Studies on the behaviour of cattle and sheep in relation to the utilization of grass

Abstract

The importance of conducting studies on the behaviour of grazing animals has been stressed by several authors. Stapledon & Jones (1927) indicated the need for such work; while more recently Stapledon (1948, 1949) has made further reference to this need.Adequate reviews of the work conducted prior to 1939 are to be found elsewhere (Castle, Foot & Halley, 1950; Tribe, 1950), and only the more important aspects need be considered here. The main weakness on the part of many of these earlier studies was that they were based on few observation periods, and that few animals were observed during each period. Many workers (Cory, 1927; Hodgson, 1933; Sheppard, 1921) carried out their observations during the daytime only, on the assumption that little or no grazing occurred after dark. In spite of this and the fact that the methods of study adopted varied considerably, some correlation exists between the results reported by the different workers.