The note of this Pitta differs at times from those uttered by other species of the group, 
and when alarmed, says Davison: it resembles а rolling kir-r-r. One peculiar habit 
of this bird is to jerk its tail and drop its wings slightiy as it hops along. The note 
is uttered morning and evening, and individuals answer each other at such times in all 
directions. Though generally solitary, occasionally two are seen together. 
While almost exclusively a ground dweller, Davison once shot one high up in a tree, 
his attention having been drawn to it by a peculiar short double note it was uttering, 
entirely unlike its usual call, and with each note it flopped its wings and jerked up 
its tail. | 
The discovery of so beautiful and such a strongly marked species as Gurney’s Pitta 
shows how easily even a very conspicuous bird may be overlooked, and how probable 
it is that even now, amid the forest recesses of various lands, members of this family, 
with equally brilliant plumage, may remain yet to be discovered and reward the labours 
of some persevering naturalist. 
