120 GARDEN AND AVIAKY BIRDS. 



an ordinary Thrush's, and their legs longer, while their 

 tails are absurdly short and hardly noticeable. 



They live mostly on the ground, and do not perch 

 much ; but unlike most ground birds, they never run, but 

 always hop, though they get along in this manner very 

 swiftly and gracefully. They are fairly good flyers, but 

 usually keep low down. They seem to feed entirely on 

 insects and other small animals, and they are not at all 

 sociable, being usually seen alone. They do not sing, 

 but their plumage is usually remarkably brilliant and 

 beautiful, and shows a great variety of patterns. Their 

 nests are domed and placed either on the ground or near 

 it, and they lay spotted eggs. 



THE BENGAL PITTA (Pitta brachyura). This species, 

 known to the natives as Nowrung or " nine colours," is 

 the most familiar of all, being found all over India and 

 Ceylon in the plains. It is to a certain extent migratory, 

 going south in the winter, and returning to the northern 

 provinces in the hot weather and rains, though some birds 

 appear never to change their quarters. 



In colour it is green above and buff below, with the 

 head broadly streaked with black and drab, the throat 

 white, and a patch under the tail scarlet. On the 

 shoulder of the wing, and just above the root of the very 

 short tail, are patches of intense shining sky-blue, and 

 the flight feathers of the wings are black with a large 

 white patch, as in the House-Mynah. The bill is 

 salmon-coloured and black, and the legs flesh-coloured, 

 the eyes being dark brown. The cock and hen are alike, 

 and the young closely resemble them, being merely 



