Part 164

Sclater says: "It is impossible to mistake this noble species, distinguished at once by its pure white throat and silvery blue under surface."

"The plumage of some of the young birds, being in an interesting stage of transition, is worth describing. The youngest example, a male, has the upper parts and wings like those of the adult, but the breast, sides, and flanks are of a dirty, grayish olive, only one or two of the silver-blue feathers being visible, and the entire middle of the breast and belly are pale scarlet. A rather older bird is similar to the above, but down the sides and middle of the breast are three lines of pale blue feathers. In both specimens these are being attained by molt. In the middle of the breast a tuft of the black adult feathers is making its appearance amongst the red, and some of the latter appear to be turning black without a molt. * * *." (Grant.)

Steere's pitta is by no means common in any of the islands where it has been found. In Bohol it was collected in forests of small trees growing on coral-limestone hills and Whitehead found the species on similar ground in Samar.

386. PITTA MOLUCCENSIS (P. L. S. Müller).

BLUE-WINGED PITTA.

Turdus moluccensis P. L. S. Müller, Natursyst. Suppl. (1776), 144. Pitta cyanoptera Temminck, Pl. Col. (1823), 218; Sclater, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 14, 420; Hume, Oates ed. Nests & Eggs Ind. Bds. (1890), 2, 283; Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 180. Pitta fastosa McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 286.

Basilan (Celestino). Burma, Siam, Cambodia, southern China, Malay Peninsula, Borneo.

Adult (sexes alike).--Sides of head including lores, cheeks, supercilia, and ear-coverts black, connected by a wide black collar; wide vertical stripe black, bordered on each side by a wide stripe of fulvous brown, the feathers edged with pale buff on exterior webs; back, scapulars, and tertials dark green; rump, upper tail-coverts, and lesser and median wing-coverts bright ultramarine-blue; chin black; throat white; lower throat, breast, abdomen, and flanks ruddy buff, most intense on breast; vent, under tail-coverts, and middle of abdomen bright red; tail black, tipped with dull blue; primaries black, each feather with a white patch, mesial and smallest on first, reaching tip on seventh; secondaries black, edged with dull blue on terminal half; alula, primary-coverts, axillars, and wing-lining black. A male measures: Wing, 119; tail, 38; culmen from base, 26; bill from nostril, 17; tarsus, 39. A female from Basilan (type of Pitta fastosa) measures: Length in flesh, 190; wing, 117; tail, 40; culmen from base, 28; bill from nostril, 18; tarsus, 36.

The type of Pitta fastosa McGregor proves to be a specimen of P. moluccensis. This species is migratory.

Suborder ACROMYODI.

Characters the same as those given in the key to Suborders.

Families.

a1. Width of gape about twice the length of bill from nostril; bill short and weak; secondaries about one-half as long as wing; legs and feet weak. ... Hirundinidæ (p. 424) a2. Width of gape usually much less than, or at most about equal to, bill from nostril; secondaries more than one-half as long as wing.

b1. Tarsus booted, its anterior face consisting of a single plate, occasionally with obsolete transverse divisions; or, sometimes with one or two transverse lines near the foot.

c1. Tarsus not longer than bill from gape, usually much less.

d1. First primary more than one-half the length of the second. ... Pycnonotidæ (p. 496) d2. First primary much less than one-half the length of the second. ... Certhiidæ (p. 611)

c2. Tarsus decidedly longer than bill from gape.

d1. Tertials decidedly shorter than the secondaries.

e1. Usually much larger; tail square, or nearly so; rictal bristles longer and more numerous; plumage of young mottled or squamate. ... Turdidæ (p. 541) e2. Usually much smaller; tail rounded, wedge-shaped, or strongly graduated; wing never over 100 mm., usually much less; plumage of young nearly like that of adult, but usually brighter. ... Sylviidæ (p. 566)

d2. Tertials longer than the secondaries; hind claw usually longer than the hind toe. ... Motacillidæ (p. 664)

b2. Tarsus distinctly scutellate, in front at least.

c1. Posterior face of tarsus rounded and scutellate. ... Alaudidæ (p. 673) c2. Posterior face of tarsus compressed and acute, without transverse divisions.

d1. Cutting edges of bill minutely serrated.

e1. Bill from nostril more than tarsus; bill slender and strongly curved. ... Nectarinidæ (p. 641) e2. Bill from nostril less than tarsus; bill stouter and but little curved. ... Dicæidæ (p. 622)

d2. Cutting edges of bill not serrated.

e1. First primary wanting; the outermost (second) primary nearly as long as the next (third) one.

f1. Bill slender, curved, and acute; a circle of white feathers around the eye (usually). ... Zosteropidæ (p. 613) f2. Bill stout, conical, and relatively shorter; no circle of white feathers around the eye. ... Fringillidæ (p. 676)

e2. First primary present, sometimes very minute.