Abstract
Daphne mezereum L. is a compact, pink, pre-vernal shrub, smothered with a profusion of fragrant blossom in March or earlier, and often planted near a living-room window to cheer one up at that season. It has a natural temperate distribution from the Atlantic to the Altai Mountains1. Chloris chloris L., the greenfinch, has a distribution which, apart from introductions, is somewhat similar2. Thus the two species have probably shared a large geographical area for some ten thousand years, apart from earlier Pleistocene migrations. On the borders of calcareous woods there is an overlap between their natural habitats, and they have been together in gardens for several centuries. During the past fifty years no distinctive association between the two species appears to have been reported2,3.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Clapham, A. R., Tutin, T. G., and Warburg, E. F., “Flora of the British Isles” (Cambridge, 1952).
Witherby, H. F., et al., “The Handbook of British Birds” (London, 1940).
Brit. Birds, 1–48 (1907–1955); J. Brit. Trust Orn., 1–2 (1954–1955).
Pettersson, M. L. R., J. Roy. Hort. Soc., 81, 36 (1956).
Monk, J. F., J. Brit. Trust. Orn., 1, 2 (1954).
Pettersson, M. L. R., J. Roy. Hort. Soc. (in the press).
Fisher, J., and Hinde, R. A., Brit. Birds, 42, 347 (1949).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
PETTERSSON, M. Diffusion of a New Habit among Greenfinches. Nature 177, 709–710 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1038/177709b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/177709b0
This article is cited by
-
Diffusion of a New Habit among Greenfinches
Nature (1959)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
