Pitta versicolor. 469 



lasian species, the black spotis very large, and ends in alengthened 

 point down the middle of the throat, which is fulvous. In P. 

 cyanoptera^ the white on the wings is spread over half the quills; 

 but in the other, this spot can scarcely be seen : in that the tail 

 is tipt with blue; in this with dull green. Lastly, P. cyanoptera 

 is without the black spot in the middle of the abdomen, which 

 is so conspicuous in our bird. These comparisons may be tedious, 

 but are essential, not merely as relating to these two birds, 

 but as affecting the question on the insulated character of the 

 terrestrial birds of Australasia. I shall now describe the species 

 in question. 



Size rather larger than the Song Thrush. Length from the bill 

 to the tail nine inches and a quarter. The ground colour of the 

 upper parts is pure olive green ; the greater wing coverts, and the 

 external half of the lesser quill feathers, are the same. (In P. cy- 

 anoptera the greater wing coverts are blue.) On the chin is a 

 large pointed patch of black, which unites to a broad band on each 

 side of the head, encircles the crown, and again forms a pointed 

 patch on the upper part of the neck. The crown is deep ferrugi- 

 nous, with a narrow black stripe down the middle. The shoulders 

 and lesser wing coverts are bright caerulean blue, having a silvery 

 metallic lustre, not unlike the gloss on silk ; and across the rump 

 is a band of the same colour. The upper tail coverts are black; the 

 tail itself very short, the two middle feathers rather the shortest, and 

 all of them black, tipt with olive green. The greater quills hardly 

 exceed the others in length ; they are black, with pale tips ; and 

 at the base of the fourth, fifth, and sixth, is a small white spot. 

 The sides of the neck, the throat, and all the under parts are buff 

 colour, except the vent, middle of the belly, and under tail 

 coverts, which are of a beautiful red : in the middle of the abdo- 

 men is a patch of black. The bill is black, and the tarsi pale 

 yellowish. 



A beautiful specimen of this bird is in Mr. Brogden's collec- 

 tion. 



The relative dimensions of P. versicolor and cyanoptera (the 

 latter taken from the figure in PI. Col.) are here subjoined. 



