206 The American Naturalist. [Mareh, 
the Straits or over shallow seas. Mr. Moseley bears witness to the 
great numbers of this busy bird in his interesting Notes of a nat- 
uralist. He writes: “An immense tree with a tall stem free from 
branches, until at a great height it spread out into a wide and 
evenly-shaped crown, was full of the nests of the Metallic 
Starling. There must have been 300 or 400 nests in the tree; 
every available branch was full of them.” The long slender 
body of this starling is entirely glossy black with purple, 
violet and green reflections. On the upper breast the over- 
laid plumes throw off a bronze or brownish tinge. The tail is 
spreading and graduated, the two middle feathers extending 
about an inch beyond the others. Length about 9 inches. 
Speaking generally the Pittas or Ground Thrushes as they 
have been named, are of soft, brilliant and velvety plumage 
wherein the colors though contrasted, blend with most harmon- 
ious effect. In figure and shape they suggest the rail, having — 
furthermore the short tail of that bird. In habits also they 
are not dissimilar, being shy and retiring, keeping within the 
gloom of the dense forest from whence their duplicated whistle 
sounds like a plaintive lament in the deep silence. They live 
chiefly upon insects and worms. ; 
Pitta maxima or gigas found on the island of Gilolo, which — 
Mr. Wallace rightly calls “ one of the most beautiful birds of 
the East,” is of large size being about 10 inches in length and 
standing to nearly the same height. This typical species is 4 
glossy black above including the neck and throat. The under 
parts are velvety-white excepting the abdomen which is black 
but with the crissum and under tail coverts a fine scarlet, a 
characteristic mark of this family. 
A shining blue beginning near the shoulder and banding 
the wings broadly, becoming less bright as it widens, adorns 
the sides. The specimen which is splendidly mounted and 
shown to great advantage in the Fairbank’s Museum in St. 
Johnsbury, Vt., has a red feather in the upper tail coverts; 
whether this is anomalous may be questioned but I have also 
seen a white feather in one bird. The long strong legs of this 
giant of his tribe render it comparatively easy for him to make 
