April 15th. On this date, two years ago, Rhody was first seen at this place. About 9:20 A.M. Rhody was given a mouse. He did not show it to the magpies, but as on previous occasions since the departure of A and T, he showed it to his image in the mirror. He then took it to nest 2-36. Later in the afternoon he was given another mouse while in the cage. He went to the inner cage and displayed there, then again took it to nest 2-36. To date then, it looks as if the magpies are not considered as possible mates. Also it would appear that nest 2-36 is still favored above the others. He continued to work on it and rested perhaps 2 hours in it also. Curiously, however, he also took one twig up into the glass house and placed it there. Perhaps this will be No. 4? Rhody is doing no calling and apparently little searching. He does not seem to be bothered about anything, but something, certainly is impelling him irresistibly to build nests, though he really works little. His first year here was mateless and nestless, though he called frequently in season. His second saw four started, the fourth being completed, a mate secured with the first and a brood reared in the fourth. Query? Does he really know anything at all about what he is doing this year, or are his nesting activities merely spurred on by instinct? The two years (3 nesting seasons) do not match up at all. Perhaps he knows where Terry is and is preparing to bring her (?) back. Perhaps he knows where there is a female and counts on her. What is the object of all of these nests? I thought last year that he built several because his mate (whom he had at the beginning of the first one) was too shy to brook the presence of human beings at relatively close quarters; hence the succession of nests farther and farther away from here. On the other hand, he may not have truly won her until the last and was forced to build where he was certain of finding her. This year there does not appear to be any timid mate to influence his choice of site and, curiously, the nests have been successively nearer and nearer the cage. If he should build a fourth in the glass house it would be still nearer. He, at any rate, does not object to human presence. (There was a circular saw driven by a gas engine working all day about 100 feet from nest 2-36, which he did not appear to mind). Possibly his strategy is to build a lot of nests on the chance that one will be a winner, or: Some of them may be decoys to protect the really serious effort, which comes later. At 5:25 Rhody began his late afternoon type of game with the magpies. By 5:35, when I left him gazing prayerfully at them, he had been in and out 6 or 8 times, each time turning back at a different distance from the cage, varying from just outside the door to 50 feet. During the last week I have noticed that, when Rhody scratches, three or four feathers are dislodged from body, neck or head, and that feathers from those portions are being found more frequently about his haunts.