﻿490 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Whitelicad 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  o£ 
  the 
  first 
  plumage. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  attach 
  any 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  primaries 
  in 
  distinguishing 
  species, 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  greatly 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  age. 
  Some 
  species 
  have, 
  when 
  

   mature, 
  abandoned 
  the 
  white, 
  such 
  as 
  P 
  .forsteni 
  and 
  P. 
  steerii, 
  

   though 
  this 
  mark 
  appears 
  on 
  the 
  wings 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  species 
  

   in 
  its 
  first 
  plumage, 
  and 
  probably 
  in 
  theyoung 
  of 
  P./oy^^e/iz, 
  

   with 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  unacquainted. 
  Other 
  species, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  

   hand, 
  have 
  increased 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  primaries. 
  

   P. 
  nmelleri 
  and 
  P. 
  atricapilla 
  when 
  adult 
  have 
  more 
  white 
  

   than 
  when 
  immature. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  of 
  the 
  section 
  of 
  P. 
  ussheri 
  are 
  somewhat 
  diff'er- 
  

   ent 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  Pittas 
  ; 
  nevertheless 
  many 
  characters 
  

   are 
  still 
  present. 
  An 
  interesting 
  link 
  in 
  coloration 
  is, 
  

   however, 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  P. 
  arcuata. 
  This 
  might 
  

   be 
  easily 
  mistaken 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  section 
  of 
  

   P. 
  erythrugastra, 
  which 
  are, 
  generally 
  speaking, 
  insignificant 
  

   dull 
  brown 
  birds, 
  and 
  somewhat 
  resemble 
  Hydrorms. 
  In 
  

   Eucichla 
  also, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  out, 
  the 
  

   nestlings 
  are 
  dull 
  brown. 
  So 
  we 
  may 
  conclude 
  that, 
  as 
  the 
  

   young 
  of 
  the 
  Pittidse 
  in 
  nearly 
  every 
  case 
  are 
  dull 
  brownish 
  

   birds, 
  their 
  ancestors 
  were 
  similar 
  in 
  plumage 
  to 
  Hydrornis 
  

   and 
  G'ujant'ipitta. 
  

  

  The 
  coloration 
  of 
  the 
  adults 
  in 
  the 
  Pittidse 
  is 
  generally 
  

   gorgeous 
  — 
  green, 
  blue, 
  scarlet, 
  and 
  yellow 
  being 
  the 
  general 
  

   colours 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  Ornamentation 
  usually 
  takes 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  highly 
  glossy 
  metallic 
  shoulder-patches, 
  uropygial 
  

   and 
  pectoral 
  bands, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Eucichla 
  section, 
  which 
  arc 
  

   not 
  thus 
  adorned, 
  of 
  striped 
  breasts 
  and 
  gaudy 
  heads 
  and 
  

   tails. 
  

  

  Hydrorms 
  has 
  not 
  become 
  very 
  beautiful 
  and 
  has 
  no 
  

   ornamental 
  plumage. 
  The 
  male 
  of 
  Gigantipitta 
  has 
  gained 
  

   a 
  clear 
  pale 
  ])lue 
  back, 
  which 
  is 
  absent 
  in 
  its 
  female. 
  

   P. 
  cyanoptera 
  and 
  its 
  allies 
  diff'er 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  

   their 
  ornamentation, 
  though 
  the 
  general 
  coloration 
  of 
  this 
  

   group 
  is 
  very 
  similar. 
  Pitta 
  cyanoptera 
  and 
  its 
  geographical 
  

   allies 
  have 
  much 
  larger 
  shoulder-patches 
  and 
  rump-bands 
  

   than 
  the 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  from 
  Australia 
  and 
  the 
  

   islands 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Java, 
  though 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  thev 
  

  

  