12 
Henshaw on Selasjohorus 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 
whiclrare 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, Yol. 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 N. 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 recent 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 
