340 
Birds of Celebes; Pittidae. 
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■ ; 
Acromyodi: “in which the intrinsic muscles of the syrinx are fixed to the 
ends of the bronchial semi-rings”; 
Mesomyodi: “in which the intrinsic muscles of the syrinx are fixed to the ' 
middle of the bronchial semi-rings” (Oates, Faun. Br. Ind. B. 1. p. 5). 
Gadow makes a somewhat different division: f 
Anisomyodae: in which the muscles of the syrinx are not bilaterally sym- I 
metrical, but either entirely lateral, or purely dorsal, or ventral; I 
Biacromyodae: in which the muscles of the syrinx are bilaterally symmetrical, J 
being inserted in the dorsal and ventral ends of the bronchial rings 
(Bronn’s Kl. & Ord. 1893, VI, pt. 4, II, p. 272). ] 
FAMILY PITTIDAE. 
The Pittas are Passeres of terrestrial habits and may be easily recognised 
by their long tarsi, short tails (about as long as the tarsus or a little longer), 
and brilliant coloration; glossy green, deep velvety-black, turquoise and other- 
blues, and pure red being common tints. 
The formation of the syrinx led Garrod to refer the Pittas to his Meso- 
myodian Passeres. As Prof. Newton remarks, “this in itself was an unexpected 
determination, for all the other birds of the group, as then known, inhabit the 
New World, where no Pittas occur”. Dr. Gadow makes the Pittas a family 
of the Claviatores-section of his Anisomyodian Passeres, the other families of this 
group being American and one small one of three species, the Xemcidae, New 
Zealandian. In the opinion of G adow the Pittidae form a transition from the 
Clamatores to the Suhclamatores (consisting of the single family Purylaemidae). 
The bill is about as long as the cranium, without rictal bristles, the nostril 
oval; there are 10 primaries, the P*" large, about as long as the secondaries; 
12 rectrices. The sexes are similar in coloration. 
GENUS PITTA Yieill. 
The family Pittidae consists of about 50 species, which fall into a number 
of sections, but it is doubtful if more than two of them should be separated 
generically, viz. Anthocincla which has long “ear-tufts” and a longer more com- 
pressed bill, found in a Burmese species, and Melampitta of New Guinea, which 
is entirely black and has the frontal plumes short, erect, and the tail longei 
(cf. Sclater, Cat. B. XIV, 1888, 412; Oates, Faun. Br. Ind. B. II, 1890, 387). 
* 109. PITTA CELEBENSIS Mtill. Schl. 
Celebes Bed Pitta. 
Pitta celebensis (1) M. & S., Verb. Natuurk. Comm. 1839—44, Aves, Pitta, p. 18 (ex Forsten 
in litt.); (2) Gray, Gen. B. I, 213 (1846); (HI) Westerm., Bijdr. t. d. Dierk. 1854, 
