﻿493 
  Mr. 
  John 
  Whitehead 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  E. 
  ellioli 
  has 
  a 
  dull 
  green 
  back. 
  Both 
  these 
  species 
  are 
  con- 
  

   tinental. 
  The 
  sexes 
  differ, 
  the 
  underparts 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  of 
  

   E. 
  gurneyi, 
  E. 
  baudi, 
  and 
  E. 
  boschi 
  bearing 
  but 
  slight 
  resem- 
  

   blance 
  in 
  colour 
  to 
  their 
  males. 
  In 
  E. 
  baudi 
  the 
  pattern 
  of 
  

   the 
  markings 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  differs 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  markings 
  in 
  

   the 
  female, 
  but 
  the 
  coloration 
  of 
  the 
  back 
  is 
  often 
  similar 
  in 
  

   both 
  sexes. 
  

  

  Any 
  remarks 
  that 
  might 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  attempting 
  to 
  account 
  

   for 
  the 
  present 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  of 
  Pittas 
  must 
  neces- 
  

   sarily 
  be 
  purely 
  conjectural. 
  The 
  elevation 
  and 
  submergence 
  

   of 
  the 
  different 
  islands^ 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  consequent 
  migra- 
  

   tions 
  and 
  remigrations 
  of 
  species, 
  make 
  any 
  attempt 
  at 
  de- 
  

   scribing 
  the 
  former 
  ranges 
  of 
  the 
  Pittas 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  their 
  

   present 
  distribution 
  impossible. 
  For 
  example, 
  Pitta 
  muelleri 
  

   is 
  found 
  in 
  Borneo 
  and 
  Sumatra, 
  P. 
  bangkana 
  on 
  the 
  inter- 
  

   vening 
  island 
  of 
  Banka, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  nearest 
  large 
  area 
  of 
  

   laud 
  is 
  P. 
  cucuHata. 
  If 
  the 
  last-mentioned 
  species 
  were 
  also 
  

   found 
  in 
  Simaatra, 
  or 
  if 
  the 
  green 
  Pitta 
  of 
  Sumatra 
  were 
  

   peculiar 
  to 
  it, 
  it 
  would 
  easily 
  be 
  understood. 
  Java 
  has 
  

   apparently 
  been 
  missed 
  by 
  all 
  migrations 
  except 
  that 
  of 
  

   Eucichla. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  and 
  subgenera 
  (with 
  

   the 
  exception 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  P. 
  erythrogastra 
  group) 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   found 
  on 
  the 
  mainland 
  of 
  Asia, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  Asiatic 
  island 
  

   of 
  Borneo, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  nearly 
  all 
  species 
  resemble 
  

   an 
  Asiatic 
  genus 
  more 
  than 
  they 
  resemble 
  their 
  own 
  

   parents, 
  are 
  facts 
  which 
  suggest 
  the 
  theory 
  that 
  the 
  

   Asiatic 
  branch 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  ancient, 
  and 
  has 
  moved 
  least 
  

   from 
  its 
  original 
  position. 
  According 
  to 
  this 
  supposition 
  the 
  

   submerged 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  continent 
  between 
  Southern 
  Asia 
  

   and 
  Borneo 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  centre 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  mi- 
  

   gration 
  would 
  radiate, 
  and 
  the 
  focus 
  of 
  the 
  genus. 
  

  

  The 
  mainland 
  of 
  Asia 
  and 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Borneo 
  together 
  

   possess 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  19 
  species 
  of 
  Pittidae; 
  by 
  the 
  addition 
  

   of 
  the 
  great 
  islands 
  of 
  Sumatra 
  and 
  Java 
  and 
  Banka 
  only 
  three 
  

   species 
  are 
  added, 
  making 
  in 
  all 
  22. 
  The 
  islands 
  of 
  Sumatra 
  

   and 
  Java 
  are 
  remarkably 
  poor 
  in 
  isolated 
  species, 
  P. 
  vcnusta 
  

  

  