PITTA, Vicillot's name for a genus of remarkable birds placed by Mr. Swainson among the ant-thrushes, or mgiotherina. envier united the breves of Buffon and the typical ant-thrushes. The breves are remarkable for their livid plumage, their long legs, and their very short tail. They are found in the Malay islands, while the ant-thrushes belong to America as well as to the old world. The genus pitta is of remarkable beautt•; they have the gradually curved bill of the true thrushes, but much stronger. P. gigas, or 2.-inut pitta, is about the size of a magpie, with a short square tail, which is com pletely covered by the wings. The back, rump, and tops of the wings are of a brill :mit azure blue; the quills are black,with azure towards the tips; top of head and collar black; front and side of head, breast, and belly ashy brown; throat, whitish; feet very long, and of a horny, ashy color. Total length from beak to end of tail, 9 inches. Inhabits Sumatra. A sub-genus, chlorisoma (green-bodied), is clothed principally in a brilliant celadon-green, with velvety black bands springing from the angle of the bill, passing behind the eye and across the back of the head; tail, deep green; wings, red dish; but the three or four secondary feathers nearest the body are of an opaline bluish ash color; iris, bill, and feet are colored a very bright vermilion. The males
females have a close resemblance. The young, however, have black feet, rusty-red wings, with all the rest of the plumage a light clear blue. This light blue, as the bird grows older, becomes darker blue, and then passes into a celadon-green. These birds are natives of Java and Sumatra. The sub-genus grallaria is a native of South America. especially Brazil and Guiana. It is the king-thrush (gredlaria rex), and is brown on the back, inclining to red on the sides; lighter beneath; back of head, lead-color; forehead varied with black and white; thighs short, tibia long.