The Hamster : Springer : 9781475708172 : 1475708173 : 12 Dec 2012 : 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .