Scent marking by male golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). II. The role of the flank gland scent in the causation of marking.

Investigated the role of the odor of the flank gland in the stimulation of flank marking by male hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus. In the first experiment it was shown that a male has customary marking posts and that a second male introduced into the first male's area will mark in the same places. In experiment 2 nine test male male flank, marked less in the home cages of flank glandectomized male male than in the cages of normal male male. In experiment 3 it was shown that flank glandectomized male male marked at within the range of frequencies for normal male male.