THE PITTAS 



1715 



coverts yellow, the feathers being black at the base; while the central tail feathers 

 are black, and the outer ones are black, with a white traverse band near the 

 extremity. 



THE PITTAS 

 Family PlTTID^ 



The pittas, or Old- World ant thrushes are distinguished by the structure of the 

 syrinx and the form of the wing, the first primary of the latter being of large size 

 instead of being nearly suppressed, as in the other Passerines with ten primaries. 

 They are birds of lovely plumage, blue and crimson adorning many of the species. 

 The pittas are most abundant in the forests of the Malay Archipelago, especially in 



INDIAN PITTA. 



(One-half natural size.) 



the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The blue-naped pitta inhabits the Himalayas 

 from Nipal to Assam; while the fulvous pitta is found in the evergreen forests of 

 the hills of Pegu, and Sumatra is the home of the giant pitta. The rainbow pitta 

 of Australia is a beautiful bird, golden green above with bright metallic blue 

 shoulders, velvety black head and throat, and crimson abdomen, but the Malayan 

 pittas are the most gorgeous of the family. Strange to say, a single species of pitta 

 is found in West Africa. 



