346 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on the Genus Todus. 



1838. Lesson, in the ' Annales des Sciences Naturelles/ 

 vol. ix. p. 166, commences an article on birds with a few re- 

 marks " Sur Les Todiers/^ and describes T. viridis, T, mexi- 

 canus, and T. portoricensis. The last two species were col- 

 lected by his brother, M, Adolphe Lesson ; and as the former 

 is circumstantially declared to be found near Tampico, it 

 would be a puzzle to know what Mexican bird could have 

 been mistaken for it, had there not been an evident error in 

 locality. 



1839. D^Orbigny describes the bird of Cuba from Ramon 

 de la Sagra's materials, and figures Todus multicolor (pi. xxii.). 

 In the 'Hand-list' (p. 79) Mr. Gray quotes '' cyanogenus, 

 Sagra,'' as a synonym of T. multicolor; but I cannot find 

 another reference to this name. 



1840. Mr. G. R. Gray, in his first ' List of Genera of 

 Birds' (p. 9), places the Todinse between the Coracianse and 

 the Eurylaiminse. 



1841. The same author, in a second edition of the above- 

 mentioned ' List,' preserves the same order. 



1847. Mr. G. R. Gray, in his great work the ' Genera of 

 Birds' (i. p. 63, t. 22), recognizes four species, viz. T. viridis, 

 T. mexicanus, T. portoricensis, and " T. suhulatus, Gould." 

 The latter is the S. -Domingo Tody, and is figured but not de- 

 scribed. The name must stand on the authority of the plate. 



1847. Lafresnaye (Rev. Zool. 1847, pp. 326-333) gives a 

 review of the genus Todus, in which he recognizes four species. 

 T. viridis he considers to be the Jamaican bird ; T. domini- 

 censis he describes as new ; T. portoricensis, of Lesson, he 

 quotes and correctly identifies with it T. multicolor of Gould ; 

 and of T. mexicanus he reproduces Lesson's original de- 

 scription. 



1847. Mr. Gosse gives a figure of Todus viridis in his 

 ' Birds of Jamaica ' (pi. xiv.) , along with a very interesting 

 account of the species (p. 72) . He says that he does not be- 

 lieve va. the distinctness of T. multicolor, " the slight distinc- 

 tions of hue being scarcely more than variations which I have 

 found in Jamaican specimens ; some of which, in my posses- 

 sion, display the pale blue on the sides of the throat and the 



