PHILEPITTIDAE 



471 



has a brown back, ana a buliish head, with black cross-bars and 

 collar. This very large form ranges from Tenasserim to Sumatra 

 and Borneo; the smaller P. cyaiie<( of Bhutan, Burma, and Siani is 

 somewhat similar, but has a scarlet nape, and bluish under parts with 

 black bars. P. maxima of Gilolo is glossy black, with blue wing- 

 coverts, a white alar bar, green edges to the secondaries, white 

 lower surface, black chin, and crimson belly. P. /jramdina of 

 Borneo is purplish-black, with scarlet occiput and nape, blue 

 superciliary stripe, some blue on the wing, purplish throat, and 

 scarlet belly. P. liaudi of the same island is crimson above, with 

 blue crown and tail, black nape, and white alar bar ; the lower 

 parts being black, with purple and blue abdomen : the female is 

 dull brown below. P. cyanoptera, reaching from Burma and 

 Borneo to South China, is dull green above, with a dark central 

 stripe and a black margin to the brownish crown ; the black wing- 

 shews a white bar, and azure on the coverts ; the tip of the black 

 tail and the rump are blue ; the lower surface is buff, with crimson 

 on the belly. Several species have green under parts, a blue pectoral 

 band, or no blue on the rump and wings. P. angolensis inhabits 

 "West Africa, P. nymplia North China and Tsu-shima Island, P. iris 

 and P. strepitans Australia ; the latter reaches ISTew Guinea, where 

 it meets, among other forms, the entirely black Covdropitta 

 lugtihris, as well as P. macMoti, which extends to New Britain. 



Fam. II, Philepit- 

 tidae. — This contains 

 only the two species of 

 Philepitta, peculiar to 

 Madagascar, which 

 have bare orbits sur- 

 mounted by a green 

 caruncle in the male, 

 and metatarsi with 

 a regular series of 

 scales behind (taxa- 

 spidean). P. jala is 

 black, with yellow at 

 the bend of the wing ; 

 the female is olive- 

 green with yellow 

 markings below. P. schlegeli is green above and yellow below in 



Fig. 100.- 



-Philepitta jala. 



