Mr. A. R. Wallace on new Species of Pitta. 133 



June 24, 1862.— E. W. H. Holdsworth, Esq., F.L.S., in the 

 Chair. 



Descriptions of Three New Species of Pitta from the 

 Moluccas. By Alfred Russel Wallace. 



These hirds are brought before the Society, detached from the 

 collections of which they form a part, because a Monograph of the 

 Pittidce, by Mr. Elliot, is now in course of publication, and it is de- 

 sirable that they should be described in England before appearing 

 in a foreign work. 



They are interesting as showing the permanent modifications in 

 form of these semiterrestrial birds, in islands within sight of each 

 other. I may mention as a curious fact, that the great island of 

 Ceram appears to contain no Pitta, although one or two species 

 occur in almost all the other islands of the Moluccan group. I have 

 myself collected for several months in various parts of Ceram and 

 Amboyna, without seeing or hearing of the genus ; and the natives 

 were positive no such bird was to be found in their country. Tbe 

 naturalists collecting for the Ley den Museum were not more suc- 

 cessful ; and recently a German ornithologist, M. Rosenberg, has 

 resided some years in the island, and up to the time of my departure 

 had seen no Pitta. This is the more remarkable, as in the little 

 island of Banda, within sight of Ceram, a species exists which, with 

 two others, I now proceed to describe. 



Pitta rubrinucha." 



Head reddish brown, darker behind, where there is a subquadran- 

 gular spot of bright red, and above it an obscure blue vertical stripe ; 

 back dull olive-green, shading into slaty blue on the wings and tail ; 

 quills blackish, with a white spot on the third and fourth ; a small 

 white spot on the shoulder ; underside with the slaty-blue breast 

 and crimson belly, exactly as in P. celebensis, but the black line 

 separating the two colours is narrower. Bill blackish horn-colour ; 

 feet light dull blue ; iris pale olive-brown. 



Total length 7 inches ; wing 3 J inches ; bill, from the gape, 1 inch. 



Hob. Island of Bouru (Moluccas). 



Remark. — This species is at once distinguished from its near 

 ally, P. celebensis, by the red nuchal spot, and by having much less 

 blue on the wing- and tail-coverts. It is also considerably smaller. 



Pitta Vigorsi. 



Pitta Vigorsi, Gould, Birds of Australia, vol. iv. pi. 2. 



I had proposed a name for this species, supposing it to be new, and 

 misled by Bonaparte's 'Conspectus,' which gives " gula nigra" as a 

 character of Vigorsi. Having since, at Mr. Gould's suggestion, com- 

 pared my bird with the type in the Museum of the Linnean Society, 

 I find it to be the same. My specimen is a fine adult male, and 

 differs from Gould's figure and description in having the bill en 

 tirely black, and in the red of the under parts being much mixed 

 with black on the breast. 



