420 MANUAL OF PHILIPPINE BIRDS. 



Writing of Pitta atricapilla and P. muUcri Sliarpe * says : "These 

 two birds are closely related; but the Bornean species [muUeri] almost 

 entirely wants the black patch on the belly, and has the thighs blackish 

 instead of ochraceous brown." 



384. PITTA ROTHSCHILDI (Parrot). 



ROTHSCHILD'S PITTA. 



Pitta atricapilla rothschildi Parrot, Abhandl. K. Bayer Akad. Wiss. (1907), 

 24, 223. 



Marinduque {Steere Exp.) . 



Male. — Eelated to Pitta atricapilla from which it is said to differ 

 in having the under parts suffused with blue so that there is hardly a 

 trace of green remaining ; white of the wing-quills much reduced ; chest- 

 spot relatively small ; and the color of the vent-feathers bright carmine-red 

 not cinnabar-red. t 



385. PITTA STEER I (Sharpe). 

 STEERE'S PITTA. 



Brachyurus steerii Sharpe, Nature (1876), 14, 297; Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. 



ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 329, pi. 49. 

 Pitta steerii Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 14, 442; Grant, Ibis 



(1897), 241; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 246 (habits). 

 Pitta steerei Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 184. 

 . Pitta steeri McGbegoe and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 68. 



Bohol (McGregor) ; Mindanao (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp.) ; Samar {Steere 

 Exp., Whitehead). 



Adult (sexes similar). — Entire head and neck and their sides black; 

 upper parts green; rump light blue; tail and its coverts black; chin 

 and throat white ; rest of under parts light blue, except a band of velvety 

 black down middle of breast, and the bright scarlet of crissura; thighs 

 gray; primaries black, some of them with small white spots near the 

 middle; secondaries green; alula and primaiy-coverts black; secondary- 

 coverts shiny silvery blue. Iris brown; bill black; legs gi'ay. Length, 

 about 190. A male from Bohol measures : Wing, 115 ; tail, 38 ; culmen 

 from base, 26; tarsus, 42. A female measures, wing, 115; tail, 38; 

 culmen from base, 27 ; tarsus, 40. 



* Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 331. 



t The validity of this species appears to me very donbtful ; the original descrip- 

 tion follows: 



"Vollig abweichend aber prasentiert sich ein anscheinend miinnliches stvick aus 

 Marinduque (Philippinen) , dessen Unterseite dorartig stark mit Blau iibertont 

 erscheint, dass von der griinen Farbe kaum noch eine Spur sichtbar bleibt. Das 

 Weiss der Fliigels in den Schwingen erscheint bei diesem interessanten Vogel, 

 der zudem starker ist wie die beiden anderen Philippiner, in ganz exzessivem 

 Masse entwiekelt; der Brustfleck dagegen ist relativ klein. Das Kolorit des 

 Steissgefieders ist in priichtiges Karsisinrot (nicht Zinnoberrot) ." (Parrot.) 



