down to 1/500, both inclusive. He sat on chairs, walked in and out of the house, sampled the quail's scratch feed (a new act), peered into the windows, posed on the sills, etc. Naturally he also preened, since, at the present time, this is one of his principal activities. He is still pulling out feathers. In the aggregate, he must spend several hours a day working on his feathers. His rate of moulting is such that he never gets so-ragged as Brownie. August 1st. About 9 A.M. Rhody entered the cage to get a freshly caught (and dead) house mouse; then followed work on his feathers, still (9:50) in progress. (Took three "shots" of him at 6 feet distance --the shortest distance to which this 3A Kodak will focus--all 1/100 sec., f:6.3). (Sec /2 33-A) At 10:05, after looking all about for Rhody and deciding that he was off again, I happened to spy him up in the upper annex of the cage, built for Archie and Terry, taking a good rest, dozing and apparently at peace with the world, and not preening. It may be only a coincidence, but yesterday I raised one of the awnings covering the west side of this annex, thinking that it might make the place more attractive to Rhody, and hoping that he might come to regard it as a refuge in inclement weather and a good night roost. For a month or more Rhody has been using a certain acacia, (one of 15 or 20 planted but 5 feet apart along a certain section of the north boundary line) in which to rest and preen, usually in the afternoons, but sometimes in the mornings. These acacias are all of the same species (Acacia latifolia) require little water and get none except during the rainy season. Their foliage is somewhat sparse--in this particular location--at this time of the year--on account of the dryness. Consequently their shade is not very dense. The one which Rhody selects almost invariably differs, as far as I can see, from the others, in having a somewhat more nearly horizontal habit of its branches and a trifle denser and greener canopy. The horizontality of the branches offers more comfortable perches and the dappled shade seems to provide the optimum conditions of temperature and sunlight for encouraging long periods of repose--under present prevailing weather conditions More specifically, bearing in mind a peculiarity of this summer climate: hot sun and cold shade, Rhody, in order to be comfortable, finds no necessity, while occupying this tree, to make frequent shifts from shade to sun and vice versa, with shade temperatures ranging between 70 and 85, approximately. At least his behavior coordinates with this hypothesis. (Incidentally the official Weather Bureau published maximum temperatures of this vicinity have, for several weeks, been showing maxima in Oakland running from 6 to 15 degrees higher than in San Francisco). In about half an hour Rhody came out of the cage, walked rapidly by me with crest raised, colored displayed, head, neck, back and tail all in a horizontal straight line, and proceeded to play peek-a-boo with an invisible partner about the bushes near which I was sitting. Object unknown. Next a long inspection of the sky. I could see nothing in it--not even clouds. I do not remember having on any previous occasion been unable to see any object in the sky that has attracted Rhody's scrutiny.