their nests need to have the food pushed down their throats beyond a certain point, otherwise they are incapable of swallowing it. Except as stated, no more food was given them, since I do not know whether, with these birds, it is customary for the parents to give food some initial preparation, such as partial pre-digestion. As with the thrashers, their faeces are enclosed in a sac and the parents evidently dispose of them, for the nest is immaculately clean. This is an especially wise precaution in a country which is now infested with Argentine ants. A foul nest invites the destruct- ion of the young by these ants. Their down, or feathers, whichever it is, lies close to their bodies in parallel streaks, giving the wet appearance previously noted. They have ridiculous, little pointed tails. It has been pointed out (Dawson) that the placing of their nostrils "well forward" and their prominence give the young birds an unusual appearance. However, although I looked for this effect, or perhaps because I expected to see something like it, the nostrils did not look prominent to me nor placed markedly far forward. As I drove away I saw a road-runner carrying something in its bill in the garden of a house in course of construction a hundred yards or so from the nest. It paused when I spoke to it and natur- ally turned out to be Rhody. Consequently I followed him to the nest and saw him give a lizard (?) to one of the chicks at a distance of about 10 feet. He then waited on the edge of the nest, looking down at the rear end of the bird, apparently waiting for it to defecate. which is what the thrashers do. However nothing happened, so I was unable to observe disposition of waste matter. R then came down for meat, which he ate himself, then took two worms to the nest, holding them in his bill and hrooing softly. (By this time I was two feet from it, more or less). Neither youngster appeared anxious for more food, so he finally swallowed both worms.