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PITTA BENGALENSIS.
Bengal Pitta.

Coturnix bengalensis, Albin, Birds, vol. i. pl. 31

Corvus brachyurus, Linn. Syst. Nat., 1766, vol. i p. 158

ee bengalensis, Gmel. edit. Linn. Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 376. var
Turdus triostegus, Sparrm. Mus. Carls., pl. 84. : Ree aay

malaccensis, Scop. Faun. et Flor. Insub.
Myiothera brachyura, Cuv. Regn. Anim., 1817, tom. i. p. 356.
Pitta bengalensis, Vieill. Ency. Méth. Orn., 2nde partie, p. 685.—Jerd. Birds of India, vol. i. p. 50:
—— brachyura, Less. Traité d’Orn. p. 394.—Gould, Cent. of Himal. Birds | 1 sat ae
— coronata, G. R. Gray, Hand-list of Birds, part i. p. 294. ee
—— triostegus, Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Mus. Asiat. Soc. Calcutta, p. 157.
Brachyurus bengalensis, Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., vol. i. p. 254, Bracke Sp Oe Eine A ieee a ane
a — coronatus, Elliot, Syn. of Pitt., Ibis, 1870, p. 414. or me
Turdus coronatus, Mill. Natursyst., Anhang, p. 144 ?
Short-tailed Pye, Edw. Glean. of Nat. Hist., pl. 324.

Shum shah of the Bengalese. Now rung of the Hindoos, ¢. e. nine-coloured bird. Pona-inka of the Telugus

 

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Tuts appears to be the earliest described species of a beautiful family of Old-World birds—the Pittde,

 

or Ant-Thrushes,—all the members of which, with the exception of a solitary species confined to a limited

area in Africa, inhabit India, China, and the numerous islands to the southward as far as Australia, but not

Polynesia or New Zealand.

FO Ley

The distribution of the present species over India is so very general that Mr. Blyth says it is found

re

throughout the whole of the country, from the Himalayan region to Ceylon inclusive, but never on the
eastern side of the Bay of Bengal.

Although the Bengal Pitta is so common all over India, very little has been recorded respecting its
habits and economy, and, as far as I can learn, nothing whatever as to its nidification, the number and
colour of its eggs, &c.; but I trust these desiderata will soon be supplied by some of the many gentlemen
who have of late years turned their attention to the ornithology of the East.

In Mr. Jerdon’s ‘ Birds of India’ it is stated that ‘“ this prettily plumaged Ground-Thrush is common in
t with in every part of the country that is tolerably wooded.
of the hot weather, when the land-winds first begin

(5

F
cy

the Indian forests, but is also occasionally me
In the Carnatic it chiefly occurs in the beginning
to blow with violence from the west: and the birds in many instances appear to have been blown by the

strong wind from the Eastern Ghats ; for, being birds of feeble flight, they are unable to contend against

the strength of the wind. At this time they take refuge in huts ¢
them shelter. The first bird of this kind that I saw had taken refuge in the General Hospital at Madras ;
at Nellore, I obtained many alive under the same circumstances. Layard states that
eginning of the cold weather. He further

ind houses, or any building that will afford

and subsequently,
the Snipe, in the b
led brakes and ill-kept native gardens. It seldom alights
ther; and it feeds chiefly on the

in Ceylon it is migratory, coming in with
remarks that it is shy and wary, resorting to tang
but I have seen three or four toge
Like others of its family, it progresses by hopping, and is in
loud whistling note. Its Singalese name is
Blyth was informed that it

on trees, and is generally found single ;
ground, on various coleopterous insects.
yird, but is said to emit at times a fine

general a most silent |
said to be derived from its call,—Aoitch-i-a, pronounced slowly and distinctly.

uttered a loud screeching note.”

There is no apparent difference in the c
skins sent to England with dark elongated marks
while in others these parts are uniform in colour ;
of immaturity,
iose favourably situated for 0
some instances brownish buff,

xes; but specimens frequently occur among the

olouring of the se
athers of the back and rump,

down the stem of the fe
whether these marks are characteristic of any parti-
cular season, or whether they are indicative I have been unable to determine, and it Is a
. irec i fi bservation. Other differences
point to which I would direct the attention of ti ated :
also occasionally present themselves—the superciliary stripe bemg 1m
while in others it is of a lighter hue and, moreover,
Although Mr. Blyth states that he has not seen tl
Bengal, I possess a bird from Assam which is so ¢l
it is, however, a smaller
head from the bill to the naj

marked with green.
is bird from any local
osely similar to Indian
delicately formed in every respect.
wrow from the forehead to the

ity to the eastward of the Bay of

exainples that I question the
i iving 1 bird, and more

propriety of giving it a naine ; yird,

: : ye black, né
A line down the centre of the

 

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