DoVal, EH 2001 Journal Isla Boca Brava, Chiriqui Prov., Panama [17 March cal] He was eventually able to grip my finger, and I rationalized releasing him: manakin forage on the wing, birds can perch one-footed, etc. I doubt he'll be dancing much anymore, and he may just die immediately. But I really did feel like he deserved a fighting chance (museum specimens be damned). After all, he had clawed his way up to alpha or beta status - I can't bear the thought that our net destroyed his life, though it may have anyway. The draw- backs of not putting him down are that now I'm not sure he's out of the running at ACA - a "natural" halfway-removal experiment? Unfortunately, we didn't get bands on the ACA DM's in the two watches earlier in the week. No way to be sure he was still an active DM on the leb, though he was in the right place - SPY is just down- hill from ACA. We topped it off with two badly caught birds, somewhat