第 27 节
作者:
精灵王 更新:2021-04-30 17:23 字数:9322
inhospitable Hastings beach; and of sleeping; as best you can; on board:
but in the long days and settled fine weather of summer; the trip; in a
stout boat; ought to be a safe and a pleasant one。
On the Diamond you will find many; or most of those gay creatures
which attract your eye in the central row of tanks at the Zoological
Gardens: great twisted masses of Serpulae; (26) those white tubes of
stone; from the mouth of which protrude pairs of rose…coloured or
orange fans; flashing in; quick as light; the moment that your finger
approaches them or your shadow crosses the water。
You will dredge; too; the twelve…rayed sun…star (Solaster papposa);
with his rich scarlet armour; and more strange; and quite as beautiful; the
bird's foot star (Palmipes membranaceus); which you may see crawling
by its thousand sucking…feet in the Crystal Palace tanks; a pentagonal
webbed bird's foot; of scarlet and orange shagreen。 With him; most
probably; will be a specimen of the great purple heart…urchin (Spatangus
purpureus); clothed in pale lilac horny spines; and other Echinoderms;
for which you must consult Forbes's 〃British Star…fishes:〃 but perhaps
the species among them which will interest you most; will be the
common brittle…star (Ophiocoma rosula); of which a hundred or so; I can
promise; shall come up at a single haul of the dredge; entwining their
long spine… clad arms in a seemingly inextricable confusion of
〃kaleidoscope〃 patterns (thanks to Mr。 Gosse for the one right epithet);
purple and azure; fawn; brown; green; grey; white and crimson; as if a
whole bed of China…asters should have first come to life; and then gone
mad; and fallen to fighting。 But pick out; one by one; specimens from
the tangled mass; and you will agree that no China… aster is so fair as this
living stone…flower of the deep; with its daisy…like disc; and fine long
prickly arms; which never cease their graceful serpentine motion; and its
colours hardly alike in any two specimens。 Handle them not;
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meanwhile; too roughly; lest; whether modesty or in anger; they begin a
desperate course of gradual suicide; and; breaking off arm after arm
piecemeal; fling them indignantly at their tormentor。 Along with these
you will certainly obtain a few of that fine bivalve; the great Scallop;
which you have seen lying on every fishmonger's counter in Hastings。
Of these you must pick out those which seem dirtiest and most
overgrown with parasites; and place them carefully in a jar of salt water;
where they may not be rubbed; for they are worth your examination; not
merely for the sake of that ring of gem…like eyes which borders their
〃cloak;〃 lying along the extreme out edge of the shell as the valves are
half open; but for the sake of the parasites outside: corallines of
exquisite delicacy; Plumulariae and Sertulariae; dead men's hands
(Alcyonia); lumps of white or orange jelly; which will protrude a
thousand star…like polypes; and the Tubularia indivisa; twisted tubes of
fine straw; which ought already to have puzzled you; for you may pick
them up in considerable masses on the Hastings beach after a south…west
gale; and think long over them before you determine whether the oat…
like stems and spongy roots belong to an animal; or a vegetable。
Animals they are; nevertheless; though even now you will hardly guess
the fact; when you see at the mouth of each tube a little scarlet flower;
connected with the pink pulp which fills the tube。 For a further
description of this largest and handsomest of our Hydroid Polypes; I
must refer you to Johnston; or; failing him; to Landsborough; and go on;
to beg you not to despise those pink; or grey; or white lumps of jelly;
which will expand in salt water into exquisite sea…anemones; of quite
different forms from any which we have found along the rocks。 One of
them will certainly be the Dianthus; (27) which will open into a
furbelowed flower; furred with innumerable delicate tentacula; and in
the centre a mouth of the most delicate orange; the size of the whole
animal being perhaps eight inches high and five across。 Perhaps it will
be of a satiny grey; perhaps pale rose; perhaps pure white; whatever its
colour; it is the very maiden queen of all the beautiful tribe; and one of
the loveliest gems with which it has pleased God to bedeck this lower
world。
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These and much more you will find on the scallops; or even more
plentifully on any lump of ancient oysters; and if you do not dredge; it
would be well worth your while to make interest with the fish…monger
for a few oyster lumps; put into water the moment they are taken out of
the trawl。 Divide them carefully; clear out the oysters with a knife; and
put the shells into your aquarium; and you will find that an oyster at
home is a very different thing from an oyster on a stall。
You ought; besides; to dredge many handsome species of shells;
which you would never pick up along the beach; and if you are
conchologizing in earnest; you must not forget to bring home a tin box
of shell sand; to be washed and picked over in a dish at your leisure; or
forget either to wash through a fine sieve; over the boat's side; any
sludge and ooze which the dredge brings up。 Many … I may say;
hundreds … rare and new shells are found in this way; and in no other。
But if you cannot afford the expense of your own dredge and boat;
and the time and trouble necessary to follow the occupation
scientifically; yet every trawler and oyster…boat will afford you a
tolerable satisfaction。 Go on board one of these; and while the trawl is
down; spend a pleasant hour or two in talking with the simple; honest;
sturdy fellows who work it; from whom (if you are as fortunate as I have
been for many a year past) you may get many a moving story of danger
and sorrow; as well as many a shrewd practical maxim; and often; too; a
living recognition of God; and the providence of God; which will send
you home; perhaps; a wiser and more genial man。 And when the trawl
is hauled; wait till the fish are counted out; and packed away; and then
kneel down and inspect (in a pair of Mackintosh leggings; and your
oldest coat) the crawling heap of shells and zoophytes which remains
behind about the decks; and you will find; if a landsman; enough to
occupy you for a week to come。 Nay; even if it be too calm for
trawling; condescend to go out in a dingy; and help to haul some honest
fellow's deep…sea lines and lobster…pots; and you will find more and
stranger things about them than even fish or lobsters: though they; to
him who has eyes to see; are strange enough。
I speak from experience; for it was not s