Elements of Ethology

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. Learning

   • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

   Pages 1-14

3. Social Behaviour

   • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

   Pages 15-55

4. Feeding Behaviour

   • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

   Pages 56-78

5. Drinking Behaviour

   • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

   Pages 79-83

6. Sexual Behaviour

   • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

   Pages 84-104

7. Parental Behaviour

   • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

   Pages 105-120

8. Sleep and Grooming

   • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

   Pages 121-129

9. Exploratory Behaviour

   • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

   Pages 130-133

10. Conflict and Thwarting

    • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

    Pages 134-144

11. Aggression and Fear

    • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

    Pages 145-153

12. Stress

    • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

    Pages 154-162

13. Evolution

    • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

    Pages 163-175

14. Domestication

    • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

    Pages 176-187

15. Animal Welfare

    • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

    Pages 188-200

16. Ethology and Pest Control

    • D. G. M. Wood-Gush

    Pages 201-208

17. Back Matter

    Pages 209-240

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The object of this book is to introduce ethology to agricultural and veterinary students. Today ethology covers many approaches to the study of animal behaviour which are connected by one unifying concept: all behaviour must be considered in relation to the ecology and evolutionary history of the species under investigation. This may seem to some to put domesticated animals beyond the scope of classical ethology but, while domestication has involved some behavioural changes, we shall see that much of the behaviour of our species of farm livestock differs little from that of their putative ancestors. It is assumed that students using this book will already have studied some physiology. It is also assumed that they are, essentially, practically minded and with this factor in mind I have discussed behaviour in terms of its function, introducing the principles of ethology within functional categories of behaviour. In order to best illustrate these principles I have taken examples from a variety of species and not confmed myself to farm livestock and domestic animals, for fundamental ethological research with these species has been patchy. However at the end of each chapter I have given a list of papers pertaining to farm livestock so that the principles of ethology can be seen in a more practical context and to develop this approach further I have also added some practical problems for discussion at the end of each chapter.

• communication
• conflict
• evolution
• hunger
• physiology
• research

• The Edinburgh School of Agriculture, University of Edinburgh, UK

  D. G. M. Wood-Gush

Policies and ethics