1163 April 16th. Rhody, in 1-36, suddenly works on seeing me. This is like Brownie's bluff. Takes mouse to 2-36. Rhody was not seen at any of his nests this morning until 11:45, when he was sitting placidly in 1-36, crying on my approach and making a sudden show of activity in rearranging things within the nest, as if to make me think that he was working all the time and not loafing as he clearly was. This curious behavior, while probably not interpretable correctly in those terms, resembles exactly the same trait pointed out in Brownie in the earlier stages of these notes. It must have some significance. When given a mouse later in the day, he went through the usual procedure (ignoring his magpie friends) and took it to nest 2-36. April 17th. Thrashers lining their No.14. Still feeding young. R's luxurious life. Rhody is certainly living a life of luxurious ease, with no apparent cares. He works occasionally on nest 2-36, rests in it an hour or so at a time, lies on the ground near the cage for in- definite stretches, plays with the magpies, etc. This morning about 9 he went off to the north-east casually, presumably in search of a mate, but he was not very strenuous about it. Except for the two "songs" when he had the snake the other day, there has been no vocal evidence of his trying to at- tract a mate. He was given another live mouse today while he was watching the magpies, but ignored them and went directly to the mirror, which is not in sight from his magpie-watching place, and which he has to reach by a round-about course, the mirror not being in sight until his nearly circular approach to it is completed. This mouse, also, he took to nest 2-36 instead of wandering for several hundred yards and mounting high points to call and look off over the country. Plainly his efforts to find a mate have greatly degenerated. April 18th. Rhody near wren- tit nest. Rhody and wild mouse. Ignores mags. Takes to 2-36. At 8:30 A.M. Rhody was a few feet from the wrentit's nest (which contains three chicks about ready to leave)+ much to the parents' annoyance; but he disregarded them entirely, gathered slender twigs and carried them to nest 2-36, uphill, perhaps 60 yards away--a totally unnecessarily long carriage. At 9:04, Rhody in the cage watching the magpies, was offered a live mouse outside. This was a lively, wild one which was re- (peace)ed (in order to make him chase it) at the far side of the cage away from the mirror. To catch it, he had to run west, directly away from cage and mirror. On killing it he began his display, ignored the magpies, ran then and around the cage to the mirror, showed it to himself, carried it to nest 2-36 at 9:15. So far, the display at the mirror has always been short, i.e. with the mouse--a matter of a few seconds only. It is as if this action were an essential portion of the ritual and he knows that it will be unproductive of response. + There were four.