1785 abroad yesterday, he might be still in bed--and so he was--but whether due to fatigue or fog--nobody knows. He was not at all interested in my presence and was not seen even to give a fleeting glance at me. Thus did he show gratitude to me for the several thousand mice I have given him! (Without making a careful estimate: probably over 2000). The sun did not last long, as the sky became cloudy and remained so for the rest of the day. I went down to see if this had caused Rhody to stay in his house (at 1:45 P.M.). He was there, but lying on top of it. This time he condescended to look at me, but offered no greeting at all and would not come down; so I returned to the house and got a mouse, carrying it in a red box which I kept concealed, as I wished to see if Rhody would come down on seeing the box, since he associates it with mice. In other words: I wanted to see if would accept the box as a more specific guarantee of a mouse than my mere presence (with verbal assurances). The intention was to show it to him only if he failed to come down. However, it did not work out that way; for, when I emerged from the brush about 10 feet from his tree, he sailed down at once--box or no box! The mouse was quickly eaten without display of any kind. As far as known, Rhody has not sung for several days; his singing, like his nest-building, seems also to have "harmonics" superimposed on the "fundamental wave", i.e.: there are days without song followed by days with song. January 16th. Thrasher song at intervals throughout the day--fair and mild. Birds scarce during the forenoon on account of the presence of a hawk, which made several raids upon the quail. This was a large female Cooper's hawk and once, when it was right in the bushes with the quail on the bank by the fig tree I took a shot at it with the 22 rifle using a BB cap. I heard the bullet strike it and the bird fell part way to the ground, recovered and flew off. Rhody was apparently aware of the presence of this bird, as he would not come home. At about 1:30 I called him from the west fence. He came readily enough and over the fence, but halted before reaching the trees and rattlebooded stubbornly. Not a step further would he come; so I compromised, went and got him a mouse. He rattle booded as I approached him and took the mouse from hand. No display. No song heard during the day from him. He slept in No. 1. January 17th. Thrashers still singing--some of it competitive. Dr. Grinnell and Mr. John Baker (Executive Director of the National Association of Audubon Societies, N.Y.) were here about 10:15 A.M. Rhody was on the west lot and the White-throated Sparrow obligingly made himself at home on the oval lawn, near which we sat. I learned from Mrs Scamell later in the day that Rhody had been singing "beautifully" but a few minutes before Mr. Baker and I went down to see him! As luck would have it, the thrashers also observed a period of silence while my visitors were here. The Anna hummer was also buzzing around in Rhody's immediate vicin- ity, but he too failed me, by failure to pay his respects to that bird by doing his power dives.