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



Sect. 7. Black, with green back, blue shoulder-patch, and reddish 

 bellv :— 



29. iris .... North Australia. 



This species, though much isolated, has evident relations with 

 the birds of Sect. 2 ; and as it is only found in the extreme north 

 of Australia, I have little doubt that the same or an allied spe- 

 cies exists in the southern parts of New Guinea. This species, 

 in fact, approaches so much to Pitta nova-guinece, that it ought 

 perhaps to have been placed in the same section. 

 Sect. 8. A large species, black, with white breast, red belly, and 



blue shoulder-patches : — 



30. maxima . . Gilolo. 



This magnificent bird, perhaps the finest of the genus, is much 

 isolated; the form of its wings, the pale-coloured legs, black 

 head, crimson belly, white wing-bar, and blue shoulder-patch 

 show its nearest affinities to be with Sect. 1. 

 Sect. 9. A large light-blue bird, spotted beneath. 



31. cyanea . . . Arracan, Tenasserim. 



This is another remarkable and very distinct bird, which by 

 its somewhat elongate tail approaches Sect. 4, while its colouring 

 and size would more approximate it to the next. It is interest- 

 ing to remark that its geographical position is also intermediate 

 between that of these two groups. 



Sect. 10. Large birds of dull colours and somewhat coarse 

 plumage : — 



32. nepalensis . . Nepal to Arracan. 



33. cosrulea . . . Peninsula of Malacca, Sumatra. 



These species depart most from the typical characters of the 

 genus, and have been separated under the name of Heleornis. 

 It seems prefei-able, however, not to break up the genus, but to 

 retain these as an aberrant section. 



Let us now carefully examine the preceding list of species, and 

 cull the various interesting facts of distribution with which it 

 furnishes us. The first thing to notice is that two of the largest 

 groups (Sections 1 and 2), comprising sixteen species, are widely 

 distributed over nearly the whole area of the genus, and are 



