THE NOISY SCEUB-BIED 265 



fruits and snails. The call is something like "Want-a-wateh." 

 The nests are placed on or near the ground, often on the spurs 

 of fig-tree roots. They are made of sticks and lined with moss, 

 leaves and soft bark. The eggs, four, pale creamy-white, marked 

 all over with blotches of brown and deep grey, and measure 

 1.25 X .87 inch. 



The Lesser Pitta. 

 Pitta simillima. 



The northern form of P. strepitans, being smaller in size, but not 

 otherwise distinguishable. 



The Blue-breasted Pitta. 



Pitta maclcloti. 



ilalay Peninsula, Java, Aru, Australia and Tasmania. 



Differs from P. strepitans in having the rump, upper tail-eoverts as 

 well as the wing-coverts blue; breast with a broad greyish-blue band, 

 bordered behind a wide black margin. Total length 7 inch, wing 4, tail 1.6. 



The Rainbow Pitta. 



Pitta iris. 



North-west Australia and Northern Territory. 



Upper surface and wings golden green ; head, neck, breast, abdomen, 

 flanks and thighs deep velvety-black; on the eye a chestnut band joining 

 its fellow on the nape; shoulders bright metallic-blue; primaries black 

 with white speculum; tail black at base, green at tip; vent and under 

 tail coverts bright scarlet. Total length 6 inches, wing 4, tail 1.4. 



Passeees Abnoemales. 



Family Atrichornithidce. 

 Fureula rudimentary. Sternum with a single deep indenta- 

 tion on its hinder margin. Wing tiny, powers of flight 

 rudimentary. Back of the tarsus more scutellated than in any 

 Lark. The one genus, confined to Australia. 



The Noisy Scrub-bird. 



Atrichornis clamosa. 



West and South-western Australia. 



Above dark chocolate-brown, waved with circular black markings, the 

 brown and black alternating; tail feathers black, varied with alternate 

 wavy markings of black and brown on the margins; throat and breast 

 white, with a blackish patch on the lower throat. Total length 8.3 inches, 

 culmen .75, wing 3.1, tail 4.1, tarsus 1.05. 



