John James Audubon (1785–1851) claimed to have personally discovered Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii (Audubon, 1834) in his published account of that species. However, his narrative is contradicted by his wife Lucy's transcript of his diary. A second diary transcript, published by his granddaughter Maria, fully complies with Audubon's published account. The unpublished diary of Thomas Lincoln (1812–83), for whom the sparrow was named, relocated after nearly a century, provides support for Lucy's version. The most parsimonious explanation for the evidence presented here is that Audubon (1834) fabricated his story about discovering Lincoln's Sparrow; then Maria doctored her published transcript of his diary to bring the primary record into alignment with his false narrative. This study sheds light on the ‘primary source problem’ which pervades Audubon scholarship, and highlights the need for a systematic review of his contributions.

‘Drawing all day.’—Audubon in Buchanan (1868: 268)