GROUP ORGANIZATION 189 



number of their contacts, but the result of the next 

 meeting between two individuals is not to be known 

 with certainty until it has taken place. Within the 

 same hour and even within a few minutes reversals 

 in dominance may take place without anything un- 

 usual in the circumstances. 



Putting the matter somewhat facetiously, chickens 

 appear to have developed the sort of "line organiza- 

 tion" characteristic of a military system or a fascist 

 state, while these pigeons, together with the ring 

 doves, canaries and parrakeets, are more democratic. 

 The social hierarchy among chickens is based on 

 an almost absolute peck-right which smacks strongly 

 of the despotism of which Schjelderup-Ebbe writes, 

 while these other birds have an organization based 

 on peck-dominance rather than on absolute peck- 

 right. 



With such birds social position is not fixed once 

 and for all. Consider the case of RY among pigeons. 

 When results were first thrown together at the end 

 of two weeks of observation, RY was at the bottom 

 of the flock, a position which it retained for twelve 

 more days. Then something began to happen. What 

 it was, I wish I knew. RY began to go up in her 

 social world. After six days she. ranked a shaky third, 

 clearly dominated on the average by BY and BB. 



Then the pigeons were allowed to mate. During 



