1683. May 23rd. Not a thrasher to be seen up to 11:15 A.M., but calling could be heard off to the east. At 11:15 Neo was near the sage-patch and responded to an invitation to come and have some worms. He was rath- er shy. He soon began to pick up and drop twigs and shortly disap- peared while I was getting more worms. I suppose he is building (or contemplating building) a new nest somewhere. Up to 2 P.M. Rhody had had two mice. The first one was taken only after he had refused (crying) two larger ones differing in size. Both mice taken were honored with ritual and taken to nest 1-38, where he spent most of the forenoon. About 2:30 I invited him to come and look at the alligator lizard and the snake. Both of the creatures, at different times, brought forth his crawling behavior, with flirted wings. R was in- tensely interested for a time, but attacked neither. The snake was taken out of his cage and R circled about it. The snake had no dif- ficulty in following R's movements with his head at upwards of 10 feet range. The snake was given a live mouse, which he immediately "constricted" and swallowed. Rhody had previously (Julio) dined doff of the lizard's abandoned tail--a day or so ago. At 5 o'clock he wanted another mouse and again exercised sharp discrimination as to size, preferring the smallest. He then went to his house and was not again seen out of it. A warm day, max. 78°. Neo was seen back home again about 5 P.M. and appeared to be looking for a nest site. May 24th. (Sunrise 4:53, sunset 7:19). At about 7:45 A.M. Neo was home and fussing with a twig at the entrance. He dropped it and came to me for worms, but not very enthusiastically. He then called loudly from some place in the hon- eysuckle on the fence. Rhody, about 8 A.M., was seen trotting toward his house-nest in the eucalyptus with a sheaf of pine needles. This day is begin- ing warm. (68). Later in the day when Julio gave him a mouse, he again adopted his "crawling-wahnking tactics. Still later, while he was preening on the ground near his house, the towhees who have a nest there, came (I suppose from their behavior) to decoy him away. It is their habit, as on this occasion, to place themselves deliberately on the ground in front of him--some- times as close as three feet, and there seemingly awaiting results in a tense, quiescent attitude. If he charges, as he does not always do, they retreat behind a bush and there may be a short, dodging chase, the towhees always stopping when Rhody stops and resuming the waiting attitude a yard or two from him. If Rhody persists, they take to the trees and he usually abandons the pursuit; but he may (as in the present instance) tear off in one of his fits of exhibitionism with rattle-boos and posturings not apparently direct- ed at the towhees. The towhees (Brown) are always the aggressors and if anything happens to them it is their fault! (They have 10 or so nests here now). Rhody is strongly "addicted" to his home in the eucalyptus at present. It is his castle. From it he makes sorties for food