Originally published in 1953, this is a classic study in animal behaviour, drawing on the author's own extraordinary studies of insects, fish, and birds, as well as on the literature. The concept 'community' is taken in its widest sense to include all types of association of individuals, not only flocks and herds, but also the family, the pair, and even two animals engaged in combat.

The author received the Nobel Prize for his work in this field in 1973.