I couldn´t keep my fingers away from this one ...
And, Mark, I think you were perfectly correct in your post #2 (sorry for the doubt, in #3), it is, it must be, the same guy! It just took me a while to figure out where you found those two photos/links!
... this said even if I couldn´t find any bird collected "1879 in Bahamas".
Where did you find that info?
However; the Type itself for
Anthracothorax prevostii hendersoni was collected by "R. Henderson", 15 March 1887, on Old Providence, in the West Indies (
here). Another 15(!) specimens, of the same subspecies; was also collected, by the same "R. Henderson"; during March 1887 (
here).
This "R. Henderson" as well collected (for examples); five specimens of Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularia, on St Andrews and Old Providence in the West Indies, "12/02/1887" resp. "8/03/1887", "18/03/1887", "15/03/1887" and "05/03/1887". As well as many, many other birds ... the List goes on and on ... One single specimen sticks out; the odd
Butorides striatus virescens which is claimed to have been collected on "Old Providence", West Indies, by the same "R. Henderson, but two years later: "15/03/18
89" [
sic] ... however I fear the latter could to be a typo, as there are three specimens of the same subspecies collected on St. Andrews, in February 1887. Also compare with the two specimens of
Coccyzus minor abbotti collected 14 February 1887, on the same St Andrews, West Indies, versus eight of the same, on Old Providence, in March 1887.
Two other Types was collected by the same "R. Henderson";
Coereba flaveola oblita (
here), and
Icterus leucopteryx lawrencii (
here), both collected on the same St Andrews, on the 16th resp. 8th of February 1887. And if we check the OD's for the former (
here, p.7) we find a clear reference back to Cory's original Paper/s from 1889 (which also included
lawrenceii), where he was mentioned as "Mr. Robert Henderson". It´s him all right.
After that Mr. Henderson apparently went to Arizona, as one specimen of Swainson's Hawk
Buteo swainsoni and one of the Red-tailed Hawk subspecies
Buteo jamaicensis calurus, both were collected there, in Arizona, USA, on the 24th of May 1887, (at/in connection to: "Santa Cruz Co: Calabasas" ...
?), both with the same signature: "R. Henderson". Also two specimens of Costa's Hummingbird
Calypte costae collected at the same location, in late May 1887". The only worry (!) for Robert Henderson truly visiting Arizona is the specimen of
Asturina nitida plagiata, collected at the same place ... by "H. Henderson"!? Or maybe this is simply yet another typo?
Either way; the latest one, claimed to have been collected, by "R. Henderson", is from the 30th of May, 1887? After that he´s gone! Vanished into thin air.
All of the above mentioned bird, and many more, are still today kept in the
Field Museum (
of Naural History), in Chicago, USA. Why, and how, they all ended up there, and not in the collections of the
Smithsonan (as would be expected, by the earlier quotes, in post #4 and #5) is unknown to me. Also if either Museum have any additional info on Mr. Henderson?
In any case I haven´t found anything of it.
Good luck finding him in full!
Björn
PS. However; I think we can forget that certain "Robert Henderson, (1864-1940)", mentioned by me in Post #3. He seems to have been more of a local (Irish-born) Scottish Naturalist. His
Obituary is found
here, with nothing linking him neither to Birds nor as in having visited any of the earlier mentioned Islands, in the "West Indies" (but he did visit Cuba, "in the course of his work"). Either way; no connections found neither to Charles B. Cory not to any US Museums/institutions ...
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