Steel E
J Endocrinol. 1985 May;105(2):255-62. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.1050255.
Male hamsters were tested for their interest in females on different days of the oestrous cycle. Behaviour of males toward novel females was measured and (after exposure to vaginal secretion) towards females that matched or did not match that vaginal odour. Because pro-oestrous (day 4) females lay trails of vaginal secretion and will become receptive within a few hours, it was predicted that males would show more interest in day 4 than in other dioestrous females. While males showed no preference for novel, pro-oestrous females over dioestrous females, after pre-exposure to odour, their response to females was determined by the cycle day of the vaginal secretion to which they had been exposed. Males pre-exposed to vaginal odour from females carrying large implants of oestrogen preferred to spend more time with females who matched that vaginal odour than mismatching females and to sniff them more. This preference was not seen if the females carried small oestrogen implants or had no replacement oestrogen. This suggests that pro-oestrous females (who are known to have high circulating levels of oestrogen) can, by means of their scent-marking behaviour, attract and keep males nearby until they become receptive.
对雄性仓鼠在雌性发情周期的不同日子里对雌性的兴趣进行了测试。测量了雄性对陌生雌性的行为，以及（在接触阴道分泌物后）对与该阴道气味匹配或不匹配的雌性的行为。因为发情前期（第4天）的雌性会留下阴道分泌物痕迹，并会在几小时内变得愿意接受交配，所以预测雄性对第4天的雌性会比其他间情期的雌性表现出更多兴趣。虽然雄性对陌生的发情前期雌性和间情期雌性没有偏好，但在预先接触气味后，它们对雌性的反应取决于它们所接触的阴道分泌物的周期天数。预先接触了携带大量雌激素植入物的雌性的阴道气味的雄性，比起气味不匹配的雌性，更喜欢与气味匹配的雌性待在一起，并且会更多地嗅闻它们。如果雌性携带小的雌激素植入物或没有补充雌激素，就不会出现这种偏好。这表明发情前期的雌性（已知其雌激素循环水平较高）可以通过其气味标记行为，吸引雄性并使它们待在附近，直到雌性愿意接受交配。
