1181 The graph (p.1180A) reflects Rhody's nesting activity during the observation period with curious fidelity, even to the change of rate due to my going and talking to him and his decision to use finer material, followed by changing back to more readily found corser. (End of this note). At 12:20 Rhody was still in the nest. When I suggested to him that he deserved a mouse after all of this exertion, he promptly descended and began to carry up more twigs. However, at 12:30, he saw the light and followed me to the shop for his mouse. Besides really wanting to reward him for diligence, I wished to see what he would do when it came to making a decision as to its ultimate disposition, now that he was so single-minded about building. He took the mouse with the usual ceremony, including a visit to the mirror, thence to the tree of nest 5. There he stood, irresolute, for about 5 minutes, no doubt trying to disentangle his reflexes. No.5 had not apparently soaked into his consciousness with a firm enough grip to overcome the pull of No. 1, for there is where he finally went with it. 4:00 P.M. Rhody is again working on No.5 after having kept out of sight somewhere since about 3 P.M. Up to that time he had spent an hour or more in or on the cage preening in the presence of a visiting young man, with no particular concern. But about 3 he saw two young women approaching through the trees 25 yards away and immediately sought refuge in the inner compartment of the cage. To head off a possible panic, I left the scene entirely, with all visitors, giving him an opportunity to escape. We kept entirely out of sight and hearing, yet it was not until 5 minutes after they were gone from the place that he reappeared from nowhere (he was not in any of the nests) and began work again on 5-36. At 5 P.M. Rhody, in the cage, was invited out to the shop for a very small rat. The usual followed, although after reporting to the mirror, it took about 40 minutes for him to make up his mind to take the rat to 1-36. Most of this time he lay quietly on the ground with his victim in his bill. May 6th. At 7:20 A.M. I went out to see what Rhody was doing and found him working hard on 5-36, carrying up larger branches than ever. ("Twigs" hardly describes them). He paid no attention to me, but kept up his standard rate of about one trip every two minutes. He has a fine, stable platform now and seems to be building up a rim around it. In doing this, he uses not only the twig he has just carried up, but alters the positions of some already there. His selections do not appear to be made at random-he studies the interior of the nest before replacing any of its components. An hour later he was at it as diligently as ever, showing no evidence of fatigue or waning interest. At 8:35 one of the young thrashers was getting worms from me at the oval lawn. Suddenly he cried out in fear and bolted, followed by Brownie, who chased him into the bushes and then came to me for worms. One of these worms he took toward the second nest making the "bluebird" chirp. This I take to mean: one youngster, hatched yesterday. (I will check this guess by looking at back notes). I find that on Apr.22nd. that, without looking in the nest, I decide that there is one egg. (P.1170). The nest was never