第 30 节
作者:精灵王      更新:2021-04-30 17:23      字数:9321
  to the question; which I hope has ere now arisen in the               minds of some of
  my readers; …
  How   is   it   possible   to   see   these   wonders   at   home?   Beautiful   and
  instructive as they may be; can they be meant for any but dwellers                  by the
  sea…side?     Nay more; even to them;   must not the glories of                the water…
  world be always more momentary than those of the rainbow;                    a mere Fata
  Morgana which breaks up and vanishes before the eyes?                       If there were
  but some method of making a miniature sea…world for a                   few days; much
  more of keeping one with us when far inland。 …
  This   desideratum   has   at   last   been   filled   up;   and   science   has   shown;
  as usual; that by simply obeying Nature; we may conquer her; even                        so
  far as to have our miniature sea; of artificial salt…water;            filled with living
  plants and sea…weeds; maintaining each other in               perfect health; and each
  following; as far as is possible in a         confined space; its natural habits。
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  To   Dr。   Johnston   is   due;   as   far   as   is   known;   the   honour   of   the   first
  accomplishment of this as of a hundred other zoological triumphs。                           As
  early as 1842; he proved to himself the vegetable nature of the                      common
  pink   Coralline;   which   fringes   every   rock…pool;   by   keeping   it        for   eight
  weeks in unchanged salt…water; without any putrefaction                      ensuing。      The
  ground; of course; on which the proof rested in this                  case was; that if the
  coralline were; as had often been thought; a                 zoophyte; the water would
  become   corrupt;   and   poisonous   to   the   life      of   the   small   animals   in   the
  same   jar;   and   that   its   remaining   fresh   argued   that   the   coralline   had   re…
  oxygenated it from time to time;            and was therefore a vegetable。
  In    1850;    Mr。   Robert     Warrington      communicated         to   the  Chemical
  Society      the   results   of   a   year's   experiments;   〃On   the Adjustment   of   the
  Relations   between   the   Animal   and   Vegetable   Kingdoms;   by   which   the
  Vital   Functions   of   both   are   permanently   maintained。〃           The   law   which
  his   experiments   verified   was   the   same   as   that   on   which   Mr。   Ward;   in
  1842; founded his invaluable proposal for increasing the purity of                      the air
  in large towns; by planting trees and cultivating flowers                  in rooms; THAT
  THE        ANIMAL          AND        VEGETABLE             RESPIRATIONS              MIGHT
  COUNTERBALANCE EACH OTHER; the animal's blood being purified
  by the     oxygen given off by the plants; the plants fed by the carbonic acid
  breathed out by the animals。
  On   the   same   principle;   Mr。   Warrington   first   kept;   for   many   months;
  in   a   vase   of   unchanged       water;   two    small    gold   fish   and   a   plant   of
  Vallisneria spiralis; and two years afterwards began a similar                   experiment
  with sea…water; weeds; and anemones; which were; at                      last; as successful
  as   the   former   ones。    Mr。   Gosse   had;   in   the   meanwhile;   with   tolerable
  success   begun   a   similar   method;   unaware         of   what   Mr。  Warrington   had
  done;   and   now   the   beautiful   and   curious        exhibition   of   fresh   and   salt
  water tanks in the Zoological Gardens                in London; bids fair to be copied
  in   every    similar    institution;    and    we     hope    in  many     private    houses;
  throughout the kingdom。
  To    this  subject    Mr。   Gosse's     book;   〃The    Aquarium;〃       is  principally
  devoted;   though   it   contains;   besides;   sketches   of   coast   scenery;   in       his
  usual charming style; and descriptions of rare sea…animals;                   with wise and
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  goodly reflections thereon。          One great object of         interest in the book is
  the last chapter; which treats fully of the          making and stocking these salt…
  water 〃Aquaria;〃 and the various             beautifully coloured plates; which are;
  as it were; sketches from         the interior of tanks; are well fitted to excite the
  desire    of  all   readers    to  possess    such    gorgeous     living  pictures;    if  as
  nothing      else;   still  as  drawing…room   ornaments;         flower…gardens      which
  never     wither; fairy lakes of perpetual calm which no storm blackens; …
  'Greek text which cannot be reproduced'
  Those   who   have      never   seen    one   of  them   can   never   imagine     (and
  neither   Mr。   Gosse's   pencil   nor   my   clumsy   words   can   ever   describe   to
  them) the gorgeous colouring and the grace and delicacy of form                      which
  these subaqueous landscapes exhibit。
  As for colouring; … the only bit of colour which I can remember                   even
  faintly   resembling   them   (for   though   Correggio's   Magdalene   may            rival
  them in greens and blues; yet even he has no such crimsons                   and purples)
  is the Adoration of the Shepherds; by that 〃prince of                 colorists〃 … Palma
  Vecchio;   which   hangs   on   the   left…hand   side   of     Lord   Ellesmere's   great
  gallery。    But as for the forms; … where           shall we see their like?        Where;
  amid miniature forests as          fantastic as those of the tropics; animals whose
  shapes outvie the        wildest dreams of the old German ghost painters which
  cover   the    walls of   the   galleries   of   Brussels  or Antwerp?        And   yet   the
  uncouthest   has   some   quaint   beauty   of   its   own;   while   most   …   the   star…
  fishes    and   anemones;      for   example     …  are   nothing    but   beauty。      The
  brilliant plates in Mr。 Gosse's 〃Aquarium〃 give; after all; but                  a meagre
  picture of the reality; as it may be seen in the tank… house at the Zoological
  Gardens;      and   as   it  may   be   seen   also;   by   anyone      who    will   follow
  carefully the directions given at the end of             his book; stock a glass vase
  with such common things as he may find                 in an hour's search at low tide;
  and so have an opportunity of             seeing how truly Mr。 Gosse says; in his
  valuable preface; that …
  〃The habits〃   (and he  might   well have   added; the  marvellous   beauty)
  〃of   animals   will   never   be   thoroughly   known   till   they   are   observed      in
  detail。    Nor is it sufficient to mark them with attention now                  and then;
  they must be closely watched; their various actions                carefully noted; their
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  behaviour       under     different     circumstances;       and       especially      those
  movements        which     seem     to  us   mere    vagaries;      undirected      by   any
  suggestible motive or cause; well examined。               A    rich fruit of result; often
  new   and   curious   and   unexpected;   will;   I    am   sure;   reward   anyone   who
  studies living animals in this way。          The     most interesting parts; by far; of
  published      Natural    History    are   those    minute;    but   graphic    particulars;
  which   have   been   gathered   up       by   an   attentive   watching   of   individual
  animals。〃
  Mr。   Gosse's   own   books;   certainly;   give   proof   enough   of   this。      We
  need   only  direct the   reader to   his   exquisitely  humorous   account   of         the
  ways and works of a captive soldier…crab; (31) to show them how                       much
  there is to be seen; and how full Nature is also of that               ludicrous element
  of   which   we   spoke   above。      And;   indeed;   it   is   in this   form   of   Natural
  History:     not in mere classification; and the            finding out of means; and
  quarrellings as to the first discovery of          that beetle or this buttercup; … too
  common; alas! among mere              closet…collectors; … 〃endless genealogies;〃 to
  apply St。 Paul's      words by no means irreverently or fancifully; 〃which do
  but gender       strife;〃 … not in these pedantries is that moral