Famil y— P I T T I D m. 
Only three species of this family occur in Australia, and only one reaches from 
Cape York to New South Wales, the other two being restricted, one to North- 
western Australia, the other to Cape York. It is thus obvious that we have 
here a family of late introduction to Australia and it is noteworthy that the 
rest of the members of the family are Afro-Indo-Malaysian. 
Of wonderful and varied coloration and peculiar formation they have 
attracted the notice of many ornithologists without much increase in our 
taxonomic knowledge. As far as can be gathered they are peculiarly modified 
Passerine forms, showing coincidence in the degradation of the syrinx muscles 
with a large Neotropical group, and a similar state appears again in the Neo- 
zelanic genus Acanthisitta. No direct relationship is implied by this conver- 
gence and its value is minimised by this sporadic occurrence. A similar case in 
the Madagascarian Philepitta misled many to suppose that it was of peculiar 
significance, but the geographical facts are sufficient to indicate its nature. 
Thus from Madagascar and New Zealand in other orders convergence has 
been established and the matter was well thrashed out in conjunction with 
the extinct Rail Diaphorapteryx Forbes, which was differentiated from 
Aphanapteryx and then considered identical, and then again separated. 
The Pittas are easily recognisable at sight by their vivid coloration, asso- 
ciated with stumpy bodies, long legs and miniature tails. The typical species is 
comparatively dully coloured, and has a bill, very like that of a Thrush, mode- 
rately long, slightly arched with the tip decurved but not notched, the nostrils 
open at the base of the bill, semi-operculate. The wings are of medium length 
but well rounded : the first primary long and equal to the fifth but little shorter 
than the three intermediate, the sixth slightly less and the remaining ones 
slightly decreasing until equal to the secondaries and tertials, the longest tertial 
slightly longer than the secondaries. The tail consists of twelve very short 
weak feathers, slightly rounded and not exceeding by much the upper tail-coverts. 
The legs are long, booted in front and behind : the toes are of medium length 
about one half the length of the tarsus, the claws long : the hind-toe and claw 
are both long. 
Internally they show distinctive features which have been used to 
separate them with a few other degraded groups as a section abnormal to 
the bulk of the Passerines. Beddard states: “ Pitta is unique among passerine 
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