TUEDID.E. 151 



able group of birds^ differing greatly in colour and 

 dimensions^ but resembling each other considerably 

 in their general form. Some species are sombrely 

 clad in blacky broYvm, and white ; while the plumage 

 of others is adorned with the brightest scarlet, blue, 

 and purple. 



The Garnet-coloured Pitta {Pitta (jranatina) is found 

 in India, and the neiglibourmg islands, and also in 

 Western Africa. These birds frequent the jungles and 

 thick bushes, and, in India, sometimes visit the gardens 

 and cultivated districts. Their food consists of insects 

 and worms, which they usually seek for on the ground 

 by scratching among the fallen leaves ; they are believed, 

 also, occasionally to feed upon berries and fruits. They 

 seem to prefer the neighbourhood of water, and are seen 

 wadmg up to their knees in the shallow streams. If 

 disturbed, they either seek safety by running away, 

 which they do very quickly, or by flying to a brancli 

 of some neighbouring tree, and remaining concealed for 

 a time amidst the foliage. Like the Thrushes, the male 

 and female closely resemble each other ; but it is curious 

 to find that the young are plumed and coloured exactly 

 like the adult from the time they leave the nest. Most 

 of the species of Pitta are very beautifully ornamented ; 

 the colours bemg generally in bright contrast. Some 

 seek then* iusect-food among the thick cane-beds near 

 the coast ; others (P. cyaiiea), common in the islands of 

 the Eastern Archipelago, run very quickly, and keep in 

 the most sombre j)laces. The adults fight like quails 

 whenever tliey meet. The nest of the Garnet Pitta is 

 formed among the bushes near the ground, and is 

 frequently concealed from view by orchids and other 

 parasitical plants. 



