To harbour as a verb

I am currently writing a paper and am kind of struggling with the corrections my co-writer did on my sections (he is the main author and I only had to write a few chapters).

There is a phrase in here that is odd to me, please tell me if that is something you can, at least in principle do:

"Tow-dimensional histograms harboured two main clusters ...".

Can you use harbour in this context ?

Solution 1:

The verb to harbor (using the American spelling):

transitive verb.

1a : to give shelter or refuge to harboring a fugitive.

b : to be the home or habitat of

The ledges still harbor rattlesnakes. broadly : contain

a town that harbors several textile factories.

2 : to hold especially persistently in the mind : cherish harbored a grudge.

| Definition of Harbor by Merriam-Webster

definition here

The general definition, contain (as a town might contain factories) covers the sense in which the author has used it.