fear and readily accepted proffered meat, coming out of the bushes boldly. On the 5th. Rhody was hanging around interestedly while I was planting seeds. He climbed up into the dormitory tree, then moved over to a low acacia next to it without haste. I then heard children's voices. A glance at the cage showed A and T concealing themselves in the acacia branch in the cage annex. Four little children and a frolicsome Irish setter were coming up the driveway: part of the group that frightens the young road-runners at a dis- tance. I had them come to me under Rhody's tree in order to ob- serve his reactions at close range (I.e. : to children at close range). He was only about 6 feet over our heads absolutely im- movable except that he winked from time to time. He blended into the foliage and twiggy so perfectly that even one of the children commented upon it. As long as we stayed (several minutes) he remained fixed in pose even when we moved about. After the children had gone he reappeared to observe my operations. The young thrashers, instead of running about wildly ( I had kept the children away from the cage) remained quietly on their perches, out of sight. At 10 A.M. on the sixth I was watching Terry from outside the cage. He picked up a forked twig and began to carry it about, saying ook, ook deep in his throat. This is the same "embarr- assed" sound that they make sometimes when trying to squeeze by me in a tight place. It had not been heard before in combination with twig-carrying. It appeared to be looking for a place to put the twig and finally carried it up to his bunk in the annex whence it was seen to fall. This is new and suggests a possible early manifestation of the nesting instinct. This ook (the oo as in book, not as in tool) ordinarily seems to be either a sign of embarrassment or perplexity or an approach signal, perhaps either. It is used as above noted and Rhody, when slightly nervous, uses it while trying to screw up his courage to reach just a little farther for the food held out for him. Both youngsters almost always use it when announcing their intention of jumping up to my shoulder. It can be heard only a short distance away, perhaps 6 feet as a maximum. I usually hear it at 3 feet or less. The long drawn out, quavering ma pathetic or pleading in quality, uttered with head lowered to the level of the feet (sometimes lower when the bird is on a perch) with mouth wide open is used by all three birds, many instances being recorded herein, and so far noted only as addressed to human beings. Terry uses it most. It now seems to be a call for food, or companionship or some kind of attention. When Rhody wanted food for the youngsters in the nest he was particularly urgent about it, less so when food is wanted for himself. The young birds often start it when I am still too distant to hear it and usually desist when I merely stand beside them, as if satisfied. Terry, however, seems within the past week or so, to relapsed into a sort of second childhood and does not hesitate to use it as a call for food, even when there is plenty all about him. His attitude seems to be that he is too comfortable where he is and would I be so kind as to get that piece of meat and hand it to him? This dong gobbles it and relaxes into indifference to all worldly matters.