fabre, poet of science-第19节

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perform　painful　experiments　on　himself　in　order　to　furnish　the　proof　of　his

theory；　and　he　explains　thus　the　curious　cases　of　dermatitis　which　are

often　observed　among　silkworm…breeders。　（7/20。）　He　proves　the　uselessness

of　our　meat…safes　of　metallic　gauze；　intended　to　preserve　meat　against

contamination；　and　the　efficacy　of　a　mere　envelope　of　paper；　not　only　to

preserve　meat　from　flies；　but　also　our　garments　from　the　clothes…moth。

（7/21。）　He　recommends　the　curious　Proven？al　recipe；　which　consists　in

boiling　suspected　mushrooms　in　salt　and　water　before　eating　them。　Finally

he　suggests　to　members　of　the　medical　profession　that　they　might　perhaps

extract　heroic　remedies　from　these　treacherous　vegetables。　（7/22。）



He　had　need　of　that　indefinite　leisure　which　had　hitherto　been　so　wholly

lacking；　for　the　events　of　ephemeral　lives　occur　at　indeterminate　hours；　at

unexpected　moments；　and　are　of　brief　duration。



So；　attentive　to　their　least　movements；　Fabre　goes　forth　to　observe　them　at

the　earliest　break　of　day；　in　the　red　dawn；　when　the　bee　〃pops　her　head　out

of　her　attic　window　to　see　what　the　weather　is；〃　and　the　spiders　of　the

thickets　lie　in　wait　under　the　whorls　of　their　nets；　〃which　the　tears　of

night　have　changed　into　chaplets　of　dewdrops；　whose　magic　jewellery；

sparkling　in　the　sun；〃　is　already　attracting　moths　and　midges。



Seated　for　hours　before　a　sprig　of　terebinth；　his　eye；　armed　with　the

magnifying　glass；　follows　the　slow　manoeuvres　of　the　terebinth　louse；　whose

proboscis　〃cunningly　distils　the　venom　which　causes　the　leaf　to　swell　and

produces　those　enormous　tumours；　those　misshapen　and　monstrous　galls；　in

which　the　young　pass　their　period　of　slumber。〃



He　watches　at　night；　by　the　dim　light　of　a　lantern；　to　copy　the　Scolopendra

at　her　task；　seeking　to　surprise　the　secret　of　her　eggs　（7/23。）；　to　observe

the　Cione　constructing　her　capsule　of　goldbeater's　skin；　or　the

Processional　caterpillars　travelling　head　to　tail　along　their　satin　trail；

extinguishing　his　candle　only　when　sleep　at　last　sets　his　eyelids　blinking。

He　will　wake　early　to　witness　the　fairy…like　resurrection　of　the　silkworm

moth　（7/24。）；　〃in　order　not　to　lose　the　moment　when　the　nymph　bursts　her

swaddling…bands；〃　or　when　the　wing　of　the　locust　issues　from　its　sheath　and

〃commences　to　sprout〃；　no　spectacle　in　the　world　is　more　wonderful　than　the

sight　of　〃this　extraordinary　anatomy　in　process　of　formation；〃　the

unrolling　of　these　〃bundles　of　tissue；　cunningly　folded　and　reduced　to　the

smallest　possible　compass〃　in　the　insignificant　alar　stumps；　which

gradually　unfold　〃like　an　immense　set　of　sails；〃　like　the　〃body…linen　of

the　princess〃　of　the　fairy…tale；　which　was　contained　in　one　single　hemp…

seed。　（7/25。）



In　his　Harmas　he　is　like　a　stranger　discovering　an　unknown　world；　〃like　a

kindly　giant　from　Sirius；　holding　a　magnifying　glass　to　his　eye；　retaining

his　breath；　lest　it　should　overturn　and　sweep　away　the　pigmies　which　he　is

observing。〃



His　passion　for　interrogating　the　Sphinx　of　life；　everywhere　and　at　all

moments；　sufficed　to　fill　his　days　from　one　end　of　the　year　to　the　other。

When　some　distant　subject　interested　him；　even　on　the　most　scorching　days；

he　would　put　〃his　lunch　in　his　pocket；　an　apple　and　a　crust　of　bread；〃　and

sit　out　in　the　hot　sunlight；　accompanied　by　his　dog；　Vasco；　Tom；　or　Rabbit；

fearing　only　that　some　importunate　third　person　might　come　between　nature

and　himself。



When　he　walked　in　his　garden　he　would　let　nothing　escape　him；　witness　those

precise　notes　of　an　eclipse　of　the　sun；　and　of　the　effects　which　that

phenomenon　produces　upon　animal　life　as　a　whole。



While　his　children　followed　the　progress　of　the　moon　across　the　sun　through

a　pane　of　smoked　glass；　he　attentively　observed　all　that　occurred　in　the

countryside。



〃It　is　four；　the　day　grows　pale；　the　temperature　is　fresher；　the　cocks

crow；　surprised　by　this　kind　of　twilight　which　comes　before　the　hour。　A　few

dogs　are　baying。。。The　swallows；　numerous　before；　have　all　disappeared。。。a

couple　have　taken　refuge　in　my　study；　one　window　of　which　is　open。。。when

the　normal　light　returns　they　will　come　outdoors　once　more。。。The

nightingale；　which　had　so　long　importuned　me　by　his　interminable　song；　is

silent　at　last　（7/26。）；　the　black…capped　skylarks；　which　were　warbling

continually；　are　suddenly　still。。。only　the　young　house…sparrows　under　the

tiles　of　the　roof　are　mournfully　chirping。。。Peace　and　silence；　the　daylight

more　than　half　gone。。。In　the　Harmas　I　can　no　longer　see　the　insects　flying；

I　find　only　one　bee　pillaging　the　rosemary；　all　life　has　disappeared。



〃Only　a　weevil；　the　Lixus；〃　which　he　is　observing　in　a　cage；　〃continues；

step　by　step；　without　the　slightest　emotion；　his　amorous　by…play；　as　though

nothing　unusual　were　happening。。。The　nightingale　and　the　skylark　may　be

silent；　oppressed　by　fear；　the　bee　may　re…enter　her　hive；　but　is　a　weevil

to　be　upset　because　the　sun　threatens　to　go　out？〃　（7/27。）



He　was　no　less　curious　concerning　the　resurrection　of　the　sun；　and　every

time　he　made　an　excursion　to　the　Ventoux　he　was　careful　not　to　miss　this

spectacle；　setting　out　at　an　early　hour　from　the　foot　of　the　mountain；　so

that　he　might　see　the　dawn　grow　bright　from　the　summit　of　its　rocky　mass；

then　the　sun；　suddenly　rising　in　the　morning　breeze；　and　setting　fire；

little　by　little；　to　the　Alps　of　Dauphiné　and　the　hills　of　Comtat；　and　the

Rh？ne；　far　below；　slender　as　a　silver　thread。



He　took　infinite　pleasure　too　in　drinking　his　fill　of　the　sublime　terrors

of　the　thunderstorm；　which　he　regarded　as　one　of　the　most　magnificent

spectacles　which　nature　can　offer；　not　content　with　observing　it　through

glass；　he　would　open　wide　the　windows　at　night　the　better　to　enjoy　the

phosphorescence　of　the　atmosphere；　the　conflagration　of　the　clouds；　the

bursts　of　thunder；　and　all　the　solemn　pomp　with　which　the　great　purifying

phenomenon　manifests　itself。



But　pure　observation；　as　practised　by　his　predecessors；　Réaumur　and　Huber；

is　often　insufficient；　or　〃furnishes　only　a　glimpse　of　matters。〃



He　had　recourse；　therefore；　to　artificial　observation　of　the　kind　known　as

experimentation；　and　we　may　say　that　Fabre　was　really　the　first　to　employ

the　experimental　method　in　the　study　of　the　minds　of　animals。



Near　the　field　of　observation；　therefore；　is　the　naturalist's　workshop；

〃the　animal　laboratory；〃　in　which　such　inductions　as　may　be　suggested　by

the　doings　and　the　movements　of　the　insects　〃which　roam　at　liberty　amidst

the　thyme　and　lavender〃　are　subjected　to　the　test　of　experiment。　It　is　a

great；　silent；　isolated　room；　brilliantly　lighted　by　two　windows　facing

south；　upon　the　garden；　one　at　least　of　which　is　always　kept　open　that　the

insects　may　come　and　go　at　liberty。



In　the　glass…topped　boxes　of　pine　which　occupy　almost　the　entire　height　of

the　whitewashed　walls　are　carefully　arranged　the　collections　so　patiently

amassed；　all　the　entomological　fauna　of　the　South　of　France；　and　the　sea…

shells　of　the　Mediterranean；　an　abundant　wealth　also　of　divers　rarities；

numismatical　treasures　and　fragments　of　pottery　and　other　prehistorical

documents；　of　which　the　numerous　ossuaries　in　the　neighbourhood　of

Sérignan；　scattered　here　and　there　upon　the　hills；　contain　many　specimens。



At　the　top；　crowning　the　facade　of　glass…topped　cases　like　an　immense

frieze；　is　the　colossal　herbarium；　the　first　volumes　of　which　go　back　to

the　early　youth　of　their　owner；　all　the　flora；　both　of　the　Midi　and　the

North；　those　of　the　plains　and　those　of　the　mountains；　and　all　the　algae　of

fresh　and　salt　water。



But　it　must　not　be　supposed　that　Fabre　attaches　any　great　value　to　these

collections；　enormous　though　the　sum　of　labour　which　they　represent。　To　him

they　have　been　a　means　of　education；　a　means　of　organizing　and　arranging

his　knowledge；　and　not　of　satisfying　an　idle　curiosity；　not　the　amusement

of　one　content　with　the　rind　of　things。　In　order　to　identify　at　first　sight

such　specimens　as　one　encounters　and　proposes　to　examine；　one　must　first　of

all　learn　to　observe　and　to　see　thoroughly；　and　to　school　the　eyes　in　the

colours　and　forms　peculiar　to　each　individual　species。



One　may　fairly　complain　of　Réaumur；　for　example；　that　his　knowledge　was

uncertain　and　incomplete。　Too　often　he　leaves　his　readers　undecided　as　to

the　nature　of　the　species　whose　habits　he　describes。　Fabre　himself；　by　dint

of　criticizing　with　so　much　humour　the　abuse　of　classifications；　has

sometimes　allowed　himself　to　fall　into　the　same　fault。　（7/28。）　He　has　taken

good　care；　however；　not　to　neglect　the　systematic　study　of　species；　witness

his　〃Flora　of　the　Vaucluse〃　and　that　careful　catalogue　of　Avignon　which　he

has　not　disdained　to　republish。　（7/29。）　The　truth　is　that　〃if　we　do　not

know　their　names　the　knowledge　of　the　things　escapes　us〃　（7/30。）；　and　he

was　profoundly　conscious　of　the　truth　of　this　precept　of　the　great

Linnaeus。



The