using as an introduction the whinnising call of the robin. As I entered the glade, one of the young thrashers came out of the bushes toward me, but as I found that the wooden spatula was missing, I turned back to the shop for another one. On my return, the young birds had come entirely out of the glade to the road and were waiting on the bank for developments. As I began to feed them, Brownie dropped down from the little pine where she was singing at intervals, so I turned the job over to her. When it was finished, the youngsters at once began tearing through the bushes after each other. Not once during this feeding period did they attempt to feed themselves, everything had to be handed to them. Brownie then went to the nest and relieved her mate. (Nests) Nest No.38. This is a California Brown Towhee's in a branch of an oak about ten feet above the ground. This makes 8 of this kind this year). Brownie fights a yellow-bellied racer. At 10:40 as I was dragging the house to the south opening into the glade; Brownie and the three youngsters were there. Brownie had her tail spread out like a fan—a sure sign of something unusual afoot. She was circling about a small clump of weed, pecking into it occasionally and drawing back quickly. She did not seem very excited. I watched from a distance of about four feet and soon saw that the object of her attention was a small yellow-bellied racer, snake coiled up and striking viciously whenever his adversary came close enough. One of the young birds also took a hand, but retreated after dodging a blow or two from the snake. The snake finally crawled away into a crack in the rocks and Brownie spent 2 or 3 minutes looking for it. She then came to me for worms and fed the young, who promptly gathered around. I then went up into the glade and all four birds came for soft food, Brownie soon going back to the place where the snake had disappeared, making a careful search for it. This was exactly 10 minutes after the first sparring match. While she was looking for it, I saw it coiled up behind her, [illegible]