264 ON THE GENUS PITTA. 



Gray says Q Genera of Birds/ vol. i.) :—' The species of the genus Pitta 

 seem to prefer the neighbourhood of water, and are sometimes observed to 

 play in the shallov^ streams, not frequently venturing above the knees." 



In his richly illustrated work the ' Birds of New Guinea ' (part ii.), 

 Mr. Gould has placed his Pitta maxima in a stream, with the water dripping 

 from the bird. 



PITTA ROSENBERGI (Schlegel). 



(C. B. H. von Rosenberg's Pitta.) 



(Plate LXIL) 



In^ Reistochten de Geelvinkbaai op Nieuw-Guinea/ p. 138, we find that 

 Herr von Rosenberg, the German naturalist, who made such splendid 

 collections for the Leyden Museum, has the following concerning Pitta 

 rosenbergi, Schl. : — 



" d 2' Allied to P. novce giiinece, but differs from this species by its 

 longer tarsus and its somewhat wider bill, by the black extending to the 

 middle of the crop, by its soft glossy green breast, and the red streak down 

 the breast. The blue colour of the sides is also more intense ; while the 

 tail and its upper coverts are uniformly black. 



"Hah. Schouten Islands." 



Prof. H. Schlegel says (^Museum d'Histoire Naturelle des Pays-Bas/ 

 1874, p. 8) :— 



"Pitta rosenbergii, Schleg. Tijdschr. Dierk. vol. iv. p. 16. 



" Rappelant la Pitta novce guinece qu'elle remplace dans File de Soek, du 

 groupe de Schouten ; mais s'en eloignant par les traits suivants : — Rectrices 

 et grandes suscaudales d'un noir profond, et n'ofFrant que rarement un fin 

 lisere bleuatre. Petites suscaudales comme dans la Pitta novce guinece mefoorana. 



