ABSTRACT
Every phase of the œstrous cycle is reflected in a characteristic pattern of social behaviour. The movements that occur in an animal society are the final responses emerging from the interaction of three different groups of factors—the separate physiological conditions of its members, the stimuli inherent in a varying environment, and the mutual stimuli presented by the animals themselves, A complete account of an animal’s life would contain a full description of the physiological background of its patterns of “unconditioned” or native reactions, as well as the history of its continuous adaptation to a varying external world. The œstrous cycle is important from this point of view, not only because it is responsible for the most striking internal changes affecting the disposition of the female animal, but because it is responsible for presenting to the male some of the most powerful stimuli with which he comes into contact.
