30 or 40 times, usually taking it by a rear foot (a sign, usually that he has no immediate intention of eating it, otherwise he would seize it by the back of the neck). The lizard made only 3 or 4 attempts to escape; none while the bird was holding him, which is the usual thing. Rhody finally tired of the sport and left him, to return to the roof. I picked the lizard up and examined him carefully. There was not a mark of any kind on him. Like many of the lizards here it was sprouting a new tail. I now took it into the cage. (Okii and Chiisai had been watching the performance with mild interest). Okii flew up to my lap at once, but jumped down, startled on seeing the lizard there, and walked around me a few seconds: stiff-leggedly, as Brownie used to do when Rhody was too near. In a few seconds he was up again and struck the lizard a resounding blow on the back of the head; at which it merely flinched slightly without trying to escape. Okii now picked it up by a hind leg and ran off with it, but when he laid it down the lizard was off like a shot into the bushes in the cage. Okii and Chiisai made a half-hearted search there, but came out with nothing. Rhody, in turn, was keeping himself posted on events, and when I came out of the cage and headed for the shop-yard, he shot along the roof in pursuit, using both wings and feet, sailed down and made it practically a dead heat at the mouse cage. No ceremony, but retirement to the same oak branch for a long stay. The interesting feature of his today's behavior is his twice passing up food of which he is fond, at or in his bill, for mice. In one case: meat which he was reaching for; in the other: a lizard, already in his bill. Heretofore (I think I am justified in saying) of all the foods offered him in the past, his response to lizards has been the most prompt. Even in this instance it was prompt; but it was not eaten. This suggests that the element of sport in connection with the lizard is one of the main attractions that that reptile has for him. (It should be noted here that only about 15 minutes elapsed between his deserting the lizard and following enthusiastically for the mouse). It will also be observed that, in the meat episode, he passed up a certainty of immediate food and risked being in error in "relying" upon me not to deviate from that pattern of mine which he has deciphered. (Never mind the anthropomorphism!) The case of the mouse is not so clear: The sporting instinct may have entered here. Further: Having watched the affair in the cage, he may have been aware that the lizard was no longer avail- able, hence was in a receptive mood towards mice. Okii and Chiisai, though still with impaired gait, seemed less annoyed and hindered by the bands. Both sang digging songs often and of long duration. In this performance Chiisai was, today, the more conspicuous and the qual- ity of his song was not inferior to Okii's. In fact I got the opposite impression. Chiisai also sang slumber song equal to O's. Of the "nest," now, all that remains is the original framework placed there by me. However, both still show interest in suit- able material, carrying it about and talking. There is now an entire absence of song by other thrashers in