1413 eventually (about 11:45) to a new house under construction about 150 yards from the cage. He paid no attention to the men moving about or the noises made by them. A long rest was in order here and acceptance of a mouse. I left him lying composedly at the crest of the high bank upon which this house is placed, looking off over the landscape spread out below, at 12:15 P.M. I did not look him up again until 5 P.M., when I found him sitting on the ground in the orchard, wanting no food. (Julio had given him a mouse at 3:30). Rufous Humming- bird patient. A little before 7:30 P.M. Mr. and Mrs. Frost brought a humming-bird that they thought had been mauled by a cat. (I have not gotten the full story yet, owing to my having to leave in a few minutes). The bird was unable to fly and had lost a lot of its feathers, and was in a bad way. Cursory examination in- dicated that it was an adult, male Rufous hummer. In the few min- utes at my disposal I was unable to make it eat a honey,-milk- Mellin's food mixture. It was placed in one of the Anna's cages. It could not sit on a perch. March 19th. Rufous hummer still alive, eats well. Condition. The hummer was still alive in the morning--an electric light kept the bottom of the cage warm. It ate freely of the mixture when offered in a spoon, just as the Annas did. In addition it sat on my hand and licked food off of a finger dipped in the mixture, running its tongue even under the nail. It is a Rufous hummer: mature male. The flight feathers seem to be intact--yet it can not fly. Most of the rump feathers are gone and the bare skin shows through redly. (Skin bruised?). It has lost feathers from the shoulders also and from the tail. Notwithstanding this mutilation of plumage it is a brilliant flame. an exquisite creature, much smaller than the smaller of the two Annas. It sits on a perch well, but has to be placed there. 12 M. The hummer is still unable to feed itself.(Himself). Just now I took him in hand prepared to feed him and he started licking my fingers. It happened that I had, less than two minutes before, washed my hands thoroughly with hot water and soap, rinsed them in fresh, and dried them after handling a mouse. Therefore there surely was none of the sweet food on them and there must have been little if any soapy or "human" taste. In any case, the impulse that brought about the licking action in the first place could not have been inspired, but that time, by the actual taste of anything. Furthermore, the bird applied its tongue at various places and soon desisted. Consequently it would appear that, from its earlier experience this morning, the bird had formed an asso- ciation between food and the skin of my hand (from which it had some hours earlier actually licked the mixture). A good feeder. Method of climbing. Like the Anna hummers, he is proving a huge feeder, reaching eagerly into the food bottle, which I have to hold for him, while he sits on my other hand. He climbs upon my hand by using bill and feet like a parrot. Rhody shelters from rain. 1:30 P.M. It has been raining almost steadily since some time in the night, and Rhody has not been until a few minutes ago, when he was under his shelter at the old oak, ready for a mouse. About 2:30 (still raining) I found him sheltered under another of his favored refuges: the garden bench, still with the mouse, sitting quietly. When I went to him he came out and began full mouse-ritual, as if it were my appearance upon the scene that stimulated this action--as perhaps it was.