Nova(?) answers from afar. Others. song about 250 yards to the south east which I assumed to come from Nova, based on previous observations. Also another off to the south west in the direction of Mr. W.F.Sampsons and another to the north east. Not one of these had been heard before Brownie. I went too the glade and B dropped down to me for worms. The other songs faded out. B alternated between my hand and the bushes about six feet away. In the bushes he sang sub-song in which his bugle call was sounded very softly. He finally went up into the oak again and sang loudly. This started the bird off to the south east and the one to the south west. B continued to sing with fervor, looking south east. The song from there stopped Nova comes to B and in a few moments, Nova appeared climbing up toward B. He dropped down to meet her on a lower limb and scolded her harshly, pecking at her with open bill. She responded similarly and then they sat thexxt for a few minutes quietly a couple of feet apart. B then dropped to the ground to eat from the dish of suet mixture. Nova followed and crouched by him, looking up in supplicating at- titude with bill open. B turned his back on her and left to drink and dig. Nova ate heartily from the dish (15 feet from me) and then fell to digging also. It was now 7:40 and the day was started with B and N both at home. The sun's rays were not yet in the glade. B not an early bird. From the foregoing it will appear that B is not an early The local"spark riser, at least by clock time. It looks, also, as if he were the catalyst that induces thrasher activities in the neighborhood . His calling of Nova followed by what appeared to be rather impolite reception of her, and the cold shoulder, is one of the peculiar habits often noted. Will B stay home today? It remains to be seen now whether B will again disappear for the day or whether he will stay here. In either case, of course, nothing will be definitely proved.