 |
Contents
Next Article
Walk on the Wild Side
David Harper and David Streeter, BIOLS
During December, millions of Robins migrate to our homes,
offices and laboratories on cards, gift tags and wrapping paper. Their
association with the season of goodwill is at first sight baffling: at
Christmas, Robins are violently defending individual territories against
all-comers, even their former mates and offspring.
When Christmas cards were introduced to Britain by John
Calcottt Horsley in 1843, postmen wore bright red waistcoats, leading to the
nickname of Robin Redbreast. As home deliveries on Christmas morning continued
into the 20th century, a strong link between this nickname and Christmas was
forged. Early cards often depicted a Robin carrying the mail in its beak and
were clearly so popular that the bird by itself became a symbol of Christmas.
Some recipients, however, tore up or burned any such cards, believing that
Robins brought bad luck. This belief, and the fact that many of the early cards
were decorated with the feathers of slaughtered Robins, reflect our forebears'
curiously ambivalent views about this species, which was seen as both a good
omen and a portent of death. On balance, the Robin seems to have long been
popular.
 |
| Robins have long been associated with Christmas. |
Many other British birds gained human nicknames, such as
'Jenny Wren' and 'Tom Tit', but only the Robin is now known by its nickname
alone, the 'Redbreast' being officially lost in 1952. Ironically, the bird that
has come closest to emulating the Robin is the much less popular 'Maggie Pie'.
Regular readers will recall that we got ourselves into a bit
of a pickle in the Bulletin of 2 November on the question of conifers.
It is with some trepidation, therefore, that we feel unable to avoid returning
to the same theme - but even the most casual observer can hardly help noticing
the sudden appearance of exotic and illuminated conifers in offices and
entrances all over campus. The traditional Christmas tree is usually the Norway
Spruce, a native of most of the rest of Europe but never reaching the British
Isles after the last glaciation. Although Prince Albert is usually credited
with establishing the tradition in 1841, there is a 15th-century
account of a Christmas tree being set up in a London street.
The one thing that everyone knows about Holly is that not
every bush bears berries. One reason for this irritating characteristic is that
Holly trees are either male or female, so that on balance only half the trees
encountered can be expected to be berried. In fact, dioecy in flowering plants
is a relative rare condition for reasons that the theoreticians love to chew
over! The seasonal association of Holly is of course pre-Christian. Both Holly
and Ivy were regarded as potent powers against evil in the dead of winter. The
1st-century Roman writer, Pliny, tells us in his Natural History that Holly planted by the house keeps away
witchcraft.
Contents
Next Article
Friday 14 December 2001
Publication Details
Page Created By: USIS
On behalf of: The Press and Communications Office, Sussex House, ext 8609/8209
Email: internalcomms@sussex.ac.uk
|
