1329. About 8:45, as song was still in progress, I went over there. A thrasher was singing loudly from the top of a pine in the McGauley garden. "The" robins were there too, but I saw no other thrashers. The Nichols lawn was also unoccupied by birds of any kind; but Rhody, who had had his first mouse about 7:30 A.M., was sitting on the roof of the play-house "taking things in". (He had not stayed late in his house this bright morning). I returned here at 9 A.M. Neo was now singing from the top of the pine south of the tool-house. All was quiet in the McGauley area. Before I could get in to make this entry responses to Neo were coming from the northeast and north. (Thrashers moving in). 9:20 Neo continues to sing from the same pine. A thrasher has joined him there and sits 4 feet below him "encouraging" him with talk and short snatches of song (N2?). A third thrasher sings from the pine at the north fence. 9:25. This thrasher also has an audience of one, and there are two other thrashers nearby. One, in a maple 50 feet from him, sings. One running about in the baccharis, nearer, utters short, musical calls. 5 thrashers accounted for. None on the Nichols lawn. 9:27. Neo dives down from his tree into orchard. 9:35. Fairly quiet. A little song to the north; some scrip- ping. I go to north fence. Nichols lawn vacant, but Rhody, in one of his fits of exhibitionism, is cutting caper up and down the steps leading from the veranda to the lawn, rattleboobing and darting off and through the shrubbery, with no visible audience except perhaps me, 100 feet away. He subsides and begins to explore. 9:40. Quail begin to explode from the north pines as I approach and thrashers sail out by ones and twos, scripping and drop- ping down into the baccharis covered slope. This seems to end the gathering, for the time being at least. 9:50. As I wrote the above, thrasher song begins again somewhere in the garden. Based on past observations, this should be Neo, remaining steadfast in his territory. I shall go out to check up. 9:54. It was Neo in the pine south of the tool-house, sing- ing loudly. N2(?) was sitting 2 feet from him, scripping. I managed to divert his attention from his song (he was 30 feet up in the tree) by tossing leaves, and pinches of bran from the worm-box. One good look at me and realization came; he dropped down to the driveway, ran quickly back to me and got his worms. (The angle of descent would have been too steep for him to have landed nearer. N2 also sailed down almost simultaneously, but not to me. A few worms and Neo ran off to the feeding station at the oval lawn. I go out to see what can "be done about it", thinking N2 probably also there. 10:10. At 10:01 Neo comes promptly for more worms, talking to an invisible mate. Soon I see her too. The worms are too strong a temptation and she comes out too. I now have both Neo and N2, for the first time in several months, taking tossed worms freely in the open, and without retreating after each worm but waiting for me to throw more, until my supply is exhausted. While waiting they make short jabs at the lawn and continue to talk. I now went down to Mr. Sampson's. Three thrashers there (unidentified by me) and a russet-backed thrush. (Getting late for them?). Thrashers everywhere. On returning about 11 o'clock, found this place full of song. 1 P.M. Much song ever since. For the last three quarters of an hour Neo has been singing from the pine south of the tool-house Another in the sparrow-hawk pine. Another in the pine nearest the north wall of thehouse. This bird is such an accomplished and varied singer that I had to see him actually before making sure that he is a thrasher. He has an imperfect, though convincing rendition of the