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35

Rhamphocelus, Oct. 24, 1958, III    

I presume that it is continuing this Silent Song because it is unmated. (There is no other female Rhamphocelus in its cage).

This bird also utters a lot of R's by themselves. Sound quite like the R's of other species — although perhaps a little less "hard" sounding than the R's of such species as the Green Honeycreeper. Also done with bill closed. From quite unritualized postures. They are uttered quite frequently when the bird is just moving through its cage — and their causation is impossible to determine in such circumstances, but once an R was given just after the bird had flown at another bird in an adjoining cage in what may well have been attack. Quite possibly aggressive.

I forgot to mention that during the Silent Song the bird kept looking around in an irregular & apparently unritualized manner. Possibly nervous about all the visitors.

The R is sometimes combined with other notes in what appears to be a more complicated performance. 'Whit"-like Notes like those associated with the Silent Song. I think these notes may occur either at the beginning or the end of an R, but I think the commonest association now is one "Whit"-like Note followed immediately by an R. [[image]] I think this is quite reminiscent of some Tss [[?]] performances by Yellow-rumps in Darien (although I can't remember very well and don't have my notes with me.)

There is also another male Orange-rump in another cage with other birds. This male just gave a whole burst of R's, without other notes, just like those of the other male in sound & form, again without ritualized postures or movements. This time, however,
   

Transcription Notes:
[[image: short solid line, wavy line showing notes pattern]]