viii The final section consists of a chapter on development by Thomas Schoenfeld and Christiana Leonard and three chapters devoted to functions of individuals. These in­ clude biological rhythms by Lawrence Morin, energy balance by Katarina Borer, and the visual and somatosensory systems by Barbara Finlay and Claire Berian. I am extremely delighted and proud to have played a role in this work and I wish to thank each contributor, Plenum Press (especially Kirk Jensen), Jay Rosenblatt, and the Rutgers University Research Council. In addition, I extend my thanks and my love to my family-Marilyn, Matt, Paul, Scott, and my mother and father, who taught me to appreciate animals. Harold I. Siegel Newark, New Jersey Contents I. Origin 0/ the Hamster Chapter 1 History of the Capture and Domestication of the Syrian Golden Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse) MICHAEL R. MURPHY 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. The Early Years: Discovery and Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3. On the Road to Jerusalem: Capture and Breeding ................... 7 4. The Invasion of America: Dissemination and Proliferation . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 . 5. New Genes on the Line: A Reconnaissance Expedition to Aleppo ....... 17 6. Conclusion ................................................. 18 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . II. Reproductive Endocrinology Chapter 2 The Estrous Cycle ROBERT D. LISK 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Sexual Maturation-The First Estrous Cycle ....................... 24 2.1. The Ovary............................................. 26 2.2. The Pituitary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . . . . . 2.3. The Brain ............................................. 31 3. Follicle Maturation and Ovulation ............................... 33 3.1. Time of Ovulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 . . . . . . . . . 3.2. Ovarian Steroids and Ovulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 . . . . . .