No abstract

HOSE of you who are familiar with the writings of Lewis Carroll will have recognized the title of this address as a quotation from his poem "The Hunting of the Snark." Anyone who has never read that masterpiece of whimsy must now be informed that the hunting party includes a Bellman, a Banker, a Beaver, a Baker and several other equally improbable characters. While they are sailing toward the habitat of their prey the Bellman tells his companions how they can recognize the quarry. The outstanding characters of the genus Snark are said to be its taste which is described as "meager but hollow," its habit of getting up late, its very poor sense of humor and its overweening ambition. There are several species of Snarks. Some relatively harmless varieties have feathers and bite, and others have whiskers and scratch. But, the Bellman adds, there are a few Snarks that are Boojums.When the Baker hears the word, Boojum, he faints dead away, and after his companions have revived him he explains his weakness by recalling for their benefit the parting words of his Uncle.If your Snark be a Snark, that is right: Fetch it home by all means -you may serve it with greens And it's handy for striking a light.But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day, If your Snark be a Boojum ! For then, You will softly and suddenly vanish away, And never be met with again ! Much later in the story they finally discover a Snark, and it is the Baker who first sights the beast. But by great misfortune that particular Snark turns out to be a Boojum and so of course the Baker softly and suddenly vanishes away.Thirty years ago in this country a small group of scientists went Snark hunting.

Twelve male rats were left with receptive females and allowed to copulate and ejaculate until they reached a criterion of “sexual exhaustion” They were then retested after 1, 3, 6 and 15 days of sexual inactivity. Following these observations males were tested once each day or once every other day and allowed to achieve a single ejaculation. In the course of a period of unlimited access to the receptive female males usually need approximately 10 intromissions to produce the initial ejaculation, but successive ejaculations are produced by fewer and fewer intromissions. The time to recover from the effects of an ejaculation increases progressively as exhaustion is approached. Very few animals copulate when tested 24 hours after sexual exhaustion. Considerably more recovery is evident in tests conducted after a 3-day rest, but it is not complete and rats are not capable of achieving as many ejaculations as they tend to achieve after longer periods of inactivity. As measured by ejaculation-frequency, the curve of sexual recovery is negatively accelerated and probably reaches asymptote after 7 to 10 days of rest. Various other measures in addition to ejaculation-frequency support this conclusion. Males allowed to ejaculate once each day or every other day are somewhat less responsive than fully rested animals, but do not show any progressive loss in sexual excitability or capacity. A working hypothesis is proposed to explain most of the findings. It postulates the existence of an Arousal Mechanism which is distinct from a Copulatory Mechanism. The ways in which these hypothetical mechanisms are affected by sexual performance and sexual rest arc discussed.

25 male rats copulated with 25 estrous females until they reached an arbitrary criterion of sexual exhaustion. At this point replacement of the original female by a new estrous partner sometimes resulted in the resumption of mating activity and the achievement of 1 or more additional ejaculations. Removing and returning the original female had only a slight stimulating effect. Substitution of a female that had recently mated with another male was more likely to evoke renewal of sexual activity. The most effective procedure involved replacement of the original partner by an unmated estrous female.

No abstract