1 



PITTA CvERULEA 



Caerulean Pitta. 



Myiothera carulea, Raffles, Transactions of the Linnean Society, xiii. p. 301 (1821). 



Pitta gigas, Temminck, PL Col. 217 (1823).— Lesson, Traite d'Orn. p. 394 (1831).— Mull. & Schleg. Verh. Nat. 



Gesch. fol. Zool. Pitta, p. 14 (1839-44). 

 Pitta casrulea, Vigors, Memoir of Raffles, App. p. 659 (1830).— Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 213 (1846).— Blyth, Cat. B. 



Mus. A. S. B. p. 156 (1 849).— Moore, P. Z. S. 1854, p. 273.— Horsfield & Moore, Cat. Birds Mus. E.-I. 



Co. i. p. 181 (1854).— Schlegel, Vog. Nederl. Indie, Pitta, p. 2, pi. i. figs. 1-3 (1863).— Id. Mus. 



Pays-Bas, Pitta, p. 1 (1863).— Wall. Ibis, 1864, p. 108. 

 Brachyurus carulew, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xvi. p. 153 (1847).— Bp. Consp. i. p. 253 (1850).— Elliot, 



Monogr. Pittidae, pi. i. (1863).— Id. Ibis, 1870, p. 412. 

 Gigantipitta caruka, Bonap. Consp. Volucr. Anisod. p. 7 (1854). 



As far as our knowledge extends, the present species is really much the largest of this interesting group of 

 birds, and is distinguished from most of its congeners by another distinct character, the decided differences 

 in the sexes as regards colour. Whilst admitting also that it is the giant of the group, and that its distinctions 

 are very marked, I will give the pith of what has been written respecting it. Mr. Elliot has placed it first in 

 the plates of his ' Monograph,' and has given two illustrations of male, female, and young, and then goes on to 

 say : — " The Pittas, although one of the most beautiful as regards richness and variety of plumage, are 

 among the least known of the many families of birds. Inhabiting places and countries trodden in many 

 cases only by the adventurous foot of the explorer, and being of quiet, unobtrusive habits, these beautiful 

 denizens of the woods and plains have escaped notice (in some species until very lately), even from the eager 

 eyes of the enthusiastic student of nature. Of the well-known species, examples are not often to be met 

 with, and then but seldom out of the large and magnificent ornithological collections contained in different 

 national museums. 



"Former writers, when treating of this group, seem to have little or nothing to relate regarding their 

 economy or habits, and confine themselves principally to scientific nomenclature, and even later authors have 

 as yet thrown but little light upon them. Still no one can look upon these beautiful creatures with indif- 

 ference ; and although what has now been gathered may be but little, yet I shall deem myself amply repaid 

 if any thing shall have been added to our knowledge of this interesting group. 



"The present species is one of the handsomest; and it gives me much pleasure to be able (through the 

 kindness of M. le Dr. Pucheran, who allowed the specimen to be removed from the case in the museum of 

 the Jardin des Plantes) to give so good a representation of the Cserulean Pitta in its native haunt. Its 

 habits are similar to those of the Thrushes, hopping about among the bushes and over the ground in search 

 of its food, which consists principally of insects. 



" Messrs. Midler and Schlegel, in the Verhand. Natuur. Geschied. (a work written in the Dutch language, 

 the sense of which I have endeavoured to give as literally as possible), say : — ' M. Temminck was the first 

 to describe this bird in his "Planches Coloriees," and there gave the figure of a very old individual, and 

 wr ites: — "In the month of June, 1834, in Sumatra, not far from the base of the mountain Singalang, in a 

 dark, retired valley, which was entirely covered with a thick undergrowth, we saw a young male. He was 

 sitting on the dead branch of a low tree, and was not in the least shy ; the mellow reddish mouth and the 

 peculiar softness of his feathers showed that he had not yet attained his first moult. The deep blue hue 

 which adorns the older birds was in this specimen entirely wanting, with the exception of a slight indication 

 on the tail. Those portions which in the adults assume the blue livery were with him of a dark yellowish 

 brown, still darker towards the wings ; and the lower parts, which are of a deep yellow colour, were with 

 this young bird dirty yellow, towards the breast mixed with yellowish white and blackish brown. The 

 same distribution of colours is observed among the feathers of the head and shoulders; the yellow becomes 

 much clearer towards the sides of the head, with a rose-coloured tint near the throat. The bill, which is 

 black in the adult, was in this one almost transparent and of the colour of horn. The black colour was 

 entirely wanting, but the black line behind the eye was clearly observable." 



4 



i 



M 





2ri, 



Jn 



1 



:< 



.V 



y 



r 



