PITTA CORONATA. 
IRENE PITTA. 
Le Merle verd des Moluques, Briss. Orn. 1760, vol. ii. p. 316, pl. 32. fig. 1. 
Corvus brachyurus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1766, vol. i. p. 158. sp. 15 (partim). 
Merle de Bengale, Buff. Plan. Enlum. no. 258. 
Turdus coronatus, P. L. S. Müller, Syst. Nat. 1766, Suppl. p. 144.— Cass. Proc. Acad. Nat. Scien. Phil. 
1864, p. 250. 
Short-tailed Crow, Lath. Gen. Hist. B. vol. i. p. 398. 
Merula (Corvus) brachyurus, Bodd. Tab. Plan. Enlum. 1783, p. 16. 
Pitia irena, Temm. Plan. Col. 1836, no. 591.—Id. Tab. Méth. 1838, p. 16.—Müll. & Schleg. Verh. 
Natuur. Geschied. Neder. overz. Bezitt., Zool Pitta, 1839-44, pp. 12, 17.— Gray, Gen. B. vol. i. 
1846, p. 213.— Wall. Ibis, 1861, p. 350; 1864, р. 106.—Id. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 485 
(Timor).—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. vol. xvi. 1880, p. 185.—Id. Ornit. Papuas. vol. ii. 1881, 
p. 390.—Sclat. Cat. B. vol. xiv. 1888, p. 427. 
Pitta elegans, Temm. Plan. Col. vol. v. 1836, text. 
Brachyurus irena, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. vol. i. 1850, p. 254.—Id. Consp. Voluc. Anis. 1854, p. 7. 
no. 179.—Elliot, Mon. Pitt. 1863, pl. xi—Id. Ibis, 1870, p. 416. 
Pitta brachyura, Gray, Gen. В. vol. 1. 1846, p. 213.—Schleg. Ned. Tijdsch. vol. iii. 1866, p. 189.—Id. Vog. 
Ned. Ind., Pitta, 1863, pp. 13, 32, pl. 3. figs. 2, 3 (Timor, Ternate).—Id. Mus. Pays-B., Pitta, 
1863, p. 11; 1874, p. 14 (Boano, Sula Mangola, Sula Bessie).—Meyer, Isis, 1884, p. 43 
(Dammar). 
Pitta crassirostris, Wall. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1862, pp. 188, 339 (Sula).—Id. Ibis, 1864, p. 106.—Finsch, 
Neu-Guin. 1865, p. 167.—Sclat. Cat. B. vol. xiv. 1888, p. 427. 
Brachyurus crassirostris, Elliot, Mon. Pitt. 1863, text.—Id. Ibis, 1870, p. 416. 
Pilta magnirostris, Schleg. Ned. Tijdsch. vol. iii. 1866, p. 188 (Boano). 
Hasırar.—Timor, Samaow (S. Müller); Ternate (Bernstein); Boano (Hoedt); Sula Mangola, 
Sula Bessie (Hoedt, Wallace). Ei 
Adult. Mead, nape, throat, and centre of fore neck jet-black ; line from front over the eye to occiput 
yellowish brown, base of feathers orange; back and wings dark green ; lesser wing-coverts and apical 
portion of upper tail-coverts shining blue. Primaries black, with a white spot on 4th and 5th. 
Under wing-coverts black. "Tail black, tipped with green. Underparts fawn-colour ; centre of abdomen 
and under tail-coverts scarlet. Bill black ; feet flesh-colour. Length 6:5 inches, wing 4:3, tail 1:5. 
Examples from the Sula Islands, named P. crassirostris by Wallace, are slightly longer and have a 
little thicker bill. 
This is the species usually recognized by authors as Pitta irena, Temminck ; but this 
is not the name it should properly bear, as it is antedated by that of coronata of 
P. L. S. Müller. This author bestowed the name last given upon the bird figured by 
Buffon, I. е., as the Merle de Bengale. Misled by the French appellation, this figure 
has been generally attributed by ornithologists to the Bengal Pitta, Corvus brachyurus, 
Linn.; but that species has a white throat, and is altogether differently marked upon 
the head. Buffon's description of his Merle de Bengale at once proves that it cannot 
be the Indian species, but applies to the Irene Pitta. He says “1а tête et le cou 
enveloppés d'un coqueluchon noir, mais sur lequel se dessinent deux grands sourcils 
orangés." As mentioned in my description, the base of the feathers of the superciliary 
stripe are deep buff almost orange in hue, and in fresh specimens this hue would 
