12 Henshaw on Selasphorus alleni. 



the other, or Rufous-backed, form which required christening. A 

 careful perusal of Mr. Elliot's paper fails to convince me of my 

 supposed mistake, and I think a short review of the matter with a 

 few critical remarks on his paper, may be made to show that my 

 critic is the one who has been misled into the erroneous identifica- 

 tion of Gmelin's bird. 



From lack of space, I refrain from quoting Gmelin's and Swain- 

 son's descriptions, nor will this be necessary. It may be stated, 

 however, that the accounts of these authors, as well as Latham's, 

 upon which Gmelin's was based, apply in every particular to 

 the Rufous-backed bird, the assumption that it was this form 

 these writers intended to describe not being controverted by a 

 word in either. Mr. Elliot's opinion that it was the other or 

 Green-backed form involved in their accounts is based chiefly on the 

 fact of an omission, no mention being made of the notched rectrices 

 which are present in the Rufous-backed form, and also because the 

 description of the outer tail-feathers is more applicable to the latter. 

 That Gmelin and Swainson should have overlooked the notch in 

 the rectrices next the middle pair will not appear so very singular 

 in the light of the fact that it has since been repeatedly overlooked 

 by authors with equal and perhaps better claims to accuracy than 

 can be conceded to either of , the above. Both Audubon and Baird, 

 who describe the outer tail-feathers of their S. rufus in terms similar 

 to the earlier writers, making no mention of notched rectrices, and 

 both of whom, as my critic implies, must necessarily, therefore, 

 have had the Green-backed bird under consideration, actually did 

 have perfectly typical examples of the Rufous-backed bird. Audu- 

 bon's type, at present in the Smithsonian, was before me when my 

 article was written, as were also Professor Baird's specimens. They 

 are all, with one exception, fine examples of the Rufous form. This 

 exception is the adult male, No. 6059, mentioned by Professor Baird 

 on page 134, Vol. IX, P. R. R. Reports, as having the back covered 

 with metallic green. This specimen, as I ascertain by inspection, is 

 the true Green-backed form, our S. alleni. Professor Baird appeared 

 to regard this peculiar coloration as presenting merely a notable 

 exception to the rule, and passes it by without further comment. 

 His description was based on typical specimens of the Rufous form. 

 The more re.cent authorities then, notwithstanding Mr. Elliot's 

 opinion to the contrary, having overlooked the fact of a notch in the 

 rectrix, it is not too much to suppose a similar result at the hands 



