Bird Notes, Part 6, v663
Page 165
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Transcription
and cried, but I offered him no food and he continued to sit there so I left and walked toward the entrance. Brownie now began to call over at the Robinsons': "Stick-to-it, stick-to-it", but soon stopped, forgetting his own motto. The direct rays of the sun had not as yet descended to this place at 6:40, but distant objects to the south and west were in full light. At 8:30 Phody came to the shop for his mouse, which he carried directly to the mirror with display, then went off to the north. He appears to have remained away until about 3 P.M., when he was given a lizard at the cage by Julio after having helped himself to meat there. The lizard was carried to the mirror and he was not observed further, until 4:30 when Julio gave him a mouse. At 5:30 I saw him with this same mouse on the way to his roost. Although Brownie is away much of the time, probably having a nest at Robinson's, he nevertheless comes home to levy tribute. At lunch time, with three of us sitting at the table in the cloister, he joined us for a few minutes to get his share, sitting on my hand. March 15th. Rhody was found across the street from here at 8:30 A.M., friedly enough but not wanting the meat offered, though he cried. He finally headed off for the north and was not seen all day again, although looked for frequently. He was not in the roost tree at 5:45 P.M. and had taken no food from the cage. Since the release of R5 his interest in the vicinity of the cage has rapidly declined, and he appears to wander further afield. It began to rain about 2:30 P.M. and I expected to find him in one of the places where he seeks shelter in wet weather, but he was in none of them. March 16th. At 8:15 A.M. Rhody was not in his roost tree, but fresh drop- ings on the street indicated that he had been in the vicinity early this morning and it seems probable that he did occupy his regular sleeping place after all. At 9:45 he was located, sitting quietly, in the leafless, cork-elm in the baccharis between the Nichols' and the Reiters' house to the north. (The same tree in which he sat Mar. 11). Though it was dull and heavily clouded, I went back to get my still camera and a mouse. He cried, of course, and came down for the mouse. The next ten minutes or so he spent in performing his ritual in my immediate vicinity, usually facing me 6 or 8 feet away, as if for my benefit, as perhaps it was. Most of this performance was accompanied by rapid coots. I now accompanied him on his wander- ings, during which he did not stray more than 100 yards from the elm, up to 11:45, when I left to take the films to a photo- finisher. His general direction through the thick growth had been toward his night roost; so on returning at 12:25, I stopped there, finding him at the base of the roost tree, still with the mouse. He greeted me with whines and soft hroos, crouched half a dozen times to go up to the house-nest, abandoned the idea for the time being at least--perhaps on account of hawks which engaged his at- tention--and began to thread his way slowly through the bushes away from the tree at 12:35, still carrying the mouse.