Mr. D. G. Elliot on the Trochilida. 49 



and faded, and presenting a grey appearance, which doubtless 

 suggested the appellation Vieillot assigned to it, and which, 

 being intended to express a feature that does not exist, must 

 give place to that of albiventris, applied to it by M. Lesson/^ 

 This style of reasoning may be correct ; but that one natu- 

 ralist is at liberty to ignore a name given to a species simply 

 because he considers it inappropriate, is not, I think, acknow- 

 ledged generally by authors at the present time. Besides, 

 the facts are rather against M. Bourcier^s statement, as it 

 seems to me. I have examined Vieillot^s type of T. tephro- 

 cephalus^ which is still in the Paris Museum, and it appeared 

 to be in a very good condition. The crown is somewhat 

 faded, it is true, but not more so than is perhaps to be ex- 

 pected in a specimen exposed to the light for so many years 

 as this has been. Yet it is easily perceived that the original 

 colour was the same as that of examples more recently pro- 

 cured. Vieillot^s name is, therefore, without doubt, the 

 rightful one for the species to bear, and Lesson's must become 

 a synonym, a position it should have always occupied. 



I cannot see any difference in the plumage of the sexes of 

 this species. • 



13. Thaumatias tobaci. 



Tobago Humming-bird, Lath. Gen. Syn. vol.i. p. 781 (1783). 



Trochilus tobaci, Gmel. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 498 (1788). 



Ornismya viridissima, Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-Mouch. p. 207, 

 pi. 75. 



Thaumatias linneei, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. v. pi. 302; id. 

 Intr. Mon. Troch. 8vo ed. p. 153. 



Hab. Tobago, Trinidad, Cayenne, Venezuela, Columbia, 

 Brazil. 



The proper specific name for this species has always appa- 

 rently been a matter of conjecture ; and most writers have 

 used linncei, under which it was published by Mr. Gould in 

 his monograph of the family. So far as I am able to dis- 

 cover, the above synonyms properly disclose the more im- 

 portant progressive steps taken by authors to bestow a name 

 upon this unfortunate little bird, and I propose to take them 



S^R. IV. VOL. II. E 



