960 Mr. Bhjth's Report for December Meeting, 1842. [No. 143. 



with the back ; a broad eye-streak, the first portion of which is white 

 to beyond the eye, surmounting a ferruginous streak continued back- 

 ward to the occiput; a semi-circle of the same surrounds the dusky 

 ear-coverts, and the entire breast is also ferruginous ; throat white, 

 with dusky spots, forming a line descending from each angle of the 

 lower mandible ; belly and lower tail-coverts white with dusky streaks ; 

 wing-feathers dusky, margined with ferruginous, with an albescent 

 spot at the tip of each covert ; tail brownish, with dull rufous outer 

 margins : bill black, and legs reddish-brown. Nepal. 



A. variegatus, Nobis, should follow A. Nipalensis in the series 

 commencing with A. alpinus ; and A. strophiatus should, if I remem- 

 ber A. montinellus rightly, be placed next to that species. 



P. 188. Pitta nuchalis, Nobis, is identical with Hydrornis (olim 

 PaludicolaJ Nipalensis, Hodgson, J. A. S. VI, 103 : but it is barely 

 separable from the great group of Pitta, a monograph of which would 

 be acceptable at the present time. The following is a slight contri- 

 bution towards its effectuation. 



In India, there appears to be only one species generally distributed, 

 viz. Pitta brachyura, Auct, figured in Gould's Century. I kept a 

 bird of this species for some time alive, but can remark little more 

 than that it progressed by hopping, and that it is a remarkably silent 

 species ; though I am told that it frequently utters a screeching note 

 in the wild state. Allied to it is a beautiful species common in 

 the Malay countries, for which I have been unable to find a name, 

 but can scarcely suppose it undescribed ; viz. 



P. Malaccensis 9 Nobis. Nearly similar to P. brachyura, but consi- 

 derably larger, and everywhere much brighter-coloured ; the wings much 

 more largely marked with brilliant smalt-blue instead of verdigris-blue ; 

 the back a purer dark green ; under-parts brighter fulvous ; and belly 

 and lower tail-coverts vermillion •, under surface of wings black, without 

 the white spot at the bend observable in P. brachyura, but the white 

 patch on the quills much more largely developed, three of the se- 

 condaries being wholly of this colour.* 



P. nigricollis, Nobis. Resembles the P. strepitans, Tem., of Australia, 



* Found also, together with P. gigas, in Arracan, from which locality one of se- 

 veral specimens hefore me is remarkable for the unusual size of its bill, which 

 measures an inch and a quarter to forehead and an inch and a half to gape. 



