ue ES 
PITTA ATRICAPILLA. 
NEW-GUINEA PITTA. 
Pitta atricapilla (nec auct.), Quoy & Gaim. Voy. Astr., Zool. vol. i. 1830, p. 258: Atlas, 1833, pl. 8. fig. 3. 
Pitta nove-guinee, Müll. & Schleg. Verh. Natuur. Geschied. Neder. overz. Bezitt., Zool. Pitta, 1839-44, 
р. 19.—Gray, Gen. B. vol. i. 1846, p. 214.— Id. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858, p. 175 (Aru); 1859, p. 156; 
1861, p. 434 (Mysol).—Id. Cat. B. New Guin. 1859, p. 26 (Aru).—Sclat. Proc. Linn. Soc. vol. ii. 
1858, p. 158. sp. 39.—Schleg. Vog. Ned. Ind., Pitta, 1863, pp. 7, 31, pl. 2. fig. 4.—Id. Mus. Pays- 
B., Pitta, 1863, p. 4; 1874, p. 6 (Gagie, Mysol, Wokam, Wonumbai).—Id. Ned. Tijdsch. vol. iii. 
1866, p. 189 ; vol. iv. 1871, pp. 15, 16.— Wallace, Ibis, 1864, pp. 102, 105, 106.—Finsch, Neu-Guin. 
1865, p. 167.— Bernst. Tijdsch. Dierk. vol. ii. 1865, p. 367.—D' Alb. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1875, p. 531.— 
Rosenb. Reist. naar Geelv. 1875, p. 114.—D’Alb. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. vol. vii. 1875, p. 798; 
vol. x. 1877, p. 11.—8alv. Ann. Mus. Civ. Gen. vol. vii. 1875, p. 777 ; vol. viii. 1876, p. 398; vol. x. 
1877, p. 128; vol. xvi. 1880, p. 184.—Id. Orn. Papuas. vol. ii. 1881, p. 380.—Salv. & D'Alb. Ann. 
Mus. Civ. Gen. vol. xiv. 1879, p. 84.— Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, vol. m. 1878, 
pp. 109, 277 (Hall Sound, Ethel River, New Guinea); vol. iv. 1880, p. 98 (Port Moresby).— 
Sharpe, Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. vol. xiii. 1877, p. 315; vol. xiv. 1879, p. 687 (Mysol, Salwatti, 
Batanta).—Gould, B. N. Guin. vol. iv. 1877, pl. 36.—Rosenb. Malay. Arch. 1879, pp. 395, 554.— 
“ 
Sclat. Cat. В. vol. xiv. 1888, p. 440. 
Brachyurus nove-guinee, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av. vol. i. 1850, p. 256.—Wallace, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 
vol. xx. 1857, p. 477 (Aru).—Rosenb. Nat. Tijdsch. Ned. Ind. vol. xxv. 1863, p. 232.—Id. Journ. 
fiir Ornith. 1864, p. 119 (Salwatti, Batanta).— Elliot, Ibis, 1870, p. 420. 
Melanopitta nove-guinee, Bonap. Consp. Voluc. Anisod. 1854, p. 7. no. 197. 
Brachyurus (Melanopitta) nove-guinee, Elliot, Mon. Pitt. 1863, pl. xxvii. 
Hagrrar.—Andai, Dorey (v. Rosenberg) ; Sorong, Saleh (Bernstein) ; Port Moresby (Ramsay) ; Fly River 
(D’ Albert.) ; New Guinea. Waigiou (Bernstein) ; Batanta, Salwatti (Rosenberg) ; Mysol (Hoedt) ; 
Gagie (Bernstein) ; Wokam (Hoedt) ; Wonumbai (v. Rosenberg); Giabu-lengan (Bruijn); Aru 
Islands. Naiabui, Yule Island (D' Albertis). 
Head and neck all round black; back, wings, and tail dark green ; lesser wing-coverts and narrow band on rump 
(wanting in some specimens) silver-blue ; primaries brownish-black, with a central white spot on 4th 
and 5th, sometimes also on 6th; upper part of breast pale green, with metallic reflections ; flanks dark. 
green; centre of breast and abdomen blue, terminating in a black patch; lower abdomen and under 
tail-coverts deep red. Bill black; feet and tarsi pale brown. Length 63 inches, wine 4, tail 13. 
The type, as described by Quoy and Gaimard, had the rump a dirty green, without any blue. The white 
spot on the primaries varies in size in specimens from different islands; those from Salwatti have it 
well pronounced, while those from the Aru Group have it much less conspicuous, examples from 
Wonumbai being without it altogether. Very young individuals described by Salvadori from Mansinam, 
New Guinea (Ornit. Papuas. 1. c.), have the crown and nape black; sides of head blackish; throat 
variegated with black and dirty grey ; back and wings dark olive; the silvery blue bars at the base of 
upper tail-coverts very conspicuous. Tail olive; breast and flanks brownish fawn-colour ; abdomen 
and under tail-coverts rosy-tinted. Bill black, tip whitish. 
This species was first described and figured by Quoy and Gaimard, /. c., as Pitta 
atricapilla. Lesson (Trait. Ornith. 1831, p. 394), a year after the species was made known 
to naturalists, attributed the name atricapilla to Cuvier, as having been bestowed by him 
on the Philippine bird (P. sordida, Müll.), but neither gave any description, nor stated where 
Cuvier’s atricapilla was published. I have not been able to ascertain that Cuvier ever 
called any Pitta atricapilla ; but if he did, it is probably a MS. name attached to some 
co. Là etna! эш al سفت‎ а ee Оле rin os Pcr li 
