which I had explored every inch of the several hundred acres of the property (both voluntarily and involuntarily) I had seen very few of these birds and never any so close to the club house. Inquiries of the grounds and greens keepers (all of whom were there during my period of residence) confirmed the fact that road-runners are now much more plentiful within the property lines than formerly. All of which goes to show that notwithstanding the surrounding territory has been rapidly built over (or perhaps because it has) the road-runner population has probably increased locally. The inference seems warranted that, where these birds are not persecuted, they will thrive in contact with man and his works and even seeks closer relations because--no doubt--of the favorable effect of mans' operations upon the food supply, where those operations are of such a nature as to supplement nature's works rather than the contrary. While I remained at the club these birds could usually be found near where first seen and it further developed that they were supposed, by certain of the non-ornithologically inclined out- door attaches of the club, to have pretty definite territories. E.g.: "There is a big fellow always near No.6". My friend John Black has been developing a garden for several years in advance of building a home there, in the Riviera district on the edge of Santa Monica canyon and road-runners are "always" messing about it. He now has a house under construction and these birds were there when I accompanied him there on the 3rd. On the same day I started up the coast, passing through Santa Barbara, where my friend Robert Easton also has road-runners (perhaps only one) in his garden. This bird has been suspected of eating his young quail. 50 or 60 (?) miles beyond Santa Barbara, near Los Alamos, the same day, while driving along the highway at 45 miles per hour, I passed a road-runner only 20 feet away, killing a snake in the depression by the side of the road. For more than a mile I kept on, but the attraction to the rear was too strong and I turned back. The bird was still there and was in the wooden attitude that Rhody assumes just after having swallowed something very big, and his neck was "stiff". No snake was to be seen, yet I had clearly seen it in the bird's bill being slapped vigorously upon the ground as I passed. Doubtless he had mastered it. This bird was not alarmed by my presence either to any great extent. He allowed me to pull up beside him in the car, get out and approach to within 20 feet or so, merely walking slowly away. At this point a sparrowhawk suddenly stooped at him without striking, but coming within about 6 inches of him. This was re- peated several times from a height of about 6 feet, the hawk never actually striking and the roadrunner merely side-stepping and crouching, but not running and not fighting back. I was not over 20 feet away. My presence probably "cramped the style" of both birds. The hawk flew up to a wire and perched there. I then threw stones at him until he left the scene. The first stone only excited his curiosity and he seemed tempted to catch it. When I left the hawk had gone and the road-runner was still not more than 40 feet away, walking off slowly crouched close to the ground. One wonders what the real intent of the hawk was. During this absence of mine not a thrasher was seen or heard, yet those in this vicinity remained as usual (Julio) and Brownie