1673 seemed to take special pains to keep us aware of his presence and often hung around where I was working in the garden, even getting in the way when I was raking a bare spot in the lawn. I knew what he wanted, in spite of his air of elaborate disinterestedness; any move toward the tool-house (on three occasions) by me immediately caused him to drop his indifferent pose. The magpies absorbed much of his time and he developed new strategy in his play with them. At the west end of the cage there is a wind-screen outside the wire, placed at an angle to it. From the top of this screen the magpies may be seen clearly when they are near that end of the cage. Also there is a crack where Rhody, when crouched behind the screen, can see them if they approach. He squares behind the screen in tense, watchful attitude and when a magpie approaches the end of the cage, he suddenly jumps up to the top of the screen and confronts him like a jack-in-the-box, and sometimes boos at them. It seems to have little effect upon those birds, but Rhody seems to enjoy it. May 6th. Current programme of the thrashers remained unchanged. Now that the bills of the youngsters are getting longer and more curved and their mouths less wide, Neo (just like Brownie) is finding it easier to stick worms down their throats by approaching them by a flank movement and feeding from the side. At times he also [still] finds it necessary to tap a chick at several different points to make it "open up" and cluck. Rhody was given his first mouse about 9:30 A.M., coming from his magpie play on seeing me approach. Ritual followed with exhibition at various reflecting surfaces and points of vantage. During this action, at one time, his voice could be heard issuing from the fire-place of this room. He also sang once--now a rare happening-- and the first time since it was last recorded in the notes. At 10 A.M. he took the mouse to his house-nest in the eucalyptus, and frequent visits there showed that he remained in the nest for more than two and a half hours continuously--how much longer I do not know. He visited the magpies often, using both his old and his new methods and was ready for another mouse at 4 P.M. This also was eventually carried to the nest 1-38. After more play with the magpies he retired for the night before 5:40 P.M. (Thought to be about 5:30). Note contrast with yesterday's time; yet both days were substantially alike as to weather, with maxima in the low seventies, clear, slight breeze. May 7th. (Sunrise 5:08, sunset 7:05). At 5 A.M. black-headed grosbeaks and russet-backed thrushes were singing in the garden. At 7:15 Rhody was still (?) in his nest. He remained there until about 8:30. At 8:45 he followed me to the tool-house for a mouse, which he ate without ceremony. At 7:15 N2 was incubating and, judged by the sounds, Neo and his charges were off to the east a considerable distance. At 8:30 Neo was on duty and the two youngsters were back at the sage patch and came to me for worms. Neo was calling at short intervals for relief. In about 15 minutes I went back; N2 was now in the nest and Neo and the youngsters were away again.