GROUP ORGANIZATION I95 



example, a female, 15, mated with a male, 55, which 

 stood about midway in the social order among the 

 males: 55 dominated the other females and all the 

 other males dominated over 15. However, of thirty- 

 three observed contacts between 15 and 55, the male 

 lost all but one! The male parrakeet will drive back 

 on her nest the female who has left it, but 55, like 

 other male canaries, coaxed his mate back to her nest 

 with offers of food. 



Until studies are further advanced, we cannot be 

 sure how many of these complications which Mr. 

 Shoemaker has recorded for the canaries are found 

 elsewhere even among birds. It seems reasonable to 

 suppose, however, that the social hierarchy is rarely 

 as simple in its organization as a mere listing of the 

 social ranking seems to indicate. 



With all these birds, high rank in the social order 

 of the flock means much greater freedom of action, 

 more ready access to food and a generally less 

 strained style of living. It is hard to say whether in 

 nature it means more than this, although it seems 

 probable that in times of food shortage, or other 

 phases of environmental stress, the ranking birds 

 who have the first opportunity at food might readily 

 fare better than those low in t,he social scale. Fortu- 

 nately, enough observations have been made in na- 

 ture so we know that with some species the peck- 



