1228 I pressed the rat upon him, but he would have nothing to do with it and started to leave. When I stepped to the mouse apartment he reconsidered and waited. There was no hesitation at all when I gave him his choice. He took the mouse and gobbled it without ceremony. It was not white like the rat, but of practically the same size. He continues to ignore his nest and the magpies. He is undoubt edly on the downward slope of his nesting curve. July 17th. Rhody was not seen here until about 4 P.M. when he glided past my feet like a ghost on his way to get meat from the cage. He would not stop when I spoke to him of rats and mice, but after eating his meat, decided to watch the magpies. Tiring of this he mounted to his "arm-chair" shelf and composed himself for a good rest with tail resting on one arm and bill upon the other. After about 10 minutes of this one of the magpies began to "sing" just behind him. Rhody replied with beak-rattlings, dropped to the perch near the wire for a better look. The magpie, although not more than a foot or two from Rhody, continued his song without shifting his position and in no way appearing to recognize the presence of the road-runner. Rhody went from perch to perch around the corner to see if there was not some way to get closer to the magpie, all the time rattling his beak and displaying with bill close to the wire. It was a magpie-roadrunner duet. This lasted for about 5 minutes and then Rhody decided to come out and see what I had to offer, which was: a young white rat. He took it, killed it, seemed to consider whether he should bow and hroo; decided against it; ran toward the mirror; decided that was not in order; trotted to a place in the sun (he had been in shade all this time) laid the mouse down, turned back to the sun in the open-bowl pose. I said to him: "It is too hot for that pose, you have made a mistake", and I was right, for he abandoned it almost at once for the spread-eagle. I took a still picture of this. (Distance, 10 feet, 1/50 sec, f.6.3-- a rather large stop in order to the shadows if possible.) On recovering from his sun-fit he ate the rat (after a good scratching of his neck) then stood in partial shade with wing tips touching the ground and began to doze. About 20 minutes of this and he began to stir about a little. The shadows were getting long so I said: "Don't forget that it is time to dust". This was also a good guess. Voices from the street now caused him to head off toward the west to avoid suspected danger; he does not like "un- seen" voices at all. I followed him to see if he would try to get a look from a safe point at the origin of the sounds, but he did not. He went down the lower road, out into the street by the Scamell house where all the world could see him, and did his open-bowl sunfit (it was now cool enough) until an approaching car caused him to head for the west lot. Since he was full of food there was nothing further to be done but wait for bed-time, so I left him. July 18th. Rhody did not appear until about noon; and then he trotted behind me, up a road to the shop. Here he had a white mouse-- no display of any kind--no going to the nest. About 5:30 P.M., he having remained hereabouts all the time, he again accepted my invitation to come to the shop. I offered