Neither road-runner had any mice today--for the first time in weeks. Neither showed anything but the most casual interest in two rather large white mice liberated in the cage. When one of the mice was put under the rock, Archie made a few half-hearted prods at it and went off about other affairs. The opportunistic Rhody came about this time, so I offered one of these mice to him. He took it, ran off and killed it, started to swallow it, stopped, "tasted", stared at it for a few moments, then (Later, 10:20 A.M., 12th. It trotted away, abandoning it for good.( is still in the same place). About 3 P.M. both young road-runners became nervous as I approach- ed the cage, then began to run about, to my surprise. I was carrying a writing tablet in my hand, thinking nothing of it, until, looking down at it, I noticed it had a red cover with large black letters. All fear vanished when I put it behind my back, only to reappear whenever it was brought to view again. Turning over the tablet , showing only the white back--the birds seeing the turning operation, allayed their fears, although they eyed it suspiciously a few mo- ments as if to satisfy themselves that the red monster had perma- nently reformed. Several repetitons of the turning movement caused alternations of nervousness and calm, Terry, as usual being the more nervous. The tablet was only 8½ inches by 5½. They had never seen it before, as it had only just come into my possession. When the red cover was removed (some distance from them) and the now entirely white tablet was presented to their gaze close to the wire, Terry came at once and, without hesitation, reached through the mesh and took a corner in his bill and pulled it. Evidently there is something in red, after all. Here was a test, e initiated unconsciously by me, and therefore without my being biased by previous experience, at least until the birds had shown their first reaction. Bed-time. The Rrs went to their, now usual beds, requiring about a half hour to become settled permanently, beginning a little before 5,