“King Solomon’s Ring“ By Konrad Lorenz

“King Solomon’s Ring“ is a memoir written by the Austrian ethologist Konrad Lorenz, published in 1949. The book recounts Lorenz’s experiences studying animal behavior, particularly that of birds and fish, and the insights he gained from his title of the book comes from an anecdote Lorenz shares in the first chapter. The story goes that King Solomon possessed a ring that enabled him to understand the language of animals. Lorenz likens his own understanding of animal behavior to possessing a similar ring. He argues that by observing animals in their natural habitats, we can gain insight into the workings of nature and the evolution of life on of the main themes of the book is the concept of “innate behavior,“ or behavior that is instinctual and not learned. Lorenz argues that many animal behaviors, particularly those related to reproduction and survival, are hardwired into an animal’s DNA. He gives examples of how animals have evolved to perform certain