1493 He did not display with it. Okii and Chisai were not alarmed by the visitors, even with Dr. Miller in the cage, their attitude toward him seeming to be about the same as toward me; Okii jumping to the closed worm-box in M's hand in demonstration of his "worm-box association!" "The" fly was also shown riding around on Okii's head: also the magpie's "feather reflex". These birds responded to Dr. M's presentation of a feather just as in my case. (Add observation per Okii's drawing) July 27th. Rhody had a small mouse in the forenoon and a large one in the afternoon. Each was eaten as soon as killed, without ritual. I gave him the first one on finding him sitting on the table in the shop-yard watching the white rats. He doubtless had seen me enter the yard a few minutes before. Yesterday ( I forgot to record it) Okii developed a taste for Hamburger all of a sudden. Curiously, it was brought about by my nephew's (D.D.C) offering it to him, O taking it from hand. Since then this meat is on his approved list of foods. "The" fly is now bothering both birds, causing them to make sudden leaps into the air followed by frantic "stampedes" and prob- ings. On the 25th. (also overlooked in recording) Rhody was victim of a similar attack, responding in exactly the same way, but with fervor of execution proportional to his size. Thus he jumped suddenly 2 feet straight up from an attitude of complete repose and shot by me so fast as to appear as a straight line in space. July 28th. There has been heard no song of free thrashers for several days and Okii's efforts at full song are rare. Chisai's recent promise of growing up and getting his own food from the soft-food dish has not been fulfilled. He is still a baby and wants to be fed by hand in addition to the results of his own foraging in the earth piles and about the cage. Except for this difference he seems to be as adept as Okii in getting food for himself. It is now possible to distinguish O and C by the appearance of their irides alone. C still has Greenie's eyes, but O appears to b e rapidly approaching Brownie's color. About 9 A.M. (C had been fed three times already) both thrash- ers began to scrip. They had caught a glimpse of Rhody taking the featers off of a young bird! It appeared to be a linnet. Chisai is being much tormented by "The" fly (?) although I can not see the creature. Between stabs he is clearly awaiting the next one in dread. Mr. Cain says this fly is one of the Hippoboscidae. July 29th. to 31st., incl. During this period Rhody refrained from nesting activities at this place; as far as known, entirely. All mice given him were eaten without ceremony. I am inclined to think that this be- havior indicates passing of his nesting urge for the season but it may merely be a manifestation of the dying out one of the "har-