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 include 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 . . . . . .