ably in a northwesterly direction, since his attention had been directed more or less that way for the past few minutes and he was not so wooden. His regular roost was about 250 yards off in that direction. He began to move slowly a foot or two at a time, always seeking the neighborhood of something that might offer a retreat in case of need, such as a new house under construction, the various construction materials and appliances about it, fences, etc. I do not remember having seen him so cautious before . I kept ahead of him. When we arrived at the Scamell east fence he followed north, keeping close to it, until he saw Bonzo, the dog, when he retreated, went along the south fence and turned up the west one. There he caught sight of Tommy--Leo the white cat that chased him some time ago. He reacted to the cat by cock- ing up head and tail pertly but continued. He now moved more free- ly, but with long pauses to look and listen ahead. I noticed now that children were tearing around through the bushes near his roost. Fortunately they left soon. At 4:33 Rhody was in position No. 1 of the ladder tree. At 4:35 he was in his regular roost--the quickest passage through the ladder tree yet observed, though he followed his regular route through it. This is seen to be an exceptional day for Rhody in almost every way. I do not know the reason. His rising earlier than he has been recently may have been caused by some fright. Per- haps the sparrow-hawk (who was around all day) had something to do with it. B's presence at the ladder tree may have indicated some sort of trouble nearby. Rhody's long period of inaction near the Fish house, his failure to respond to my invitations, his indifference to my pres- ence there and submission to the familiarity noted, his cautious return to his regular roost, his neglect of bill-wiping after meat, his attempt at concealment on seeing the schoolgirl, his retreat on seeing Bonzo (whom he knows)--his salute to Tommy--Leo appears normal) his general woodenness, all may have been the result of some fright early in the day. (I forgot to mention also his ab- sence from his regular post). This is, of course, all pure speculation. December 9th. (Sunrise 7:13, sunset 4:51). 1:30 P.M. (Temp. 60, bright, no wind). Rhody was found still in his roost at 9:45. At 10:40, with the aid of the tell-tale wrentits, he was loca- ed in the interior of the west lot in a little opening in the brush He was willing to catch worms provided my aim was good; but my wild tosses he let go by and would not retrieve. Clearly not suffering for food. At 12:20 he was found in exactly the same place and had not been seen at his regular post in the meantime. This time I offer- ed him no food and went away thinking he would follow me out, which he did. He was now careful to pick up my wild pitches. Something interesting now diverted his attention to the west, so he had to move to a place commanding a better view. This he did with great dignity: Head up, crest raised, skin-patch displayed, tail trailing downward until the tip nearly touched the ground, all body feathers pressed tightly down, he strode off slowly in his smooth, gliding walk, without a wabble of any kind--up, down or sidewise--no lost motion whatever. Evidently important affairs of some kind demanded that he comport himself in a manner suited