﻿Species 
  of 
  the 
  Family 
  Pittidse. 
  491 
  

  

  have 
  less 
  or 
  no 
  black 
  on 
  the 
  chin 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  median 
  patch. 
  

   This 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  applies 
  to 
  the 
  green-breasted 
  group, 
  which 
  

   is 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  buff-breasted 
  section. 
  The 
  green 
  

   Pittas 
  of 
  the 
  Sondaic 
  Islands 
  and 
  the 
  Philippines 
  have 
  also 
  

   larger 
  ornamental 
  patches 
  than 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  their 
  group 
  

   found 
  in 
  New 
  Guinea 
  and 
  Celebes. 
  The 
  Sanghir 
  species^ 
  I 
  

   should 
  imagine, 
  is 
  a 
  somewhat 
  modern 
  immigrant 
  to 
  that 
  

   island, 
  as 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  P. 
  atricapilla 
  of 
  the 
  

   Philippines. 
  Pitta 
  maxima 
  and 
  P. 
  steerii 
  have 
  small 
  rump- 
  

   bands 
  — 
  the 
  former 
  species 
  having 
  almost 
  abandoned 
  this 
  

   mode 
  of 
  ornamentation, 
  — 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  more 
  wing-decoration 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  their 
  group. 
  The 
  green 
  Pittas 
  

   of 
  New 
  Guinea 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  much 
  darker 
  green 
  in 
  general 
  

   coloration, 
  and 
  have 
  the 
  flanks 
  of 
  deep 
  purple 
  and 
  blue. 
  All 
  

   the 
  species 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  groups 
  have 
  a 
  median 
  patch 
  of 
  bright 
  

   scarlet, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  edged 
  with 
  black, 
  on 
  the 
  

   abdomen. 
  

  

  The 
  group 
  of 
  Pitta 
  ussheri 
  is 
  very 
  different 
  in 
  coloration 
  

   from 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  groups, 
  and 
  is 
  connected 
  through 
  one 
  

   member 
  of 
  its 
  section 
  (P. 
  arcuata) 
  with 
  the 
  next 
  or 
  group 
  of 
  

   P. 
  erythrogastra 
  — 
  all 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  sections 
  having 
  

   bright 
  scarlet 
  underparts 
  with 
  black 
  or 
  white 
  bases 
  to 
  the 
  

   feathers. 
  P. 
  venusta 
  is 
  somewhat 
  ditferent, 
  looking 
  like 
  a 
  

   dull 
  specimen 
  of 
  P. 
  ussheri. 
  

  

  The 
  dull 
  blue 
  and 
  green 
  backs 
  of 
  the 
  grouj) 
  of 
  P. 
  erythro- 
  

   gastra 
  approach 
  somewhat 
  the 
  coloration 
  of 
  Gigantipitta. 
  

  

  Thelastgroup, 
  £JMC2c/i/a,may 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  sections 
  — 
  

   those 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  mainland 
  of 
  Asia, 
  without 
  a 
  white 
  bar 
  

   on 
  the 
  wings 
  [E. 
  boschi 
  excepted), 
  and 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  

   Asiatic 
  Islands 
  of 
  the 
  Archipelago, 
  which 
  have 
  all 
  a 
  white 
  

   bar 
  on 
  the 
  wings. 
  The 
  insular 
  forms, 
  with 
  one 
  exception, 
  

   have 
  longer 
  tails. 
  The 
  general 
  coloration 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  is 
  ; 
  

   above 
  brown 
  or 
  red; 
  heads 
  ornamented 
  with 
  yellow 
  or 
  

   orange 
  superciliaries 
  or 
  with 
  a 
  blue 
  crown 
  ; 
  breasts 
  barred 
  — 
  

   sometimes 
  the 
  bars 
  are 
  massed, 
  as 
  in 
  E. 
  baudi, 
  E. 
  boschi, 
  

   and 
  E.gurneyi, 
  the 
  pectoral 
  band 
  of 
  E. 
  cyanura, 
  and 
  median- 
  

   patch 
  of 
  E. 
  schioaneri. 
  E. 
  cyanea 
  retains 
  the 
  dull 
  bluish 
  

   back 
  and 
  is 
  less 
  conspicuously 
  ornamented. 
  The 
  female 
  of 
  

  

  