THE INDIAN PITTA 133 



This bird is about seven inches in length. Thus it 

 does not measure much more than a sparrow, but it 

 is nevertheless considerably larger, for the tail is very 

 short, being barely one inch and a half in length. 

 The crown is yellow, tinged with orange, and divided 

 in the middle by a broad black band running from the 

 beak to the nape of the neck, where it meets a broader 

 black band that passes below the eye. The eyebrow 

 is white. The back and shoulders are dull bluish green. 

 The upper tail-coverts are pale blue. There is also a 

 patch of this colour on the wing. The wings and tail 

 are black, tipped with blue. During flight the pinions 

 display a white bar. The chin and throat are white. 

 The breast is of the same yellow hue as the head. 

 There is a large crimson patch under the tail. Captain 

 Fayrer's photograph in Bombay Ducks conveys very 

 well the shape of the bird, but, of course, does not 

 reproduce the most marked feature of the pitta — its 

 colouring. Indians in some localities call it the naurang 

 — the nine-colours. The bird may truly be said to be 

 arrayed in a coat of many colours. Unfortunately, 

 such a garment is apt to lead to trouble. Even as the 

 coat of many colours brought tribulation upon Joseph 

 of old, so does the much-coveted, multi-hued plumage 

 of the pitta frequently bring death to its possessor. 



Apart from the colouring, it is impossible to confound 

 the pitta with any other bird. Its long legs and its 

 apology for a tail recall the sandpiper, but there is 

 nothing else snippet-like about it. The classification 

 of the bird has puzzled many a wise head. It has been 

 variously called the Madras jay, the Bengal quail, 



