﻿Species 
  of 
  tJie 
  Family 
  Pittidie. 
  493 
  

  

  only 
  being 
  peculiar 
  to 
  Sumatra 
  ; 
  tliougli^ 
  ou 
  account 
  of 
  tlic 
  

   resemblance 
  E. 
  boschl 
  bears 
  to 
  tlie 
  Eucichla 
  of 
  Java 
  and 
  

   Borneo, 
  I 
  tbink 
  tbat 
  it 
  was 
  probably 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  peculiar 
  to 
  

   tliat 
  island 
  and 
  bas 
  migrated 
  to 
  tlie 
  Malay 
  Peninsula, 
  Java 
  

   lias 
  one 
  species 
  peculiar 
  to 
  it 
  — 
  E. 
  cyanara. 
  Of 
  tbe 
  27 
  species 
  

   left, 
  one 
  is 
  African. 
  Of 
  the 
  26 
  found 
  tbrougliout 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  

   the 
  Archipelago 
  and 
  Australia, 
  twelve 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  section 
  

   of 
  P. 
  erythrogastra 
  (some 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  of 
  dubious 
  validity), 
  

   which 
  is 
  not 
  represented 
  amongst 
  the 
  true 
  Asiatic 
  forms. 
  If 
  

   the 
  5 
  species 
  that 
  inhabit 
  the 
  Philippines 
  (which 
  belong, 
  

   perhaps, 
  rather 
  to 
  the 
  Asian 
  division 
  of 
  laud) 
  be 
  deducted, 
  

   we 
  find 
  the 
  great 
  Austro-Malayan 
  division 
  reduced 
  to 
  21, 
  

   only 
  two 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  Asian 
  mainland 
  and 
  

   Borneo. 
  

  

  After 
  these 
  preliminary 
  remarks 
  I 
  will 
  proceed 
  to 
  review 
  

   the 
  different 
  genera 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  

  

  Genus 
  I. 
  Hydrornis. 
  

  

  Hydrornis 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  three 
  species, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   distinct, 
  and 
  one 
  {H. 
  soror) 
  is 
  of 
  doubtful 
  value. 
  The 
  size 
  is 
  

   large, 
  the 
  general 
  colouring 
  beneath 
  dull 
  brown, 
  above 
  dull 
  

   bluish 
  green. 
  

  

  A 
  fourth 
  species 
  {Gigantipitta) 
  is 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  this 
  

   genus, 
  especially 
  as 
  regards 
  its 
  female, 
  which 
  is 
  without 
  the 
  

   black 
  crown 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  dull 
  brown 
  all 
  over, 
  

   except 
  the 
  rump 
  and 
  tail, 
  which 
  are 
  light 
  blue. 
  The 
  super- 
  

   ciliary 
  stripes 
  of 
  the 
  male, 
  the 
  black 
  crown, 
  and 
  the 
  blue 
  back 
  

   remind 
  us 
  of 
  true 
  Pitta. 
  

  

  Range. 
  The 
  members 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  are 
  not 
  widely 
  dispersed, 
  

   Hydrornis 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  countries 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   Malay 
  Peninsula, 
  whilst 
  Gigantipitta 
  extends 
  over 
  the 
  Malay 
  

   Peninsula, 
  Sumatra, 
  and 
  Borneo. 
  

  

  1. 
  Hydrornis 
  nipalensis. 
  

   Pitta 
  nipalensis, 
  Scl. 
  Cat. 
  B. 
  xiv. 
  p. 
  414. 
  

   *' 
  Bill 
  dusky, 
  fleshy 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  ; 
  legs 
  ruddy 
  flesh-coloured 
  ; 
  

   nails 
  long, 
  whitish; 
  irides 
  lightish 
  brown 
  " 
  [Jerdon). 
  

  

  