1415 At 9 A.M. Rhody was at his post. His response to call was to pick up "the" twig previously referred to. This time, however, he meant business and carried it to nest 4-37 in his house in the roost tree. There he had a strenuous tussle with it as it was large and unwieldy, and paid no attention to me until it was placed to his satisfaction. Then he began to cry and came down for his mouse. This he carried off with the appropriate seasonal ceremony. In the meantime Rufus (the rufous hummer) had had three or four helpings of fooa. He will not patronize the food bottles in his cage as yet, except when one is lifted from the roost and held in front of him. Yet he sits within an inch or two of them with the sun striking the brilliant red of their tops. No attempt was made to keep in touch with Rhody during the remainder of the forenoon. 1:30 P.M. I shall be away until about 5 P.M. Rufus eats well, but is still unable to fly and seems somewhat sleepier than he did yesterday. 5 P.M. Rufus, for the first time, was seen to sidle up to his food bottle and drink from it. This is encouraging. 5:30 P.M. On returning from an errand I found Rufus with his bill inserted into the food bottle and not eating. As he did not withdraw it, I touched him lightly and he pulled it out. I now watched him closely, as this was a new manifestation--perhaps an unfavorable one. His eyes were partly closed and he was nodding and continually thrusting his tongue out slightly beyond the tip of his bill. 5:45. Rufus is unable to sit on his perch and lies on the floor of the cage, face down. His tongue continues to be thrust out, touching the blotting paper of the floor.--eyes closed,-his respiration, which has always appeared labored--scarcely noticeable. He appears to be dying. 7 P.M. He has not moved from the spot where has been lying-- still in the same attitude, but seems to be breathing more strongly. 8 P.M. Only change is that he is breathing less strongly now. 9 P.M. Rufus died some time since the previous note. External examination showed severe bruise on the back. Perhaps he was injured internally, also. March 21st. Heavy rain during the night, and still (9:55) raining. At 9:25 A.M. I drove down and parked by Rhody's tree. I could see nothing in the house-nest at first, but when I began talking to the hypothetical bird, something began to move, and Rhody, inside the nest, began to work on it--the same "guilty" reaction often observed on other occasions, both with him and Brownie--as if trying to convince me that work had been going all the time anyway. I now showed him, from inside the car, the red box in which mice are carried, but he wanted some more convincing evidence of my good faith before he would come down. (Still raining). Next I dangled a mouse by the tail outside the car window and this removed his last doubts, so he came down, took it and began his ceremonious march in search of a mate. I did not wait to see the end of this, having an engagement, which also prevented my observing him further during the rest of a day of almost continuous rain.