42S PITTID-E. 



Similar to P. irena, but rather larger, and distinguished by its 

 thicker and more compressed bill: whole length 7*4 inches, wing 

 4-6, tail 1-7. 



Ilab. Sula Islands. 



a, b. 2 ad. sk. Sula Islands. A. R. Wallace [C.]. 



(Type of the species.) 



c. Ad. sk. Sula Islands ( Wallace). Gould Coll. 



d. Ad. sk. Sula Islands. Gould Coll. 



17. Pitta strepitans. 

 Pitta strepitans, Temm. PL Col. 333 (1825) ; Mull. # Schl. Verh. 



Zool. Pitta, p. 16 ; Less. Tr. d'Om. p. 395; Jard. et Selby, III. Orn. 



i. pi. 77 ; Bhjth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. p. 156 ; Gray et Mitch. Gen. 



B. i. p. 213 ; Gould, B. Austral, iv. pi. i. : id. Handb. B. Austral, i. 



p. 430 ; Gray, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 191 ; id. Cat. B. New Guinea, p. 56 ; 



Schleg. Mus. P.-B. Pitta, p. 10 (1803), et p. 13(1874) ; Wallace, 



Ibis, 1864, p. 106; Krefft, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 319; Ramsay, Ibis, 



1807, p. 416. 

 Pitta versicolor, Sw. Zool. Journ. i. p. 468. 

 Brachyurus strepitans, Bp. Comp. i. p. 254 ; id. Consp. Vol. Anisod. 



p. 7 ; Elliot, Mon. Pitt. pi. ix. ; id. Ibis, 1870, p. 415. 

 Coloburis strepitans. Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. ii. p. 3. 

 Pitta simillima, Gould, P. Z. 8. 1868, p. 76 ; Gray, Hand-l. i. p. 295 ; 



Schleg. Mus. P.-B. Pitta, p. 13 (1874) ; Masters, Pr. Linn. Soc. 



N. S. W. i. p. 54 ; Ramsay, Pr. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. ii. p. 187 ; d' Alb. 



et. Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. xiv. p. 83 (Fly River, New 



Guinea) ; Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. xvi. p. 184 ; id. Orn. Pap. 



ii. p. 389. 

 Pitta krett'ti, Salvad. Att. Soc. It. xii. p. 551 ; id. Ibis, 1870, p. 296. 

 Pitta strepitans, var. simillima, Ramsay, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 591. 

 Pitta assimilis, d'Alb. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. x. p. 12 ; id. Ibis, 1877, 



p. 368 (Torres Straits). 



Above dark green ; crown dark chestnut-brown, with a slight 

 black vertical stripe ; sides of head, nape, and back of neck black ; 

 wing-feathers black, with a white speculum ; margins of secondaries 

 and greater coverts green, like the back; lesser wing-coverts and 

 rump-band bright shining pale blue : beneath pale fawn-colour ; 

 throat and centre of neck black ; patch in centre of abdomen black; 

 lower belly and crissum scarlet ; under wing-coverts black ; tail 

 black, tipped with greenish ; bill black ; feet pale brown : whole 

 length 8 - 5 inches, wing 5, tail 2. Female similar. 



Hah. Eastern Australia, islands of Torres Straits, and Southern 

 New Guinea. 



The northern specimens (Pitta simillima) are smaller in size, but 

 not otherwise distinguishable, and there are several specimens in the 

 series of intermediate dimensions which it is difficult to assign to 

 either form without knowing the locality. 



a. Subsp. typical. 



a. Ad. st. Australia. Lady Carrington [P.]. 



b. Ad. sk. New South Wales. Gould Coll. 



c. Ad. sk. Australia. J . E. W. Rushton [P.]. 



