JZ m tH /bK IT arl- d èi cb StA,
P IT IA MAFQBEN'SIS, Schleg.
PITTA MAFORENSI S, Schlegel.
Mafoor-Island Pitta.
pitta m m guinea me/oorma, Schlegel, Revue Coll. Pitta Mus. Paya-Bas, p. 8 (1874).—Meyer, in Dawson
Rowley’a ‘ Ornithological Miscellany,’ pt. vii. p. 268 (1877).
T his species was separated by Professor Schlegel in 1874 in his Review of the Pittas in the Leiden Museum
under the trinomial title above q u o ted ; and he apparently regards it as nothing but a race of Pitta nme
guinea. In this conclusion I am unable to agree, as it seems to me to be a thoroughly well-marked species.
It is nearly allied to the last-mentioned bird and to Pitta rosenbergi, but is distinct from both. I t is of
about the slide size, and has the colour o f the chest, breast, and nape of a fine glistening greenish white, as
^ e x i s t s in P . m m guinea, but more extended, the green of the chest blending into green and blue on the
flanks.
Dr. Meyer did not get a Pitta on the island o f Mafoor; but the Leiden Museum possesses four specimens,
killed there in January and February 1869 by Von Rosenberg. Dr. Beccari also managed to procure some
examples.
In describing the species, Professor Schlegel says th at the Mafoor bird is similar to P. nova guinea, but
has the tail-feathers more or less tipped with dirty green, the large upper tail-coverts black, with a fine
blue edging, the smaller upper tail-coverts o f a fine metallic whitish green, and the blue o f the abdomen
darker the quills being without white spots. This constitutes, as far as I know, all th at has been published
respecting the present bird. The P late represents a pair of these birds o f the natural size. They form
p a rt o f the rich collections made by Dr. Beccari in New Guinea and the islands o f Geelvink Bay. They
were kindly lent to me by Count Salvador! daring his visit to this country; and to him I have once more to
express my great appreciation of his kindness.
Total length 6 f inches, wing 5 f, tail l£, tarsus If.
I must apologize for the oversight by which the name maforemis instead of mafoorana was printed on the
Plate as before I had discovered the mistake the whole impression had been printed off; and I thought it
best in this instance to keep the name a t the head of this article to harmonize it with that o f the Plate,
though I regret the lapsus calami which caused the error.
I reg ret that no further information should have reached me respecting this beautiful species, which finds
a near ally in P . nmce guinea. In size it is much the s am e ; bnt the green of the nnder surface is suffused
with luminous glistening green.