and called for a minute or two without apparent result, until looking behind me, I was mildly startled to see Rhody about six feet from me patiently awaiting the turn of events. I had not heard a sound. When Rhody is dry, as he was, and everything around him is wet and sodden, he no longer blends into his surroundings, but if in fairly good light, he looms up like Kipling's "banana in a coal-scuttle." I offered him meat, but he was not interested. I offered a smaller piece--no result. I showed him the red box--he cried. I took off the cover. He advanced at once and neatly extracted the mouse, downing it greedily and with no thought of using it as a love token. While this test proves nothing, there was some reason why the bird took the mouse from me and why, instead of taking it from Julio a few minutes earlier, he went off in a circus. There was now a fine lot of thrasher song; from BW's territory and from Neo and N2(?) in the orchard. I went back there and Neo was singing loudly at the fence, facing BW's location (250 yards away with two or three house in between) and the supposed N2 was still singing from the pine, higher and a dozen yards to his rear. (Raining). During the afternoon the rain gradually lessened, eventually ceasing entirely. Neo remained accessible, singing often, though wet. Rhody was in his house at 3:30 and was given a mouse by Julio while there, but, instead of staying, came down. At 5 he was already in his house when Julio looked for him and had apparently just entered, as he was not settled. His tail was still outside. Feb. 12th. (Sunrise 7:05, sunset 5:44). Rain during the night; alternating sun and shadow up to the present time (5 P.M.). Papers full of the storm news: Flood conditions in the interior, etc., etc. Some early thrasher song to the N.E. Neo home most of the day, but not heard singing here. At times his mate, although unseen, was apparently with him. At 9:25 A.M. I started for Rhody's night roost, but his cooing song sounded, once only, behind me. I went back 40 yards and found I had passed him without seeing him; but he had evidently seen me and, based on the fact that he had not been heard to sing earlier and did not again sing for a half hour, it would appear that this one effort was intended to attract my attention, especially as he came quickly to me for a mouse. (44). No ritual. About noon I found him sitting quietly part way down the high bank at the top of which his roost tree grows. Although he is in plain sight of all passers by, he has recently taken a liking to this place, and nobody seems to see him. When he heard me coming through the brush, he looked up, rattled his bill softly several times, raised his crest and displayed his colors, rattle-boomed once, then came and stood beside me eating meal worms from my palm with the utmost composure, much as Brownie used to do. At 4 P.M. I went down the inside path again to his tree, purposely not calling. He was not there, but soon came trotting along the route I had just followed and took from my fingers the largest piece of meat I have ever given him. He then sunned his back at my feet, blocking my return path. Half a dozen times I moved closer and each time he retreated a foot or two and immediately resumed his "open-bowl" sunning pose, looking up at me inquiringly. He insisted on blocking my route and refused to get out of the path, so to