Viewing page 22 of 372

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

[[circled]] 20 [[/circled]]
[[circled]] 20 [[/circled]]

Ceph., June 12, 1971 VI


feeding seen yesterday was a reaction to me rather than to the prey.

General panic. All inds. shoot away several yards. All Pale with Y and WS during retreat. Panic subsides very quickly.

Then there is chaos. A series of reactions which I cannot catch. Turn around to see 2 large inds. almost in contact. One above the other. Facing same direction. Both with arms spread ("Spread"), sharply marked with black and white. The upper ind. is generally darker than the lower. Spread is pure and "typical" Z. Lower ind. has arms almost white with much more scattered black patches. Upper ind. probably has modified Z or PH pattern (see below) on back. Lower ind. probably has whiter, although perhaps equally mottled, back. Once the upper darts down to the lower, apparently trying to bite it. Then the reverse occurs. Immediately the 2 inds separate with puffs of ink ("Ink").

This could have been a cop. attempt by the two members of a pair, or, perhaps more probably, a fight between members of different pairs.

A few seconds laters, same area, see 2 pairs not far apart. Once, an ind. of one pair approaches another. The approached ind. immediately does Spread with Z on arms and PH type pattern on back. The approacher retreats. Approached goes back into more ORD like color and stops Spread. Then the whole process is repeated. Then the 2 pairs