Mr. A. R. Wallace on the Genus Pitta. 107 



This compact little group of closely allied species is confined 

 to the Austro-Malayan province, with the exception of one species 

 from the Philippines. These islands, however, though placed in 

 the Indo-Malayan province, show a decided affinity in many of 

 their productions to those of the island of Celebes, with which 

 they were probably at some former period more closely connected 

 than at present. We may therefore consider this to be a very 

 well-defined geographical group. 



Sect. 4. Species with finely banded breast, brown back, yellow 

 coronet, and elongated tail : — 



23. eleyans . . . Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. 



24. schwaneri . . Borneo. 



25. cyanura . . Java. 



This distinct group of most elegant birds, to which the name 

 of Pitta has been by some authors restricted, has a very definite 

 geographical range, being confined to the three great Malayan 

 islands and the peninsula, which so closely resemble each other 

 in every department of nature. The very close connexion of 

 Sumatra with the Asiatic continent is here, as in so many other 

 cases, indicated by an identity of species, while Java and Borneo 

 possess each very distinct forms. 

 Sect. 5. Species entirely purple and red, with blue wing-coverts 



and neck-stripe : — 



26. granatina . . Malay Peninsula and Borneo. 



27. venusta . . . Sumatra (Borneo ?). 



A small but very distinct and beautiful group, which cannot 

 be naturally combined with any other species of the genus. It 

 differs from Sect. 3, with which Bonaparte placed it, in its shorter 

 wings and its smaller hind toe and claw, as well as in its quite 

 distinct style of coloration. 



Sect. 6. Species with red back, blue crown, and white throat and 

 wing-band : — 



28. baudi . . . Borneo. 



This exquisite bird is so distinct in the arrangement of its 

 colours, that it cannot be placed with any of the other groups. 

 It seems to have relations to the species of the last two sections, 

 with which it also consorts geographically. 



