fact that this character was purely sexual was completely established. Dr. Meyer 
ascertained the same fact from specimens from Luzon and Negros, and Mr. Everett 
found that the Bornean examples obtained by him confirmed this determination. From 
specimens examined by me from Borneo and the Philippines I find that the black spot 
on the abdomen is equally as large on those from the first island as is seen on those 
from the latter, and m this respect do not confirm Dr. Sharpe’s statement ; the thighs 
of the Bornean birds are, however, somewhat darker, but the colour seems to vary 
among individuals, and I should not deem it of any specific importance. As, therefore, 
there does not appear to be any character to separate these birds from the different 
islands named, I have reduced P. mülleri (Bonaparte) to a synonym of P. sordida 
(Müller). 
The only remaining form necessary to be noticed is the bird from the island of 
Sanghir, described by Schlegel, 1. e. I have had opportunities of examıning specimens 
from this island, and I stated in the ‘Ibis,’ 1870, р. 412, that I did not consider that 
this form could be specifically separated from P. sordida, and from a late investigation 
of Sanghir examples I see no reason to change the opinion expressed twenty years 
ago. I may add that Prof. Schlegel in his review of the Pittas published in 1874, 
Mus. Pays-Bas, p. 5, gave up the species himself, and made it a synonym of 
Р. atricapilla (Р. sordida). Lord Walden states, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, р. 949, that in 
“two Zamboanga skins the green of the breast and flanks is assuming the blue tint so 
prominent in the large representative form M. steerii.” Dr. Steere, who obtained this 
species in Palawan and Basilan of the Philippines, says that it is common on both. “It 
alights on low stumps and logs in the woods and emits a eurious shrill note at intervals 
of about a minute. On being disturbed it flies off rapidly and disappears in the 
Jungle, but very soon returns to the same spot, and commences whistling again directly 
the danger appears to have passed. It is said by the natives to raise a large heap of 
leaves, and nest on the top of the mound.” The nest, however, according to Sharpe (Proc. 
Zool. Soc. 1875, p. 105), “is a rude structure, apparently taken off the ground, and com- 
posed of fine roots and slender twigs, with a few dead leaves and dry moss. The four eges 
sent are white, with scribblings of dark grey or chocolate-brown fairly distributed all over 
the surface, but nowhere so thick as to obscure to any extent the white ground of the 
egg." Mr. Sclater gives the island of Banka as one of the habitats of this Pitta—I presume 
because a speeimen in Gould's collection was so labelled. I am not aware that any other 
specimen has been proeured on that island. 
