Darwin's Finches

David Lack's 1947 classic work on the finches of the Galapagos Islands (Darwin's Finches) is here reprinted.

David Lack (Author), Laurene M. Ratcliffe (Introduction by), Peter T. Boag (Introduction by)

9780521272421, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 15 September 1983

272 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.56 kg

David Lack's classic work on the finches of the Galapagos Islands (Darwin's Finches) was first published in 1947; few books have had such a great impact on evolutionary biology, indeed it is still one of the most succinct and fascinating treatises ever written about the origin of new species. The 1947 version is reproduced with facsimile pages of the original text, tables and line illustrations. The major feature of this reprint is the additional material supplied by Dr Peter Boag and Dr Laurene Ratcliffe who have both completed studies on the Galapagos. The readership will comprise students of evolution and ecology and those interested in the history of evolutionary thought. Amateur ornithologists and tourists visiting the Galapagos Islands will find this account fascinating.

Part I. Description: 1. Galapagos scene
2. Classification
3. Ecology
4. Female plumage
5. Male plumage and sexual selection
6. Beak differences and food
7. Size differences between island forms
8. Size differences between species
9. Individual variation
10. Hybridisation
11. An evolutionary tree
Part II. Interpretation: 12. The origin of the Galapagos fauna
13. The origin of subspecies
14. The origin of species
15. The persistence of species
16. Adaptive radiation
Summary
Acknowledgements
Tables of measurements
References
Indexes.

Subject Areas: Birds [ornithology PSVW6]