326 ON THE GENUS PITTA. 



spend their time with profit, if they read Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. ix. part ii., 

 which consists of Lord Walden's list of birds of the Philippine archipelago. 



Dr. Meyer tells me a few particulars respecting the general aspect of 

 the avifauna of these islands, as follows : — 



" I was struck with the scarcity of birds in the tropical forests of the 

 East. It is true that I was prepared for this, Mr. Wallace having made 

 several remarks thereon in his admirable w^ork ; but, nevertheless, this 

 truth strikes one, because it is opposed to all we fancy in this respect. 



" On Celebes, as well as on the Philippines and New Guinea, you often 

 can walk for hours in the densest forests without hearing more of animal 

 life than, from time to time, the cry of a Pigeon or a Parrot. On the other 

 hand, of course, at certain hours flocks of birds appear, and make a great 

 noise ; this is chiefly in the morning and before sunset, and more in the 

 neighbourhood of buildings and plantations, and near the sea-shore, than 

 in the deep forest." 



Mr. Wallace^ in the 'Malay Archipelago' (vol. ii. p. 225), speaking of 

 the Aru Isles, says : — 



" At early morn, before the sun has risen, we hear a loud cry of 

 ' wawIc'WawJc, woJc-wok-wdk,' which resounds through the forest, changing its 

 direction continually. This is the Great Bird of Paradise, going to his 

 breakfast. Others soon follow his example. Lories and Parroquets cry 

 shrilly. Cockatoos scream, Kinghunters croak and bark, and the various 

 smaller birds chirp and whistle their morning song.'' 



Now here I would ask my readers a question which occurs to me. Is 

 loudness of cry more characteristic of birds in a northern, or of those 

 belonging to tropical regions ? The bird which, compared wdth its size (of 

 those pertaining to the ornis of our isles), possesses, in my opinion, the 

 most far-sounding voice, is, perhaps, the Siskin (^Carduelis spinus, Linn.) ; 

 but in order to judge, it must be heard in the field. 



