54 
Genus Emblema. 
Generic characters. 
Bill nearly as long as the head, conical, and much resembling that 
of the genus Ploceus ; wings moderately long as compared with the 
body ; first quill rudimentary, the four next equal in length ; ter~ 
tiaries much lengthened ; tail moderately long and nearly square, or 
slightly rounded; feet plantigrade; toes extremely slender, the 
middle toe much longer than the lateral ones, which are equal in 
length. 
250. Emblema picta, Gould Yol. III. PI. 97. 
The single example of this beautiful bird, which was procured 
and presented to me by B. Bynoe, Esq., is I believe all that has ever 
been seen ; I regret to say it no longer graces my collection, having 
been stolen therefrom, together with some other valuable birds, in 
the year 1846. 
Family MERULIDzE. 
Genus Pitta. 
The members of this genus extend from tropical India through- 
out the islands of the Indian Archipelago to Australia; one or two 
species also occur in Africa. Of the three inhabiting Australia the 
Pitta Iris is figured for the first time in the present work, and is one 
of the very finest species of this lovely group of birds. 
251. Pitta strepitans, Temm Yol. IV. PI. 1. 
Since my account of this species was printed I have received its 
nest and eggs, accompanied by the following notes from Mr. Strange 
of Sydney : — 
“ I never saw any bird whose actions are more graceful than 
those of the Pitta strepitans , when seen in its native brushes, where 
its presence is indicated by its singular call, resembling the words 
‘ ivant a watch by imitating which you can call it close to the 
muzzle of your gun ; no sooner, however, does it commence breeding 
than it becomes shy and retiring, keeping out of sight in the most 
artful manner, moving about from place to place, and occasionally 
uttering its cry until it has drawn you away from the nest. The 
nests I have seen were placed in the spur of a fig-tree near the 
ground, and were of a domed form, outwardly constructed of sticks 
and lined with moss, leaves and fine pieces of bark ; the eggs are 
four in number,” of a pale creamy-white marked all over with ir- 
regularly-shaped blotches of brown and deep vinous grey, the latter 
appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell ; they are one inch 
and a quarter in length by seven-eighths of an inch in breadth. 
252. Pitta Vigorsii, Gould Yol. IV. PI. 2. 
I regret to say that up to the present time I have not been able 
to obtain any information respecting this species, the specimen of 
which, in the Linnean Society’s Collection, is the only evidence we 
