MELANOPITTA SORDIDA. 
Black-headed Pitta. 
Le Merle verd d teste noire des Moluques, Brisson, Orn. ii. p. 319. 
Merle des Philippines, D’Aub. PL Enl, pi. 89. 
Breve des Philippines, Month. Hist. Nat. Ois. iii. p. 412. 
Turdus sordidus, P. L. S. Miill. Hist. Nat. Anhang, p. 143 (1766). 
Turdus hrevicauda, Bodd. PI. Enl. de D’Aub. p. 6. 
Corvus philippensis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 375 (1788). 
Citta melanocephala, Wagl. Syst. Av. Corvus, no. 14 (nec Forst.). 
Pitta atricapilla, Less. Traite, p. 394 (nec Mull. & Schleg.). — ^Temm. PI. Col. Tabl. Meth. p. 16. — Less. Compl. 
Buff. 1840, p. 501. 
Pitta macrorhyncha, J. E. Gray, Zool. Misc. p. 3. 
Brachyurus atricapillus, Elliot, Monogr. Pittidae, pi. 25. 
Pitta sordida, Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p. 295, no. 4359. 
Brachyurns sordidus, Elliot, Ibis, 1870, p. 419 (part.) — Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. 2nd ser. Zool. i. p. 331. 
Melanopitta sordida, y^vddi. Trans. Zool. Soc. ix. p. 187. — Tweedd. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 949. — Wardlaw- 
Ramsay, Orn. Works of Marquis of Tweeddale, pp. 352, 411, 639, 657 (1881). 
The long list of names given above shows that this species has been the recipient of many different titles ; 
and much confusion has been the result. I think I cannot do better than quote the remarks on the subject 
given by the late Marquis of Tweeddale in his paper on the Birds of the Philippine Ai'chipelago (Trans. Zool. 
Soc. ix. p. 188). 
“The synonymy of this species is somewhat perplexing, in consequence of Brisson (/. c.) having given a 
description, applying in all its details to the Philippine bird, to an individual said by him to have been sent 
to I’Abhey Aubre from the Moluccas. Montbeillard (/. c.) some years later described seemingly the same 
bird (and it was figured by D’Auhenton /. c.), but attributed its origin to the Philippines. The difficulty 
thus caused would probably have remained through all time unsolved had not Le Vaillant, by one of 
his gratuitous and carping criticisms, unintentionally assisted us. With the view of showing that Buffon 
was in the habit of describing as good species individuals that had been manufactured by dishonest dealers, 
Le Vaillant (Ois. de Par. vol. i. p. 106) incidentally alludes to this species. He asserts that the 
description given hy Buffon (Montbeillard) of his ‘ Breve des PhUippines ’ w^as taken from a specimen of 
the ‘ Breve de Ceylan ’ (= Corvus brachyurus, Linn.), in which the head of the common Blackbird had 
been substituted. This example, Le Vaillant says, formed part of the Abbe Aubrey’s cabinet; and adds 
that he purchased it when that collection was sold, and at once discovered the imposition. This story 
Cuvier (R. A, 1817, p. 356, note 2) repeated on Le Vaillant’s authority. Vieillot (Nouv. Diet. p. 358, 
and Tabl. Method. Orn. p. 686) did the same without mentioning his authority. It remained uncontradicted 
until Wagler (/. c.) showed that Le Vaillant was in error. And Cuvier in the second edition of the 
‘ Regne Animal ’ (p. 373, note) also corrected Le Vaillant. The statement that Montbeillard described 
from the specimen in Aubrey’s cabinet may be accepted ; for it is supported by the collateral evidence of 
Montbeillard (/. c.), who, in a footjiote, remarks that it is the same bird that Brisson made his 57th 
‘ Grive.’ As no species of Melanopitta is known to exist in the Moluccas, we are justified in assuming 
that Brisson and Montbeillard described from the same, a Philippine example, and in regarding their 
descriptions as having formed the common basis of all subsequent synonyms applied to this Philippine form 
of Pitta." 
With this species has very often been united the Bornean Melanopitta muelleri ; but this is quite distinct, 
M. sordida not having the black patch on the belly which is conspicuous in M. muelleri. The present bird, 
as far as we know, is entirely confined to the Philippine group, where it is tolerably widely distributed, having 
been met with in the following islands — Luzon, Negros, Camiguin, Mindanao, Basilan, and Palawan. In 
the last two localities it was procured hy Professor Steere, who writes that it is common in both. “ They 
alight,” he observes “ on the low stumps and logs in the woods, and emit a curious shrill note at intervals 
of about a minute. On being disturbed they fly off rapidly and disappear in the jungle, but very soon 
return to the same spot and commence whistling again directly the danger appears to have passed. They 
are said by the natives to raise a large heap of leaves and nest on the top of the mound.” The 
fact of the discovery of this bird by Professor Steere in Palawan is, as has been pointed out by Mr. Sharpe, 
of some interest, as it would not have been surprising if the Pitta from this locality had proved to be 
the Bornean Melanopitta muelleri, many of the birds discovered in Palawan being more nearly allied 
to those of Borneo than to those of the Philippine Islands. 
