September 17th. 8:30 A.M. (Temperature 73). This looks like the beginning of a pretty warm day. (B is sounding his remarkably human "whistle-kiss" call). (If it were not that he is also singing full song, it would be completely deceptive. Even so, it sounds as if some person, listening to his song, were trying to call him). As judged by vocal re- sponse, it has successfully summoned Nova. (Above is parenthetical to what I came in to write when "inter- rupted" by B). The youngsters have already sought the shade. Terry is preen- ing actively, and in 3 minutes, removed more than a dozen feathers at "reading distance" from my face. He does pull some of them out. Amongst them were two scapulars 4 or more inches long. At the pres- tent rate of removal, yesterday's estimate of 100 in two days was far below the truth. Road-runner feathers are now "everywhere". The panting of the road-runner is accompanied by slight syn- chronous movement of the lower mandible. About 2 inches of the throat participate in the bellows action. I can hear nothing of movement of air at about 6 inches distance. In time with the panting there is pulsation of the "red" skin patch. More precisely there seems to be movement under the skin--in a direction parallel to the bill--of a vertical (more or less), thin, almost thread-like process, which oscillates in a direction at right angles to its length. The magpies, however, merely hold their bills wide open with- out perceptible movement of any kind. The breaking off of Terry's tail feathers affected his movements noticeably even when but a few of them were gone. It is noticed in his maintenance of balance and heavier landing after flight. Thus it acts through its loss as a "balancing pole" and as sustaining surface. It interferes with his preening on a perch with- out danger of falling off. When thus preening he appreciates the additional support of a finger placed along side of the perch to give a wider base. He can then scratch, stretch, preen in safety. Thrashers and road-runners, except when dynamically unbalanced, do not grip their perches hard, depending upon their balancing powers. They merely stand on them. Rhody About 3:30 P.M. a caterpillar of the same species as that given Archie the other day, was found and offered to Rhody, who, as often is the case, happened to be present at the psychological moment. He handled it in the same way as Archie, though less careful to remove all of the hair. Evidently, therefore, this treatment of caterpillars is a part of road-runner tradition. At 4:08 Rhody began working off to the west. He followed the route usual with him before his "marriage" when he slept in the Scamell's oak regularly (for 7 months(?)). When he got out the side gate at the top of the bank he dusted--true to precedent, in pre- cisely the same spot as formerly. While still there, a covey of nearly full-grown quail, with an adult pair, deliberately came to inspect him, which they did for about 10 minutes, the nearest eying (s/b?) him curiously from about 4 feet distance. They showed no fear and R was indifferent to them. The parents [illegible] were indifferent to his presence. Picked up turnip