时差N小时:扰人的雄鸡打鸣(下) Disturbing rooster

Most people assume that roosters are programmedto crow at the first sign of sunlight to announce thedawning of a new day, or some such romanticnotion.

大多数人都会认为每当第一缕阳光照耀大地，公鸡就会按规律打鸣表示崭新一天的开始。除此之外还有很多关于此浪漫的传说。

Like all birds, roosters call in a daily cycledetermined by circadian rhythms.

和其他鸟类一样，公鸡每天打鸣的习惯是由生理节律所决定。

That is, a rooster's internal clock allows it toanticipate the sunrise and prepare for another exciting day of looking for food.

公鸡的生物钟让它期待日出，以此为契机开始新一天的觅食。But why must roosters crow as theyprepare to start their day, and why do some roosters sound off before dawn?

但是，为什么公鸡会打鸣，而且这一时间点是在黎明前呢?

Roosters are territorial creatures and don't much like other roosters trespassing on their land.

公鸡是具有领地意识的动物，决不许其它公鸡侵犯自己的领地。

They crow in order to establish their domain and warn other roosters to stay away or prepare tobrawl.

为了守护自己的地盘，警告其它公鸡远离进而避免争斗。

And because their internal clocks are sometimes set a bit early, some roosters begin crowingwell before sunrise.

而且公鸡的生物钟有时候设置得早一些，所以有些公鸡是在日出前打鸣。