THE GIANT PITTA. 
413 
Genus GIGANTIPITTA, Bjp. 
384. GIGANTIPITTA C^RULEA. 
THE GIANT PITTA. 
Myiothera caerulea, JRaffi. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 301. Brachyurus caerulea, 
Elliot, Mon. Pitt. pis. i. & ii. ; id. Ibis, 1870, p. 412. Brachyurus davisoni, 
Hume, S. F. iii. p. 321 (note). Pitta cssrulea, Hume ^ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 238 ; 
Hume, S. F. viii. p. 94. 
Description. — Male, Forehead^ front and sides of head and the ear- 
coverts greyish brown_, each feather narrowly margined with black ; crown, 
nape and back of neck black ; a broad supercilinm produced back nearly 
to the end of the black on the neck, as also a broad patch below this line 
and separated from it by a broad black streak starting from the eye and 
passing over the ear-coverts, fulvescent ; chin and upper throat plain fuh 
vescent; lower throat and sides of the neck the same, but each feather 
slightly margined with blackish ; the whole lower plumage fulvous with a 
tinge of green ; the throat is separated from the breast by a broad collar of 
black formed by the bases of certain of the feathers ; this collar is not, 
however, always present; wings chiefly black, all the exposed portions 
when shut being blue ; back, upper wing-coverts, rump, tail-coverts and 
tail bright blue. 
Female. The whole head and nape rufous- grey, closely barred with 
black ; a broad streak from the eye over the ear-coverts and a broad collar 
round the back of the neck black ; a supercilinm reaching to the black 
collar, widening as it approaches it, and half surrounding the end of the 
black streak just referred to, plain fulvous ; upper plumage chestnut ; tail 
blue ; wing-coverts and tertiaries chestnut ; primaries and secondaries 
brown, more or less edged with ruddy ; chin and throat pale grey ; sides of 
the head and lower throat fulvous -grey, mottled with brownish ; remainder 
of lower plumage fulvous, with a tinge of green ; a black collar between 
the throat and breast, but not so conspicuous as in the male. 
Legs and feet bluish fleshy or dark fleshy, tinged with pale plumbeous ; 
bill black; inside of the mouth white; eyelids and gape very dark fleshy; 
irides hazel-grey. {Davison.) 
Length 11-4 inches, tail 2*5, wing 6'2, tarsus 2*4, bill 1*75. The 
female is a little smaller. 
The Giant Pitta was procured in Tenasserim by Mr. Davison at Banka- 
soon and at the foot of Nwalabo mountain. 
It occurs in Borneo, Sumatra and at Malacca, and will probably be 
found to extend all the way up the Malay peninsula and also into Siam. 
This species, like many others of this family, appears to be partially 
