86 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



berries, fruits, and snails are also eaten. According 

 to the Rev. Hubert D. Astley (The Aviculliiral Maga- 

 zine. Fir-st Series, Vol. VIII.. p. 8), they feed well uixin 

 an insectivorous mixture, mealworms and "daddy-long- 

 legs " {Tipiiliclae). ilr. Phillipps, however (t. c, pp. 

 182-183) seems to regard mealworms when frequently 

 given as injurious to these birds, and evidently prefers 

 small cockroaches; he says that they "would gladly 

 partake of cut-up grapes, but this probably more as 

 medicine than as food ; and seed was occasionally 

 picked up." The general outline of the species of 

 Pitt-a reminds one of the Dippers, and (like those 

 birds) it sometimes stands in the same semi-erect 

 attitude, with the short tail pointed downwards. 



Indian Pitta [Pitta brachyura). 



Above bluish-green, rump and lesser wing-coverts 

 pale azure blue ; flights black tipped with whitish, and 

 with a broad white band at base of primaries ; tail 

 black with dull blue tip ; crown with a central black 

 stripe from bill to back of neck, bounded on each side 

 by a broad yellowish-brown band ; a narrow sandy 

 whitish eyebrow-stripe passing into pale bluish lateral 

 tufts on the nape : sides of head black ; chin, throat, 

 and sides of neck white ; underparts otherwise deep 

 fawn-colour, with the middle of hinder abdomen, vent 

 and under tail-coverts scarlet ; under wing-coverts black 

 with a white jiatch ; wings below black with a white 

 basal band ; bill blackish, paler on culmen ; feet fleshy 

 yellow ; irides hazel. Female with longer and more 

 slender bill, with paler lower mandible and more 

 divergent rami. Hab., India, Ceylon, and Tenasserim. 



Jerdon says of this species (" Birds of India," 

 Vol. I., p. 504) : — " It is most common in forest 

 country, but is also found occasionally in every part 

 of the country that is tolerably wooded. In the 

 Carnatic it chiefly occurs in the beginning of the hot 

 weather, when the land-winds first begin to blow with 

 violence from the west ; and the birds, in many in- 

 stances, appear to have been blown by the strong wind 

 from the Eastern ghats, for, being birds of feeble 

 flight, they are unable to contend against the strength 

 of the wind. At this time they take refuge in huts, 

 outhouses, or any building that will afford them shelter. 

 The first bird of this kind that I saw had taken refuge 

 in the General Hospital at iladras ; and, subsequently, 

 at Nellore, I obtained many alive under the same 

 circumstances. Layard states that in Ceylon it is 

 migratory, coming in with the Snipe — i.e., in the 

 beginning of the cold weather. He further remarks 

 that it is shy and wary, resorting to tangled brakes 

 and ill-kept native gardens. It seldom alights on 

 trees. It is generally found single, but I have seen 

 three or four together ; and it feeds chiefly on the 

 ground, on various coleopterous insects. It progresses 

 by hopping, as do others of this family ; and is in 

 general a most silent bird, though it is said to have, 

 at times, a fine loud whistling note. Its Singalese 

 name is said to be derived from its call Aritrh-i-a, pix>- 

 nounced slowly and distinctly. Blyth was informed 

 that it has a screeching note." 



Hume ("Nests and Eggs." Second Edition. Vol. II.. 

 pp. 285, 286) says :— " My friend Mr. F. R. Blewitt 

 has taken a vast number of the eggs of the Indian 

 Pitta in the neighbourhood of Raipur, Central Pro- 

 vinces. The nests, three of which he sent me with 

 the eggs, were huge globular structures, fully 9 inches 

 in horizontal diameter and 6 inches high, with a 

 circular aperture on one side. They were composed 

 internally of fine twigs, notably those of the tamarisk, 

 and grass-roots; externally, of dry leaves, many of 



them skeleton leaves, held in their places by a few 

 roots or twigs. The internal cavity may have been 

 about 4 inches in diameter. The nests were placed in 

 brushwood and scrub jungle, either on the ground or 

 on low branches close to the ground. The nests were 

 taken in July and August, 'ihey also breed, I know 

 (though I could never find the nests), in the Doon and 

 the northern pans of Rohilcund. ,\Ir. R. Thompson, 

 remarks ; — ' As this bird comes in regularly about the 

 first week in May, and remains in the Bhabur till July 

 or August, uttering its sweet call of two simple notes,. 

 I am Jed to think it breeds with us. What becomes 

 of the bird at other seasons I do not know.' " 



" Few Indian eggs are more beautiful than those o£ 

 this Sipecies. In shape they are exceeisdvely broad amd 

 regular ovals ; some, indeed, are almost spherical. They 

 are excessiveilv glossy, more so than almost any otiher 

 egg I know. The grotmd-colour is china -^w'hite, sotme- 

 times faintly tinged witlh pink, someitimes creamy > 

 and the eggs are speckled and spotted with, and ia 

 some cases also painted with, fine bair-ldlke lines of deep 

 maroon, dark purple, and somcitiimes browniish-ipunple. 

 as ipram'ajry markiings, and pale inky punple as secomdary 

 ones. The primary markings are scattered, in some- 

 instances pretty thickly, in otliers very sparingly, over 

 the wihdle surface of the egg, but are always miuch 

 denser towards one end, to wihich in some eggs they 

 are entiireily confined, and here ailone the seoondiary 

 mail-kings are at a'll conspicuous. Here they often form. 

 a. sort of nimbus round all the spots, blotches, and 

 lines, all the interstices between which they occupy, 

 and unite to form an irregular mottled cap. There is 

 something about- the chiaracter of the egt; which indi- 

 cates to me that the Pittas should be placed nearer 

 the Bulibuls and tlhe OnioJes thiam the true Thrushes. I 

 should note that there is one not uncommon type in 

 which the whole egg is devoid of markings, excerpt 

 within a bread zone near one end, find evem here they 

 only consist of wideily-scaitltea'«d and minute specks of 

 maroon and pa'.e lilac. 



■' The eggs vary from 0.96 to 1.07 inch in length, and 

 fr;m 0.81 to 0.9 inch in breadth ; but the average of 

 fifty eggs is 1.01 by 0.86 inch nearly." 



the London Zoological Gardens luwe exhi'ibited this, 

 siiecies tH-ice— in 1876 a.nd 1882. In 1901 the Rev. 

 H. D. Ajstley was fortunate enough to secure four hand- 

 reared examples, which loiter on came irato the posses- 

 sion of Mr. Reginald Phillipps ; this gentleman has pub- 

 lished a very full acco int^ illustrated by a coloured 

 draiwdng prepared by Mr. Asltley, in The AvieulturaT 

 ilagazine, First Semes, Vol. VIII., pp. 179-185 and 

 257-262, a study of which will repay anyone who desires 

 farther information respecting this beautiful bird. 



Noisy Pitta (Pitta .^trepitans). 



Dank green albove ; wing Mack, with a white patch ; 

 lesser coverts pale glossy blue, edges of greater coveiits 

 and secondaries green ; a pale blue band across runiip ; 

 crown oliesitnut-lbro'Wn with a vertiical black streak ;. 

 nape, back of neok, and s'ides of head, as well as throat 

 and centre of fore-neck black ; below pale fawn with 

 a black central abdominal patch ; lonver albdomen and 

 under tail-coverts scaillet ; tail black with greenish tip ; 

 under wing-coverts black. Female not diflfeirentiated, 

 buit apparentily wiith a slighteT and shorter bill, and 

 with the scar'Iet on body beioiw dulller and more diffused. 

 Hab., EiasteiTi Australia, Islands of Tbrres Straiits, and 

 iSoutlhern New Guinea. 



Gonld observes (" Handlbook," Vol. I., p. 431): "It 

 is said to be very Thrusilnlite in its habit* and disposi- 

 tion, and. as its long leigs would lead us to suippose, to 

 resort much to the ground, biit to take readily to the 



