VI. 



Group Organization 



WE ALL know that human society is more or less 

 closely organized. Sometimes, as in military circles, 

 some business organizations, and certain universities, 

 there is a line organization which extends in a defi- 

 nite order, step by step from the highest official to 

 the lowest rank. Frequently, however, the organiza- 

 tion is more complex, intricate and temporary. 



We have known for some time, too, that in herds 

 of the larger mammals, where one can distinguish 

 different individuals, the group may be organized to 

 some extent with a dominant leader and frequently 

 with sub-leaders that stand out above the common 

 run of the herd. (16) 



Despite this knowledge we have found with sur- 

 prise that other animal groups, a flock of birds for 

 example, in which the different birds are indistin- 

 guishable to the human eye, also are organized into 

 a social hierarchy, frequently with a well-recognized 

 social order which runs through the entire flock. 

 The situation that has been revealed in these flocks 



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