1625 At 1:15 Rhody came down for more twigs and I showed him meat without effect. He gathered a billful of small stuff and was about to go up to the nest, when I showed him the red box. He dropped the load, came to me and began to sun his back. I took the cover off of the box. This was enough; he took the mouse with full honors and began the rounds. The cage, mirror and perhaps the cage occupants, received his full attention for 30 minutes (except when he watched a red-tailed hawk, far up in the sky, being attacked by some smaller bird). He was marching around the garden when I left at 2 P.M. to see what Neo was doing in the west lot. Neo had been singing there for a long time, and I found him in tree 8. He continued his song for a few minutes more and then, without invitation, glided down to the fence where I stood, and was given worms. He now withdrew about 8 feet and continued his full song from the ground . The first time for him and a relatively rare performance for the California thrasher. He now came for another worm and withdrew to 6 feet distance and continued song, followed by a few seconds of concentrated listening, flight to a bush 20 feet away; song there for perhaps 5 minutes, then return to me for a worm from my fingers. This behavior now became a standard pattern, last- ing until I left: To me for a worm from hand; retreat to 5 or 6 feet; full song there for a minute or two; a few seconds listening in almost frozen attitude; withdrawal to the bush for further song. While I was there this happened four times. At 5 feet distance I could see into his mouth from the side as he sang. The tongue is drawn far back, pressed against the lower mandible, with tip raised. It appears to have no part in modulating the sound. At this distance the sound is so too intense for best ef- fect. Neo's song is extremely varied (when he wants it to be) but as yet, he is not so good a singer as Brownie--making due allowance for personal bias. (64° in clearing, 56° in court). I now went back and found Rhody sitting quietly in his nest. While he cried on seeing me, his conscience appeared to be easy, sinc he did not bluff at having been working all the time. I do not know whether he dedicated this new structure with the mouse or not. After recording the foregoing, I went out (3 P.M.) to see if Rhody was still on the job. He was lying down in his nest in the new house. He has quite a rampart built up on its porch also. He cried, did not bluff at nest-building, but reached out and pulled at leaves of the tree. Saving face, I suppose. He continued to work until nearly 4 o'clock, but his resting periods became more frequent and, toward the end, instead of carrying up new twigs, used some of those in his "rampart". At 4 o'clock he came down to sun for 15 minutes near me, wanting neither mouse nor meat; but when Julio came and toss ed him a salamander, he took it, killed it (frequently wiping the slime off of his bill) and ate it. The killing was a long job, as the creatures are tough. Now followed a visit to the cage, a glance at the mirror, long sunning, return to the bank above the orchard and at 5:10, passage throught the side gate. At 5:27 he made his leap to the roost tree and was stowed away in his old house half a min- ute later. I had thought that there was a possibility of his using the new house and nest. In the meantime I had made several visits to the glade to verify the continued presence of Neo and mate in the brush about tree 8. Although he had stopped singing at about 3:30, he came out each time for food. I fed him again as I left to time Rhody's roosting, and he broke into full song, which lasted for 12 minutes. From where I was (at Rhody's tree) it sounded as if N2 were adding a phrase here and there at certain definite points of Neo's song. On my return here I noted N2 and Neo working their way through the brush eastward on the south bank, talking.