24 MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 
History OF THE IpswicH SPARROW. 
Before intruding upon the Ipswich Sparrow in the privacy it has enjoyed 
for so many years on its island home, it is worth our while to glean from 
published records such information as has been current regarding an 
imperfectly known species. 
Inasmuch as I have found it to be the only resident bird upon Sable 
Island, it is interesting to note in passing that as early as 1858, Dr. Gilpin 
in a pamphlet upon the natural history of the island’ said ‘* A little brown 
sparrow (Fr7ngilla ) also summered and wintered there.” While 
this is undoubtedly a reference to the Ipswich Sparrow, his importance was 
not recognized, nor did he appear as a scientific fact until Mr. Maynard in the 
‘American Naturalist’ for December, 1869, (p. 554) thus introduced him, 
under another bird’s name, to the zodlogical world: ‘*On Dec. 4th, 1868, I 
shot a sparrow that was new to me, on the sand-hills at Ipswich. Through 
the kindness of Prof. S. F. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institution, to whom 
I sent it for comparison with the only extant specimen of the Centronyx 
Bairdit (which is owned by him), it has been proved identical with that 
collected by Audubon in 1843 on the banks of the Yellowstone River, in 
the far West. My specimen differs somewhat in size and general 
coloration from Prof. Baird’s. A detailed description, and the comparative 
measurements of the two specimens will be given in a work about to be 
published, entitled ‘A Guide to Naturalists in collecting and preserving 
objects of Natural History,’ which will also contain a complete list of the 
birds of Eastern Massachusetts, with critical notes and remarks relative to 
the localities in which some of the rarer species occur. A _ life-sized 
engraving of the Cenxtronyx captured at Ipswich will also be given.” 
In justice to Prof. Baird, it may be here stated that at that time there 
was but one worn and faded specimen of Baird’s Sparrow, taken nearly 
thirty years before, with which to make comparison. The two species 
really resemble one another but very slightly. In the same number of 
the ‘ American Naturalist’ (p. 513) Dr. J. A. Allen refers to the Ipswich 
specimen at the beginning of his ‘Notes on Some of the Rarer Birds of 
Massachusetts,’ a full account following in February, 1870, (p. 631) under 
‘Centronyx Bairdit’ of his list. During the year 1870 Mr. Maynard’s 
‘ Naturalists’ Guide’ was published, containing a wood-cut and original 
description of the supposed Baird’s Sparrow (p. 112). As this really 
applies to Ammodramus princeps, I take the liberty of quoting the article 
almost entire : — 
1 For exact references to this, and to succeeding papers quoted, reference should be made to the 
bibliography appended at page 43. 
