104 Mr. A. R. Wallace on the Genus Pitta. 



consider that the females, when fully adult, in every case resem- 

 ble the males; and in this I am inclined to agree with him. If 

 the adult female of P. carulea is the brown bird so generally 

 supposed to be that sex, it would almost seem a good ground for 

 establishing a genus for this in many respects peculiar species. 



The nidification of only four species has been observed — Pitta 

 strepitans in Australia, P. cyanura in Java, P. cucullata in North 

 India, and P. venusta in Sumatra. All these build their nests near 

 the ground, rather rudely formed of sticks or reeds, roots, dead 

 leaves, and moss. P. strepitans lays four eggs, which are creamy 

 white, blotched and spotted with brown; those of P. cyanura are 

 described as being similar in colour and markings, but five eggs 

 were found in a nest, while the only nest of P. venusta ever 

 found had two eggs of a pure white colour. The nest of P. cucul- 

 lata is described by Jerdon as being formed principally of roots 

 and fibrous materials, and as having three eggs, of a faint greenish 

 white, with a few reddish and brown spots. 



On looking through the works of Messrs. Elliot and Schlegel 

 already alluded to, I have been surprised to see the large pro- 

 portion of the species about which no information whatever has 

 been obtained, and of which even the colours of the bill, feet, 

 and iris had to be put in by guess. The specimens collected by 

 Miiller and the other Dutch naturalists in the Archipelago 

 appear to have been all obtained through native collectors ; and 

 no care seems to have been taken to teach these men to make 

 the necessary observations while skinning the birds. Having 

 myself shot or skinned more species of Pitta than any other 

 person, and wishing to make this communication as complete 

 and useful as possible, I will here give the colours of the soft 

 parts of all the species collected by myself, or of which I have 

 obtained accurate information from the person who shot them. 



P. crassirostns . Bill black, base of lower mandible horny, feet 

 pale horn- or flesh-colour, iris dark. 



P. vigursi . . Bill black, feet pale yellowish horn-colour, iris 

 dark. 



P. concinna . Bill black, feet pale yellowish horn-colour, iris 

 dark. 



P. muclleri . . Bill black, feet blackish, iris dark. 



