Five students testified yesterday against James L. McLeod, who allegedly robbed the Houses of several hundred dollars last spring.

Four of the identified stolen property and a fifth, who saw two thieves at work in May, said that McLeod looked like one of them. But, he admitted, "I can't be positive."

Meanwhile, the District Attorney presented a tight case against McLeod which didn't bread down during a needling cross-examination. His star witness was Joseph W. Duane, who described a long series of thefts which--he said--McLeod helped him with.

Bites Fingernails

The defense presents its side today, but probably won't ask McLeod to take the stand. McLeod, a large and handsome man with ruddy hair, sat expressionless during yesterday trial, leaning forward on the prisoner's bench and often chewing his fingernails.

The five students who testified in Cambridge Superior Court were William C. Duval III '53, William R. Lamb '53, John D. Rauh '54, Stanley N. Garfinkel '52, and John J. Sack '51.

Duval described how the burglars woke him up late at night last May. He followed them from Leverett G-entry to H-entry, where he got a good look at them but didn't try to stop them.

A Watch, Suitcase, and 30 Cents

Lamb testified that he had lost $5 and Garfinkel that he had been relieved of a portable typewriter. Rauh identified a stolen suitcase and a watch in court; Sack recognized a watch and a Peruvian bill worth five soles--30 cents.

The Peruvian bill was the only stolen property ever found on McLeod's person. When arrested in New York, he told police that a man had given it to him in a Manhattan bar--according to testimony that the police gave yesterday.

The defense worked to undermine the credibility of Duane as a witness, and to question his motives in testifying against his one-time accomplice. Duane's testimony stood unchanged, however, after two hours of cross-examination.