6



Sydney Porter—The Giant Pitta



THE GIANT PITTA


(Pitta maxima)


By Sydney Porter


This Pitta, the largest and finest of a group of extraordinary and

brilliant birds, was first made known to British aviculture in the

autumn of last year by Mr. Frost, who went specially to the island of

Halmaheira to obtain it. This little known island, by the way, is the

home of another very extraordinary bird which has recently been

made known to aviculturists in this country, namely, Wallace’s Bird

of Paradise (Semioptera wallacei). Though several specimens were

obtained, only two, I believe, arrived here. One was purchased by

the Zoological Society but it did not survive long, which is to be

regretted, for the bird appeared to be in the most perfect condition.


The brilliant colouring of this bird can never be reproduced properly

on paper, and the plate, though an excellent one, does not convey the

vivid and “ living ” colours of the bird as they are in life. The red

of the under parts is like that of port wine with a light shining through.

The white appeared glossy and polished like the finest china. The

poise is very characteristic of the bird. All other plates drawn from

skins or “ stuffed ” specimens represent the bird in anything but

a life-like position.


It is a thousand pities that the habitat of this bird should be so

remote and the bird itself so rare, for no more desirable denizen of

our aviaries could be imagined. It is to be hoped that Mr. Frost,

who is an old hand at collecting in the Far East, will bring back some

more of the lovely birds, but I doubt it, as the expense of obtaining

them is very great. Pittas are not birds for the beginner in aviculture.

For one thing, no bird is more impatient of cold ; even in the summer

they cannot be kept outside, for the cold and damp of some summer

days quickly gives them fatal chills. They are best kept in small

indoor aviaries where the temperature is never less than 60° F. They

can stand a temperature up to 100° F. ; in fact the hotter it is the

better it seems to suit them.


It is very essential that Pittas should be kept on damp leaf-mould

or good turf, for being ground birds their feet soon go wrong. Kept

under favourable conditions Pittas will keep in perfect health for



