There is in all animals a sense of duty that man condescends to call instinct. – Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com
There is a drop of blood in the snow before me…. The coyote… is in estrus…. spurred to let out a bit of herself, sending a message, telling everyone she was now ready, that the clock of her winter was ticking toward spring. – Craig Childs, The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild