but also in the female being more finely decorated than those of the other species; but,
as will be seen on reference to the opposite Plate, she wants the blue and rich cross bars of the under surface.
Most, if not all the Pittidte are solitary in their habits, and frequent the innermost and sterile parts of
the forests almost too rugged for man to traverse, and which he would not venture to traverse did not his
knowledge of birds tell him that the monotonous call he hears proceeds from one of nature’s living jewels.
“ Messrs. Muller and Schlegel, when writing on this species, say ‘ the mission to Sumatra with which we
were intrusted in the first half of the year 1833 by the then Goveruor-General Baron Von der Bosch, enabled
us to increase our collection by a considerable harvest, both as regards the department o f animals and that of
plants. Under obligations of gratitude toward his Excellency for the execution of our coveted enterprise, we
chose to introduce into the realm of science one of the handsomest birds discovered in the island o f Sumatra
under his venerated name.
“ Pitta Boschii, as regards its size, the shape of its bill, and the length of its feet and tail, resembles sufficiently
the Pitta cyanura; and even the distribution of colours in general indicates in these two species a
close mutual relationship, and a distinction from the other members of this family. The only specimen seen
by us was shot on the south-eastern p art of Sumatra, and is at present in the Leyden Museum.”
The male has the centre of the crown deep black, bounded on each side by a broad band, which commences
with rich yellow at the nostrils, gradually passes into rich orange, and finally on the nape into fiery or reddish
orange; below this another band of black encircling the eyes, embracing the cheeks, and passing round the
back of the n e ck ; throat white, narrowly edged with yellow, which colour becomes rich orange on the sides of
the n eck; upper surface and wings cinnamon-brown, the tips of the coverts and outer edges o f the secondaries
margined with white slightly tinged with blue; upper tail-coverts and tail deep bright blue; under
surface rich deep indigo blue, crossed on each side o f the breast with narrow crescentic lines of fiery orange-
red, which nearly meet in the c en tre ; on each side, near the vent, a patch o f yellowish buff ; bill black,
apparently flesh-colour on the base of the under mandible; legs and feet fleshy-brown.
The female is coloured like the male on the upper surface; but the under surface, in lieu of the indigo-
blue and red lines, is crossed from the throat by narrow concentric lines of dark brown and dull yellow.
The figures represent the two sexes, of the natural size.