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[[underline]] belcheri [[/underline]] [[circle]] 105 [[/circle]]

November 15, 1955,
Chincha Peru

Have seen 7 or 8 MC's since writing last - and the situation is beginning to resolve itself. "Typical" MC's can be described as follows. The bird on ground does HD-D before incoming bird lands, then both V&HF (all this V appears to be either "simple V" or "auv.V" - [[underline]] I have seen nothing like a very extreme agg.V or "aggressive head-set") [[/underline]].

There are two common variants to the process thus far. 1. The sitting bird doesn't bother to HD-O, no display in confined to V&HF 2. The landing bird does HD-D after landing, thus making the HD-O-V&HF mutual. What happens after this is more variable. Sometimes one or both birds will go straight into choking Sometimes one or both birds will perform one or more "simple" gosts The female of the pair I am watching is a "nervous" type. She comes out of gost into Aux V&HF each time, and then stands in aux.U until the next Gost. Sometimes one or both birds may peck at ground, (to be followed by OCB "swallowing" motions after head is lifted), or actually drunk water, or (possibly) pick something up off ground & eat it. All these downward movements of head & bill one too common to be sheer coincidence or purely autochthonous. Particularly in view of the fact that choking is so common in the same situations. (And this choking occurs where there is no "Third bird" present to complicate the situation).

Speaking of choking in MC, it is often preceded by what appear to be "preliminary" displays in these circumstances. Sometimes brief M posture. More often, bird in either Gost and/or V, either opens bill (widely) and keeps it open, or opens & closes bill (open widely again) moderately slowly
The "preliminaries" to ch sometimes occur without subsequent ch.
I haven't managed to hear the sounds, (if any), accompanying Ch, M, and the other "prelims" to Ch.

HD-O is the common display given towards "strange" flying birds by birds on the ground (with or without mate present)

V, HD, O, and Ch all extremely common during violent dispute on ground. V, HD, and O all common before attack.