Mr. D. G. Elliot on the Trocliilidse. 
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 Vieilloks type of T. tephro- 
cephaluSj 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. VieilloPs 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 diflPerence in the plumage of the sexes of 
this species. 
■f, 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 linncei, 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 
