1637 He had an easy afternoon and was much at leisure. Rhody was found in his arm-chair roost in the cage about 3 P.M., taking it very easy. As I talked to him, his eyes gradually closed and he dozed; but when I walked away, he came to life and followed to the tool-house for his mouse. Some of these creatures are now too big for his ordinary appetite. The intermediate sizes have all gone down his gullet; so I had to give him a very small one. This seemed to satisfy him for the time being, but in about an hour he came for another. He went to his No.2 house for the night at 4:52. September 9th Thrasher song first heard at 5:20 A.M., to the west. There after, scattered song in the distance, gradually concentrating in this neighborhood about 8:45. I was otherwise engaged to keep in touch with affairs, but sounds of a convention came from the direction of the cage. Later Julio had supplied Neo with worms near the cage and Neo had gone up the SH pine and started song. There was response from two other singers close by. This was about 11. Just before 12 I went out to the SH tree. All was quiet. Two thrash- ers were digging single mindedly under the oaks bounding the east side of the Nichols lawn. There was no posturing of an kind and they paid no attention to my offers of worms. (84°). This temperature does not seem to have had any effect on song or tendency to gather, contrary to an earlier indication this season that it might. However, as stated, I have made no close observations today as yet. Rhody again kept out of sight during the forenoon; but at 1 o'clock, I found him wiping his bill near the cage after having eaten a piece of meat. He now proceeded to "kill" a twig and I left him. When I got almost here I found he had followed, so turned back toward the tool-house preceded by him weaving from side to side of the path so that he could keep on going and still look back to see if I was following (or to keep from being stepped on). He gobbled the tiny mouse at once and left. Neo is becoming a great entertain- er. Neo's digging song. Differs from Brownie's. 2:15 (Temp. 88°). About 1:15 light conversational song could be heard from the vicinity of Neo's pine. I went out and sat in the shade by it, called. Soon Neo's head peered up over the bank. The song continued. He now began to dig and sing at the same time. I have several times wondered if he was a "dig-singer" like other thrashers I have known intimately and was now to find out. For the next half hour he alternated between "sing-digging" and coming to me for worms still keeping up the song. He was full of confidence For a time it seemed that he had "just another" thrasher digging can: fine and varied, but without unusual characteristics. This was soon changed when he introduced full song with his digging and, until digging ceased, full song was freely used with it. It was observed that he used the more staccato phrases and seemed to be talking to his job. A highly interesting performance. As I recall it, Brownie never sang loudly when digging. In addition to this departure from accepted standards he can full song while facing me on the ground 6 to 10 feet away awaiting worms. Several times this lasted more than one minute. He did not approach Brownie's record of singing three-quarter song to me 10(?) feet away for three-quarters (?) of an hour. (Ref. back notes).