THREAT-INDUCED BEHAVIORAL-INHIBITION IN JAPANESE-QUAIL GENETICALLY SELECTED FOR CONTRASTING ADRENOCORTICAL-RESPONSE TO MECHANICAL RESTRAINT

1. Behavioural and adrenocortical responses to brief mechanical restra int were examined in 28-d-old female Japanese quail of two lines which had been genetically selected over several generations for either red uced (LS, low stress) or exaggerated (HS, high stress) plasma corticos terone response to brief immobilisation in a metal box. 2. As expected , quail of the LS line showed lower adrenocortical responses to restra int than did their HS line counterparts. The LS quail also struggled m uch sooner and more often during the 5 min restraint period than did t he HS ones. Collectively, these and previously reported line differenc es in behavioural, catecholamine and adrenocortical responsiveness are consistent with an interpretation based on the adoption of active and passive coping strategies respectively by LS and HS quail upon their exposure to alarming stimuli.