Bet | 
FITTS PROPINQUA. 
ALLIED PITTA. 
Brachyurus propinquus, Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Zool. vol. i. 1877, p. 330 (Balabac, Mindanao, 
Philippines). 
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Melanopitta propinqua, Wardlaw-Ramsay, Mem. Tweed. Append. 1881, p. 657.— Whitehead, Ibis, 1893, 
p. 505. 
Pitta propinqua, Sclater, Cat. B. vol. xiv. 1888, p. 433.—Blas. Ornis, vol. iv. 1888, p. 314 (Balabac, 
Mindanao). 
Hasrrar.—Balabac, Philippines (Steere). 
Head chestnut, with a blackish-brown line over each eye, grading into chestnut ; tips of ear-coverts faintly 
tinged with blue; back, scapulars, and a line below the nape, rump, and upper tail-coverts cobalt-blue ; 
band across back green. Upper part of throat brownish-black, becoming jet-black on the lower part of 
throat and fore neck. Breast bright blue, sides greenish. Under wing-coverts dull blue. White spot 
on shoulder. Primaries black, central white spot on 3rd and 4th. Abdomen and under tail-coverts 
crimson.  Maxilla black; mandible horn-colour at base, tip. black ; feet and legs brown. Total 
length 6} inches, wing 33, tail 12, tarsus 11. (Ex type.) 
This species closely resembles P. erythrogastra, but differs from that bird in the deep 
chestnut colour of the head and the much blacker throat. The blue of the breast is 
slightly darker in hue. In regard to the habitat of this Pitta, Prof. Steere writes me that 
it is not found on Mindanao, but is a native of Balabac, and he thinks the specimen of a 
young bird in the British Museum, which is said to have come from Mindanao, belongs 
either to some other species, or that an error has been made in the locality, and that it is 
really from Balabac. 
This Pitta is one of the discoveries made by Prof. Steere in his first expedition to the 
Philippines, and was described with other of Prof. Steere’s new species by Sharpe, J. c. 
The type, shot by its discoverer on Balabac, was kindly forwarded to me by Prof. Steere, 
and from this specimen my description was taken, and it is represented by the figure 
in the Plate. 
Nothing is known of its economy or habits. 
Mr. Everett, in the ‘Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatie O T e. 
has placed this species as a synonym of P. erythrogastra, Temm., for the reason that he 
considered it merely a richly coloured individual of the Philippine bird. The specimen 
in the British Museum, whieh enabled Mr. Everett to arrive at his opinion of its specific 
value, is not the type of the species, but a young bird, and is hardly sufficient evidence 
on which to found such a decision. I have carefully compared the type with a series of 
Р. erythrogastra, and it seems to possess characters of sufficient specific value to preclude 
it from being united with the species just named. 
The figures in the accompanying Plate, drawn from the type specimen and the young 
