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(53) 

Atlapetes, I 
May 24, 1961 
Quito

During the last few days, I have seen quite a lot of rufinucha near Nono, near Iñaquito , and on Atacaso, in the same places we saw them on previous years.
  
I have seen a lot of [[male symbol]]'s singing alone, both in the early morning and in the evenings. (I am certain now that [[male symbol]]'s of this species never sing except when they are unmated or separated from their mates.) It is obvious, however, that almost all the birds are mated now. The birds which sing usually or always join, or are joined by, their mates eventually.
  
I have even seen one apparent family group. A pair of adults followed by a (dull) juvenile! 

I have only studied the songs at Iñaquito  and on Atacaso. In both places, the morning songs of all the birds were essentially "Wheeoo wheeoo tsit-tsit-tsit." This is just what I considered to be the "basic skeleton" of the song last year!
  
I think there is only one rufinucha singing at Iñaquito this year. His songs have been quite remarkably stereotyped.  His songs have never included rattles. He usually utters the typical "Wheeoo wheeoo tsit-tsit-tsit" and nothing else. I would diagram his typical songs as follows:

[[image]]

This is somewhat different from my diagrams of typical songs last year. The only variations in song which this bird has shown this year

Transcription Notes:
[[image: sketch of song pattern]] [[left margin]]: straight, hatched, or squiggly lines down the page]]