PASSERCULUS PRINCEPS : IPSWICH SPARROW. 237 



her 9, 1876, on the northwest shore of Lake Umba- 

 gog. Mr. C. H. Merriam* secured a fine specimen, 

 on November 4, 1875, while collecting along the beach 

 a few miles below New Haven, Ct. ; another was seen 

 but not captured. Mr. W. A. Jeffries,! recording from 

 Massachusetts, says : ' On January 23, 1875, while col- 

 lecting in Swampscott, Mass., I shot a female, in com- 

 pany with a few Snow Buntings. I did not again 

 meet with it till October 26, 1878, when, by chance, 

 it was noticed in the same locality in good numbers. 

 My brother and myself shot eleven before December 

 ist, and one again on January 25, 1879. During 

 November we searched for them carefully several 

 times, and, with one exception, always shot one or 

 more specimens. Probably as many rose out of range. 

 From what I have seen or heard of this bird in this part 

 of Massachusetts, I should give it as a late fall migrant, 

 a few spending the winter here.' Through him we 

 learn that it 'was generally very tame ; hard to flush, 

 running along the ground and crouching till within a 

 few feet of the person pursuing. The later comers 

 very shy, rising wildly. When discovered they gave 

 no note or chirp of alarm.* He also says that 'the 

 thinly scattered beach grass at the edge of some fresh- 

 water pond seemed to be their favorite feeding ground.' 

 After carefully comparing the species with P. savana 

 Mr. Jeffries concludes: 'Finally, I believe that prm- 

 ceps ought not to be retained as a specific name, 

 as it does not cover greater variations than may be 

 easily accounted for by well-known laws of climatic 

 variation.' It will be safe, however, to recognize the 



* Bull. Nuttall Club, vol. i, July, 1876, p. 52. 

 t Bull. Nuttall Club, vol. iv, April, 1879, P- IO 3- 



