Road-runners 1074 Rhody. Rhody shows no tendency to diverge from recent habits, still using the night roost in the tree to the west, coming regularly to the cage and watching the youngsters--now silently--comments all being by the latter; ignoring the mirror as an attraction, though well aware of its presence, as he occasionally hesitates in front of it and appears to contemplate doing something about it, but does not. Several times recently I have gone to the west fence and called to find if Rhody was there, and he has come out of the brush obediently and come to me--crawling under the fence--for food. He is now very quiet--no rattle-booming, no "singing". Moult. A and T continue to remove loose body feathers and scurf, delight ing to occupy me as a convenient perch while doing so. T getting new rectrices. A not. By looking under T's tail two new rectrices with white tips can be seen emerging. He still has two of the old, cut-off feathers. A has moulted none of these feathers. (These two STILL there, Dec. 23.) Hunger marks(?). Both show some "hunger marks" on their rectrices, but fewer on their new ones than on their old. This is an indication of better nutrition than when they were growing their first feathers. (See Pycraft in Encyc. Brdt., 11th. Ed., Art.: Feather). Before reading this article I had wondered what caused them, ascribing them to undue restriction by the sheath at the place where they occur, while the feather was still enclosed in it, thus causing malformation. Rhody does not show any of these marks. (Later: /4r has a flaw) A and T plump. There are times when both of the youngsters, in response to some stimulus not evident to me, stare off into the distance fixedly without moving their bodies, but showing no apparent fear. At such times they permit many liberties to be taken with them and one is able to explore their topography with the hands. They feel plump and solid with no sharpness at the breast bones at all, although the thickness of their breast feathers interferes somewhat with this investigation. This plumpness does not seem to indicate malnutrition even though it would not be surprising if their diet were not properly balanced, considering the artificial conditions under which they are living. For food they have hamburger steak, into which a little fruit or vegetable matter is occasionally introduced, mice (which they now often refuse for a day or so); pyracantha berries in small quantities, some of which they get for themselves; snails from the garden (which they delight in cracking open, but seldom eating until they have dried to the consistency of leather); a few small slugs (which they catch for themselves, but do not like much, as being too messy); centipedes from the garden (which they prefer to angle-worms); angle worms (not at all favored and sometimes rejected entirely); sow-bugs, flies, yellow-jackets, spiders, moths and miscellaneous insects (which they are constantly chasing and killing, but often not eating for hours after they are dead); salamanders (the long, thin, wormlike kind, almost legless, caught for them by Julio); meal worms (a few every day); "soft food" (occasionally mixed with their meat, but refused "straight"); lizards (now scarce, as my local supply has become practically exhausted--thanks partly to Rhody). The bulk of their food is hamburger steak with all the mice they care to eat--an average, now, of less than one per day. Apparently happy. They are lively, interested and tame and seem happy and contented and fond of the companionship of man. Short of liberating them, I can think of nothing to add to their well-being--and even that would be a doubtful kindness.