At about 7:45 Neo was singing from his pine tree and another thrasher was busily engaged in making divots on the oval lawn in the process of extracting cut-worms. Many marks of her (N2's?) activities were strewn about the dewy surface. Many persons have complained about the work of that "brown bird with the long curved bill". It is true that thrashers raise Cain with freshly planted lawns and mar the surface of well established ones. However, these blemishes soon disappear: usually after the next sprinkling on old lawns. In this territory, as has been pointed out in these notes more than once, cut worms cause large brown or even dead patches in lawns during the late summer months. These patches persist for a long time, often necessitating reseeding. The thrasher is after the cut-worms and the slight damage it does is far and away offset by the good it does in preventing the occurrence of these unsightly patches. Again, in performing this service, it is far neater than the average paid gardener would be and, further, saves the amateur much back-breaking effort (if he is conscientious about his lawn). Furthermore the thrasher pays for the privilege of working on our lawns for unlimited song during the very season (also before and after) when he is doing this pest control. At about 8 A.M. Neo, not knowing he had a spectator, was investigating the small lily pool in the court to devise ways and means of securing a bath. He was very human about it. This pool is roughly circular, about 4 feet in diameter; shallow as pools go, but deep for bird bathing, even for the thrasher who likes rather deep water. There is a succession of tiny pools leading from the hummingbird fountain to this pool. Neo found each of them too small. He now skirted the margin of the larger pool considering whether he should go down the bank into it, testing the water with his bill. This method did not appeal to him and he next considered flying out into the middle and landing on the lily pads. He tried this two or three times, but lacked courage to make the landing and kept on to the other side. Next he landed in the middle of the leaves, but got out quickly when his feet got wet. Finally he stuck to it and found a place where the thick central "trunk" of the plant comes near the surface and radiates stems in all directions. A few tests of the water with the tip of his bill, and bathing was in full swing. He now went to his pine to dry and sing. Thence to the old oak to sing some more, still twitching his wings after the bath. This song brought a rival from the north to sing in the pine near the cage. (I am wondering whether this bird is the "Inver" with whom Neo fought last year). After a long song Neo went to the SH pine. The other song had ceased. I stood under the pine and looked over the wall. Two thrashers were working on the lawn. Neo continued to sing from the pine for several minutes longer. He then dropped to the edge of the lawn. One of the two others ran to him at once from 50 feet away. They confronted each other with raised bills, talking and gurgling, advancing, retreating and sidling about. The other (3rd) thrasher came to look, then went back to work. No.2 went off 10 feet north and began to dig. Neo went into the enclosure about the playhouse. Suddenly he rushed through the fence at the other bird and retreated, the other not following. There had been the sound of clashing wings. Both foraged for a time. Again they confronted each other, then separated. Neo now attacked and, for a few seconds the birds fought face to face on the ground and in the air, then both resumed digging. I now made worm-throwing gestures and Neo ran to me quickly for worms, eating peacefully. His late opponent now ran to us, looked at us for a moment, then went off to dig. This looks like a territorial clash--on the borderline between more or less established and undisputed territories--but not a very serious one. This temporary abandonment of feuds and other