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47

Ramphocelus, Dec. 20, 1958, III.            

colored bird flew over to a duller bird, and tried to land on the (?)very small perch. The duller bird twisted its head around backward, to face the brighter one, and did pronounced G. The brighter bird hovered a moment and then flew on. During this incident, one or both birds uttered a peculiar call which sounded like a very unusually rapid "twittering" version of the MCN's of other species.

None of the Black-throats I watched today fed low down. They stayed pretty much in the tops of small trees.


Ramphocelus, I            

December 23, 1958
Iquitos

The same group of Silver-bills & Black-throats present in the same area this morning. Probably 1 family of Black-throats, 2 adults and 2 young. (I am fairly sure now, incidentally, that the Black-throat at the N.Y. Zoo was in juvenile plumage - these presumed young look quite like it). Probably also 1 family of Silver-bills 2 adults and 2 or 3 young. I have been watching the social association between the birds of the 2 species. There is no doubt but that the association between the 2 is more than coincidence, it is not just that they tend to feed in the same places, but it is rather peculiar.

Sometimes the two families seem to be quite separate from one another. Sometimes the two are so closely intermingled, all following almost exactly the same path at the same time, that it is really impossible to tell which species is following which. Sometimes, the 2 families follow nearly identical paths from tree to tree, but a few seconds or minutes apart! One family may have disappeared from my view by