8 MALAYAN OBNITHOL0GY. 



ninety yards, taking to wing and keeping carefully out of range, 

 and finally disappearing in thick jungle. 



However, a few days later, on 18tli June, I was more fortunate, 

 getting an adult male in the beautiful white plumage. It was 

 among the trees bordering the road from Kuala Kangsa to Bukit 

 Gantang. Length to end of ordinary tail 8t inches ; but beyond 

 this the two central feathers projected 6 inches, the total length of 

 the bird being 14^ inches ; beak and eyelids pale lead-blue ; irides 

 dark browm ; head, crest, neck and throat glossy blue-black ; gen- 

 eral plumage white ; inner webs of primaries, shafts of secondaries, 

 shafts and edges of tail-feathers black. 



Another, which I got at Malacca, was 7-J inches long to the 

 end of the ordinary tail, total length 13J inches ; head and crest 

 glossy blue-black ; nape and the underparts ashy grey ; dark and 

 glossy on the throat, but becoming whitish on the abdomen: 

 tail and upper parts rich chestnut : inner w r ebs of w r ing-quills 

 dusky. According to Jerdon, this plumage is characteristic of 

 the immature male. 



Letjcoceeca jayanica (Sparrm.). 



I found this Ely-catcher very common in all the gardens round 

 Tanglin, Singapore. 



Pitta :moluccensis (Mull.). 



This beautiful Ground-Thrush cannot be very rare, as, while 

 stationed at Kuala Kangsa, I had a great many brought to me by 

 the natives, who had caught them in snares. I kept some in 

 my aviary for several months ; and they did well, feeding on 

 rice, but never became at all tame. 



One morning in March, while Snipe-shooting on the bushy 

 ground on the bank of the Perak river, just opposite Kuala 

 Kangsa, I caught a glimpse of a brilliant blue-plumaged bird 

 as it flew into some thick bushes, fired, and found I had killed a 

 specimen of this Pitta. 



I also got specimens in Malacca and Larut. 



Pitta granatin a. 



It is hard to say which is the most beautiful of the Ground- 

 Thrushes ; all are so handsome ; but this will compare favourably 

 with any of them. 



