FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



berries, fruits, and snails are also eaten. According 

 to 'the Rev. Hubert D. Astley (T1v> A ri< ullnrnl Ma/ja- 

 zlin . First Series, Vol. VIII., p. 8), they feed well upon 

 an insectivorous mixture, mealworms and "daddy-long- 

 legs " (Ti pit! idee). Mr. 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 

 Pitta 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 patch ; 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 Madras; 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 AritcJt-i-a, pro- 

 nounced slowly and distinctly. Blyth was informed 

 that it has a screeching note." 



Hume ("Nest? 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 these 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 wen- 

 taken in July and August. They also breed, I know 

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

 the northern parts of Rohilcund. Mr. 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,. 

 1 am led to think it breeds with us. What becomes. 

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



" Few Indian eggs are more beautiiful than those of 

 this species. In shape they are excessively 'broad and. 

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

 are excessively glossy, more so than almost any other 

 egg I know. The ground -colour is china-white, some- 

 times faintly tinged with pink, sometimes creamy; 

 and the eggs are speckled and spotted with, and in. 

 some cases also painted wk'h, fine hai.r-like lines of deep 

 maroon, dark purple, and sometimes brownish -purple. 

 as (primary inarkiings, and pale inky punple as secondary 

 ones. The primary markings are scattered, in some 

 instances pretty thickly, in others very sparingly, over- 

 t-he whole surface o-f the egg, but are always much. 

 denser t(, wards one end, to which in some eggs they 

 are entirely confined, and here alone the seoon 

 markings are .at adl 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 character of the egg which indi- 

 cates to me that the Pittas should be placed nearer 

 the Bulibuls- and the Orioles than the true Thrushes. I 

 should note that there is one not uncommon type in. 

 which the whole egg is devoid of marking'?, except 

 wi'thin a bread zone near one end. and even here they 

 only consist of widely-sc;iuered and minute specks of 

 maroon and pale lilac. 



" The eggs vary from 0.96 to 1.07 inch in length, and. 

 fivm 0.81 to 0.9 inch in breadth; but the average of 

 fiftv eggs is 1.01 by 0.86 inch nearly." 



The London Zoological Gardens have exhibited this- 

 species twice in 1876 and 1882. In 1901 the Rev. 

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

 reared examples, which latter on came into the posses- 

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

 lished a very full acco-mt, illustrated by a coloured 

 draiwdno- prepared bv Mr. Astley, in The Avicultural 

 Magazine, First Series, Vol. VIII., pp. 179-185 and 

 257-262, a study o.f whiich will repay anyone who desires- 

 fuirther information respecting this beautiful bird. 



NOISY PITTA (Pitta st 



Dark green above ; wing 'Mack, with a white patchy. 

 lesser coverts pale glossy blue, edges of greater cm 

 and secondaries green ; a pale blue band across runup ; 

 crown ehestnut-liirown witih a vertical l.'.ack streak; 

 nape, 'back of neck, and s'ides of head, aswel'l as throat. 

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

 a black central abdominal patch ; lower aibdomen and. 

 under tail-coverts seaillat ; taiil black with greenish t.ip ; 

 under wing-coverlts black. Female not differentiated. 

 but apparently w.ith a slighter and shorter bill, aind 

 with tli .-mi ; ( -i on body belotw duller and mere diffused. 

 Hab., Eastern Australia,, Islands of Torres Straits, and 

 Southern New (iuinea. 



Gould observes (" Handbook." Vol. I., p. 431): "It, 

 is said to be vox 'I "<\; n-'i4ike in its habit* and disposi- 

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

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



