第 35 节
作者:精灵王      更新:2021-04-30 17:23      字数:9319
  a form equally suited to a child and a              SAVANT。         Seldom; perhaps; has
  there been   a little book  in   which so          vast   a quantity of   facts   have been
  98
  … Page 99…
  Glaucus/or The Wonders of the Shore
  told so gracefully; simply;         without a taint of pedantry or cumbrousness …
  an excellence which          is the sure and only mark of a perfect mastery of the
  subject。     Mr。    G。 H。 Lewes's 〃Sea…shore Studies〃 are also very valuable;
  hardly     perhaps   a  book   for   beginners;   but   from  his   admirable   power   of
  description; whether of animals or of scenes; is interesting for                 all classes
  of readers。
  Two little 〃Popular〃 Histories … one of British Zoophytes; the                    other
  of   British   Sea…weeds;   by   Dr。   Landsborough   (since   dead   of        cholera;   at
  Saltcoats;     the  scene    of  his   energetic    and   pious    ministry)     …  are  very
  excellent; and are furnished; too; with well… drawn and coloured plates; for
  the comfort of those to whom a             scientific nomenclature (as liable as any
  other    human      thing   to  be    faulty    and   obscure)    conveys     but   a  vague
  conception   of   the   objects。       These   may   serve   well   for   the   beginner;   as
  introductions to       Professor Harvey's large work on British Algae; and to
  the new      edition of Professor Johnston's invaluable 〃British Zoophytes;〃
  Miss   Gifford's   〃Marine   Botanist;〃   third   edition;   and   Dr。   Cocks's       〃Sea…
  weed      Collector's    Guide;〃     have    also   been     recommended        by    a  high
  authority。
  For   general   Zoology   the   best   books   for   beginners   are;   perhaps;   as   a
  general introduction; the Rev。 J。 A。 L。 Wood's 〃Popular Zoology;〃                     full of
  excellent     plates;   and   for   systematic    Zoology;     Mr。   Gosse's     four    little
  books; on   Mammals;  Birds;  Reptiles;  and   Fishes;             published   with   many
  plates; by the Christian Knowledge Society; at               a marvellously cheap rate。
  For   miscroscopic   animalcules;   Miss          Agnes   Catlow's   〃Drops   of   Water〃
  will teach the young more than they              will ever remember; and serve as a
  good introduction to those           teeming abysses of the unseen world; which
  must     be   afterwards       traversed     under     the   guidance     of   Hassall    and
  Ehrenberg。
  For   Ornithology;   there   is   no   book;   after   all;   like   dear   old   Bewick;
  PASSE though he may be in a scientific point of view。                   There is a      good
  little British ornithology; too; published in Sir W。 Jardine's                〃Naturalist's
  Library;〃 and another by  Mr。 Gosse。              And Mr。  Knox's         〃Ornithological
  Rambles in Sussex;〃 with Mr。 St。 John's 〃Highland                  Sports;〃 and 〃Tour in
  Sutherlandshire;〃        are  the   monographs       of   naturalists;     gentlemen;     and
  99
  … Page 100…
  Glaucus/or The Wonders of the Shore
  sportsmen; which remind one at every               page (and what higher praise can
  one    give?)    of  White's    〃History    of   Selborne。〃      These     last;  with   Mr。
  Gosse's     〃Canadian     Naturalist;〃    and    his   little  book   〃The    Ocean;〃    not
  forgetting   Darwin's   delightful       〃Voyage   of   the   Beagle   and   Adventure;〃
  ought   to   be   in   the   hands   of every   lad   who   is   likely   to   travel   to   our
  colonies。      For     general    Geology;     Professor     Ansted's     Introduction     is
  excellent;     while; as a specimen of the way in which a single district may
  be    thoroughly worked out; and the universal method of induction learnt
  from   a   narrow   field   of   objects;   what   book   can;   or   perhaps   ever  will;
  compare with Mr。 Hugh Miller's 〃Old Red Sandstone〃?
  For this last reason; I especially recommend to the young the Rev。                  C。
  A。 Johns's 〃Week at the Lizard;〃 as teaching a young person how                      much
  there is to be seen and known within a few square miles of                  these British
  Isles。    But; indeed; all Mr。 Johns's books are good             (as they are bound to
  be; considering his most accurate and varied               knowledge); especially his
  〃Flowers of the Field;〃 the best cheap            introduction to systematic botany
  which     has   yet  appeared。     Trained;      and    all  but  self…trained;   like  Mr。
  Hugh Miller; in a remote and           narrow field of observation; Mr。 Johns has
  developed himself into          one of our most acute and persevering botanists;
  and has added many           a new treasure to the Flora of these isles; and one
  person;   at   least;   owes   him   a   deep   debt   of   gratitude   for   first   lessons   in
  scientific accuracy and patience; … lessons taught; not dully and                 dryly at
  the   book   and   desk;   but   livingly   and   genially;   in  adventurous   rambles
  over the bleak cliffs and ferny woods of the            wild Atlantic shore; …
  〃Where the old fable of the guarded mount Looks toward Namancos
  and Bayona's hold。〃
  Mr。 Henfrey's 〃Rudiments of Botany〃 might accompany Mr。 Johns's
  books。      Mr。    Babington's      〃Manual      of  British    Botany〃     is  also   most
  compact and highly finished; and seems the best work which I know                        of
  from which a student somewhat advanced in English botany can                         verify
  species;   while   for   ferns;   Moore's   〃Handbook〃   is   probably   the      best   for
  beginners。
  For Entomology; which; after all; is the study  most fit for boys                  (as
  Botany is for girls) who have no opportunity for visiting the                   sea…shore;
  100
  … Page 101…
  Glaucus/or The Wonders of the Shore
  Catlow's      〃Popular      British   Entomology;〃        having     coloured      plates     (a
  delight   to   young   people);   and   saying   something   of   all   the       orders;   is;
  probably; still a good work for beginners。
  Mr。    Stainton's    〃Entomologist's       Annual     for  1855〃    contains    valuable
  hints of that gentleman's on taking and arranging moths and                       butterflies;
  as well as of Mr。 Wollaston's on performing the same                   kind office for that
  far more numerous; and not less beautiful                 class; the beetles。        There is
  also   an   admirable   〃Manual   of   British        Butterflies   and   Moths;〃   by   Mr。
  Stainton; in course of publication;             but; perhaps; the most interesting of
  all   entomological   books   which         I   have   seen   (and   for   introducing   me   to
  which   I   must   express   my      hearty   thanks   to   Mr。   Stainton);   is   〃Practical
  Hints     respecting        Moths      and    Butterflies;     forming      a   Calendar      of
  Entomological         Operations;〃   (36)   by   Richard   Shield;   a   simple   London
  working…man。
  I   would   gladly  devote   more   space   than   I   can   here   spare   to   a   review
  of this   little book; so   perfectly  does   it corroborate  every  word            which   I
  have said already as to the moral and intellectual value of                    such studies。
  Richard      Shield;     making     himself     a   first…rate     〃lepidopterist;〃      while
  working with his hands for a pound a week;                 is the antitype of Mr。 Peach;
  the coast…guardsman; among his              Cornish tide…rocks。         But more than this;
  there is about Shield's         book a tone as of Izaak Walton himself; which is
  very     delightful;      tender;     poetical;    and    religious;    yet   full   of   quiet
  quaintness and        humour; showing in every page how the love for Natural
  History is      in him only one expression of a love for all things beautiful;
  and     pure;   and   right。    If   any   readers   of   these   pages   fancy   that   I   over…
  praise the book; let them buy it; and judge for themselves。                      They     will
  thus   help   the   good   man   toward   pursuing   his   studies   with   larger         and
  better appliances; and will be (as I expect) surprised to find                    how much
  there is to be seen and done; even by a working…man;                   within a day's walk
  of smoky Babylon itself; and how easily a man                   might; if he would; wash
  his   soul   clean   for   a  while   from  all