Jeffries on the Ipswich Sparrow. 103 
the closest scrutiny on his part has failed to discover even the 
faintest dotting upon any of the specimens that he has examined, 
while Mr. Ricksecker writes that his set are exactly similar in shape 
and color to those now in my possession, and that all he has seen 
are entirely immaculate. I am aware that occasional unspotted eggs 
occur in nests of the other and better known Vireos ; indeed my 
collection embraces several such specimens, but they must be classed 
as comparatively rare exceptions. If, however, the Black-capped 
species ever lays spotted eggs, they will probably be found to con- 
stitute the exceptions to the rule. The testimony on this point is 
already, I think, ample enough to warrant this conclusion, based as 
it is upon the examination of no less than fifteen authentic examples. 
So far as I am aware, no other North American representative of 
this interesting family is known regularly to lay unmarked eggs. 
To show the range of variation in size, I give the following measure- 
ments, kindly taken for me by Messrs. Werner and Ricksecker. Set 
of four eggs in the collection of Mr. Ricksecker : .68 x .50 ; .71 x .51 ; 
.70 x .51 ; .65 x .50. Set of four eggs collected by Mr. Werner and 
recently presented by him to the Smithsonian Institution : .75 x .52 ; 
.73 x .50 ; .76 x .53 ; .74 x .56. Set of three eggs in the collection 
of Mr. W. H. Werner : .72 x .53 ; .73 x .50 ; .74 x .52. 
THE IPSWICH SPARROW (PASSfiRCULUS PRINCE PS, 
MAYNARD). 
BY W. A. JEFFRIES. 
On the 23d of January, 1875, while collecting in Swampscott, Mass., I 
shot a female Passerculus princeps. It was, at the time, on the crest of 
the beach, running about on the snow, and picking up seeds in company 
with a few Snow Buntings. Not hunting for it, 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 be- 
fore December 1, 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 
as we shot, although, from the same bird being seen several times, it was 
hard to judge of the true number. From what I have seen and heard of 
this bird in this part of Massachusetts, I should give it as a late fall mi- 
grant, a few spending the winter here, there being few true winter but 
many fall records of its capture. 
