1243 kx moult ing and looks as shabby as Brownie. It has been here three days). As noted on previous occasions, Brownie is now lighter and greyer. He sings long quarter songs and occasional full-song; the latter mostly in the mornings. (B) Rhody. This animal, like Brownie, has been moult ing for months, but oddly enough, he never looks very shabby. At present the conspicuous under-tail pattern consists of 4 large spots instead of 6. The two missing ones can be seen when he works on his tail and spreads it. They are at the tips of the concealed, new rect- rices sprouting from under his upper tail coverts. He continues to work on his plumage incessantly when there is nothing more important afoot. (Written 8 P.M.). Rhody hung around all day, from about 9 A.M. In the morning he preferred meat from the cage and wanted no mice; nor the small yellow-bellied racer, either, although he was willing to pick it up by the head and drop it, then walk off to his perch in the acacia. When Brownie came to me for worms, about 10 A.M., he was very shy about making the last leap to my hand. The cause proved to be Rhody staring at him from behind me, where he had slipped up quietly. R merely wanted to look, then wandered off for a long drink. At 4:30 Rhody followed me enthusiastically to the shop yard for a mouse. At 5:15 he was again willing to consider mice, but as it proved, only as a curiosity, allowing the mouse to stroll off into the bushes. It occurred to me that he really did want something to eat, but that the mouse was too large (a white one). Accord- ingly I returned to the shop-yard, and rather to my surprise, Rhody followed unhesitatingly and waited expectantly. This time I selected a very small, young rat, perfectly naked. This was what R wanted and he gobbled it still squealing. When well fed and food is abundant, he undoubtedly uses discrimination in selection, and appears to have some judgement as to the size of the creature that will best fit into the vacant space left in his interior. August 16th. At about 8:45 A.M. I looked for Rhody, not seeing him in any of his accustomed haunts. But there was a stir in the bushes and he trotted toward me with moderate display of wings and tail. At the moment I do not recall his having done this before. Julio had put a freshly caught (and dead) house-mouse in Rhody's food dish in the cage. I got it, R watching through the wires from outside and whining with lowered head. I twirled it by the tail to give it the semblance of life and he gulped it after briefly "killing" it. About 9:10 A.M. he retired to the top of the cage to preen, working at the point of attachment of each feather and removing the sheath. At 11 A.M. he was still engaged in this oper- ation at the same place, and while I was absent perhaps half of the time, it is probable that there was no cessation in that activity. For the next 45 minutes the same work continued: nib- bling at the base of each feather treated for 1 to 4 seconds, draw-