soft, perhaps not audible more than 8 or 10 feet away. I believe that this growing loquacity when with me is merely a reflection of his present song cycle, stimulated by the mating instinct which is now to the fore again. It seems strange that there is no sub-singing by either bird. Also unless Nova "loosens up" soon with recognisable song, I shall be in-lik clined to question whether female thrashers, as a rule, are singers, notwithstanding Greenie's undoubted accomplishments as a vocalist. May 13th. No early morning song heard. At about 8 A.M. Brownie was working silently, all by himself, carrying twigs to the nest, but came promptly for worms. At 9 A.M. he was sitting quietly in it with only his head showing. When he saw me, he climbed down deliberately, walked over to me, jumped up to my hand, looked into my face, then reached for worms. A few minutes after this he was carrying soap-root for lining. This stage of the work has been reached very quickly. All this morning B has maintained a clam-like silence and is all business. Nova has not been seen.this morning. If all thrashers were like Brownie and there were no casualties, there would soon be no space left in California for thrasher nests! 9:50. Brownie seems to have gone to search for Nova. At 9:35 he abandoned his policy of silence, climbed the old oak, faced toward the west and began singing loudly detached phrases of full song having an imperative quality. At 9:38 he sailed down, headed west. (In the meantime, the magpies, against whose cage I was leaning, were hammering me on the back and pulling my coat). I followed the route I thoughtB might have taken, as determined by his retreating voice, and located him approximately about 200 yards from me and about the same distance from the nest in addition, still singing. I waited for some signs of success on his part, then came in to make this entry, leaving him till down in the canyon.