The Grinnells had meanwhile indicated that, notwithstanding the unfavorable prospects which I reported to them, at the moment, they would take a chance and come over. When they arrived I was in the cage with Rhody, who was playing with the magpies. I was in there to keep him from eating the meat, which he was disposed to take, since I had purposely not accepted an earlier hint from him bearing upon the mouse question, and wanted to preserve him as Exhibit B showing a hungry road-runner performing on live food. We deferred further attention to Rhody (knowing that he would keep) and went to investigate the affair to the west, which we found progressing with no particular enthusiasm on the part of three (?) thrashers. There was considerable song, but no one bird seemed to have anything special upon his mind and the one bird who perched in plain sight for several minutes refused to respond to offers of worms. I then stated that, what was needed to bring about a real convention, was for one thrasher to perch upon a tree near the house and sing as if he meant it. We should then have something happen if precedent were to be followed. We now went back to look up Exhibit B (the thrashers being A, and found Rhody quickly. (He was really coming to look for me). He followed promptly to the tool-house, a little embarrassed by the presence of visitors, suddenly thought of the stuffed owl indoors, and branched off to the shop, which he entered in pursuance of the idea which had just occurred to him. However, on being shown that, this time, he could really have a mouse, he abandoned the owl idea, came back, took the mouse, ran off with it a few feet and swallowed it, still kicking. He was going to take no chances. Meanwhile, the thing I had been hoping for (and really expecting) occurred, Viz: A thrasher came and posted himself in the pine south of the shop, about 40 feet from us, and began to sing loudly in full view. But the Grinnells had to leave: M&S needing attention. As they drove off encircling the house, another thrasher came from the north. I headed the Grinnells off as they were about to "escape" saying that they were coming; but "discipline had to be maintained"; so they departed. Now I am going to send J.C. a copy of the raw notes of August 28th, 1938, A.D. just to illustrate one of the advantages in being an engineer of no particular reputation as against being a scientist of eminence--for here is what happened immediately after they left--or began to happen: (1) I disposed myself comfortably in a chair near the cage: the most probable focal point of expected events, at about 10:15 A.M. The sun was brightly shining. Tanagers were in the surrounding trees (The third successive day). (2) Thrasher A (from the pine south of the tool-house) transferred to the "old oak" behind me, still singing. (3) Thrasher A shifted to the sawed-off pine 30 feet in front of me, still singing, as was B in the pine by the cage, 20 or 30 feet from me. (4) More thrashers from the north joined B.. Three birds singing there. (5) A thrasher joined A in the stumpy pine. They "talked" in low tones. (6) One of these dropped down, started to run across the open in front of me. I made a back-handed gesture as if to toss a worm. He halted in his tracks. Another flick of the wrist and he ran to me and picked up worms at my feet. He was so close that my knees cut off my view of him. I filled him up. (7) He ran to join B.