This is a book about proximate mechanisms. Although some theoreti- cal
structure is used to introduce the subject, the intent is to offer a
comprehensive view of the mechanistic side of searching (or foraging) so
as to balance the current emphasis of books on mathematical and
functional models. It seems to me that the pendulum needs to swing back
to studies of how animals behave, and that maybe in so doing models will
become valuable again in driving experimentation. I have probably
included too many examples in this book, and some are even presented in
great detail. Hopefully, they provide a complete picture of the kind of
animals used, the experimental setup, the kinds of data yielded, and how
the data were analysed. I have done this in response to frustrating
experiences of reading chapters in behavioural ecobgy books that provide
insufficient information with which to evaluate an author's conclusion.