fabre, poet of science-第37节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



（14/1。）



In　the　midst　of　the　beautiful　and　spacious　gardens　at　the　end　of　the

Faubourg　Saint…Antoine；　where　he　finally　made　his　home；　he　also　contrived

to　create　for　himself　a　Harmas　after　his　own　heart。



It　was　there　that　in　the　as　yet　virgin　domain　of　entomology　he　unravelled

the　riddle　of　the　marvellous　republic　of　the　bees；　and　was　able　to　expound

and　interpret　a　large　number　of　those　tiny　lives　which　every　one　had

hitherto　despised；　and　which　indeed　they　continued　to　despise　until　the

days　of　Fabre；　or　at　least　regarded　as　absolutely　unimportant。　He　was　the

first　to　venture　to　suspect　their　connection　with　much　〃that　most　nearly

concerns　us；〃　or　to　point　out　〃all　the　singular　conclusions〃　which　may　be

drawn　therefrom。　（14/2。）



How　many　details　he　has　enshrined　in　his　interesting　〃Memoirs；〃　and　how

many　facts　we　may　glean　from　this　great　master！　He；　like　Fabre；　had　the

gift　of　charming　a　great　number　of　his　contemporaries。　Tremblay；　Bonnet；

and　de　Geer　owed　their　vocations　to　Réaumur；　not　to　speak　of　Huber；　whose

genius　he　inspired。



A　physicist　before　all；　and　accustomed　to　delicate　and　meticulous　though

comparatively　simple　tasks；　he　had　admirably　foreseen　the　extraordinary

complication　of　these　inquiries；　so　much　so　that；　with　the　modesty　of　the

true　scientist　that　he　was；　he　regarded　his　own　studies；　even　the　most

substantial；　as　mere　indications；　intended　to　point　the　way　to　those　that

followed　him。



As　methodical；　in　short；　as　the　author　of　the　〃Souvenirs；〃　the　scrupulous

Réaumur　wrote　nothing　that　he　himself　had　not　proved　or　verified　with　the

greatest　care；　and　we　may　be　sure　that　all　that　he　records　of　his　personal

and　immediate　observations　he　has　really　seen　with　his　own　eyes。



In　the　wilderness　of　error　he　had；　like　Fabre；　an　infallible　compass　in　his

extraordinary　common　sense；　and；　equally　skilled　in　extracting　from　the

false　the　little　particle　of　truth　which　it　often　contains；　he　was　no　less

fond　of　listening　at　the　gate　of　legends；　of　tracing　the　source　of

traditions；　rightly　considering　that　before　deriding　them　as　old…wives'

tales　we　should　first　probe　in　all　directions　into　their　origin　and

foundation。　（14/3。）



He　was　also　tempted　to　experiment；　and　he　well　knew　that　in　such　problems

as　those　he　attacked　observation　alone　is　often　powerless　to　reveal

anything。　It　is　enough　to　recall　here　one　of　the　most　promising　and

unexpected　of　the　discoveries　which　resulted　from　his　experiments。　Réaumur

was　the　first　to　conceive　the　ingenious　idea　of　retarding　the　hatching　of

insects'　eggs　by　exposing　them　to　cold；　thus　anticipating　the　application

of　cold　to　animal　life　and　the　discoveries　of　Charles　Tellier；　whose　more

illustrious　forerunner　he　was；　at　the　same　time　he　discovered　the　secret　of

prolonging；　in　a　similar　fashion；　the　larval　existence　of　chrysalids　during

a　space　of　time　infinitely　superior　to　that　of　their　normal　cycle；　and　what

is　more；　he　succeeded　in　making　them　live　a　lethargic　life　for　years　and

even　for　a　long　term　of　years；　thus　repeating　at　will　the　miracle　of　the

Seven　Sleepers。　（14/4。）



Too　much　occupied；　however；　with　the　smaller　aspect　of　things；　he　had　not

the　art　of　forcing　Nature　to　speak；　and　in　the　province　of　psychical

aptitudes　he　was　barely　able　to　rise　above　the　facts。



As　he　was　powerless　to　enter　into　real　communion　with　the　tiny　creatures

which　he　observed；　although　his　observations　were　conducted　with　religious

admiration；　as　he　saw　always　only　the　outside　of　things；　like　a　physicist

rather　than　a　poet　or　psychologist；　he　contented　himself　with　noting　the

functioning　of　their　organs；　their　methods　of　work；　their　properties；　and

the　changes　which　they　undergo；　he　did　not　interpret　their　actions。　The

mystery　of　the　life　which　quivers　within　and　around　them　eludes　him。　This

is　why　his　books　are　such　dry　reading。　He　is　like　a　bright　garden　full　of

rare　plants；　but　it　is　a　monotonous　garden；　without　life　or　art；　without

distant　vistas　or　wide　perspectives。　His　works　are　somewhat　diffuse　and

full　of　repetitions；　entire　monographs；　almost　whole　volumes；　are　devoted

to　describing　the　emerging　of　a　butterfly；　but　they　form　part　of　the

library　of　the　curious　lover　of　nature；　they　are　consulted　with　interest；

and　will　always　be　referred　to；　but　it　cannot　be　said　that　they　are　read。



After　Réaumur；　according　to　the　dictum　of　the　great　Latreille；　entomology

was　confined　to　a　wearisome　and　interminable　nomenclature；　and　if　we　except

the　Hubers；　two　unparalleled　observers；　although　limited　and　circumscribed；

the　only　writer　who　filled　the　interregnum　between　Réaumur　and　Fabre　was

Léon　Dufour。



In　the　quiet　little　town　whither　he　went　to　succeed　his　father；　this

military　surgeon；　turned　country　doctor；　lived　a　busy　and　useful　life。



While　occupied　with　his　humble　patients；　whom　he　preferred　to　regard　merely

as　an　interesting　clinic；　and　while　keeping　the　daily　record　of　his　medical

observations；　he　felt　irresistibly　drawn　〃to　ferret　in　all　the　holes　and

corners　of　the　soil；　to　turn　over　every　stone；　large　or　small；　to　shrink

from　no　fatigue；　no　difficulty；　to　scale　the　highest　peaks；　the　steepest

cliffs；　to　brave　a　thousand　dangers；　in　order　to　discover　an　insect　or　a

plant。　（14/5。）



A　disciple　of　Latreille；　he　shone　above　all　as　an　impassioned　descriptive

writer。



No　one　was　more　skilled　in　determining　a　species；　in　dissecting　the　head　of

a　fly　or　the　entrails　of　a　grub；　and　no　spectacle　in　the　world　was　for　him

so　fascinating　as　the　triple　life　of　the　insect；　those　magical

metamorphoses；　which　he　justly　considered　as　one　of　the　most　astonishing

phenomena　in　creation。　（14/6。）



He　saw　further　than　Réaumur；　and　burned　with　the　same　fire　as　Fabre；　for　he

also　had　the　makings　of　a　great　poet。　His　curiosity　had　assembled　enormous

collections；　but　he　considered；　as　Fabre　considered；　that　collecting　is

〃only　the　barren　contemplation　of　a　vast　ossuary　which　speaks　only　to　the

eyes；　and　not　to　the　mind　or　imagination；〃　and　that　the　true　history　of

insects　should　be　that　of　their　habits；　their　industries；　their　battles；

their　loves；　and　their　private　and　social　life；　that　one　must　〃search

everywhere；　on　the　ground；　under　the　soil；　in　the　waters；　in　the　air；　under

the　bark　of　trees；　in　the　depth　of　the　woods；　in　the　sands　of　the　desert；

and　even　on　and　in　the　bodies　of　animals。〃



Was　not　this　in　reality　the　ambitious　programme　which　Fabre　was　later　to

propose　to　himself　when　he　entered　into　his　Harmas　and　founded　his　living

laboratory　of　entomology；　he　also　having　set　himself　as　his　exclusive

object　the　study　of　〃the　insects；　the　habits　of　life；　the　labours；　the

struggles　and　the　propagation　of　this　little　world；　which　agriculture　and

philosophy　should　closely　consider〃？　（14/7。）



Dufour　also　had　admirably　grasped　the　place　of　the　insect　in　the　general

harmony　of　the　universe；　and　he　clearly　perceived　that　parasitism；　that

imbrication　of　mutually　usurping　lives；　is　〃a　law　of　equilibration；　whose

object　is　to　set　a　limit　to　the　excessive　multiplication　of　individuals　of

the　same　type；〃　that　the　parasites　are　predestined　to　an　imprescriptible

mission；　and　that　this　mysterious　law　〃defies　all　explanation。〃



On　the　other　hand；　he　did　not　become　very　intimate　with　these　tiny　peoples；

his　attention　was　dispersed　over　too　many　points；　perhaps　he　was

fundamentally　incapable　of　concentrating　himself　for　a　long　period　upon　a

circumscribed　object；　perhaps　he　lacked　that　first　condition　of　genius；

patience；　so　essential　to　such　researches：　although　he　enriched　science　by

an　infinite　multitude　of　precious　facts　and　has　recorded　a　quantity　of

details　concerning　the　habits　of　insects；　he　did　not　succeed　in

representing　any　one　of　these　innumerable　little　minds。　He　had　an　intense

feeling　for　nature；　but　he　was　not　able　to　interpret　it；　and　his　immense

volume　of　work；　scattered　through　nearly　three　hundred　monographs；　remains

ineffective。



Let　us　compare　with　his　work　the　vast　epic　of　the　〃Souvenirs。〃　We　become

familiar　with　the　whole　life　of　the　least　insect；　and　all　its　unending

related　circumstances；　we　obtain　sudden　glimpses　of　insight　into　our　own

organization；　with　its　abysses　and　its　lacunae；　and　also　into　those　rich

provinces　or　faculties　which　we　are　only　beginning　to　suspect　in　the　depths

of　our　unconscious　activity。



In　the　evening　twilight；　after　the　vast　andante　of　the　cicadae　is　hushed；

at　the　hour　when　the　shining　glow…worms　〃light　their　blue　fires；〃　and　the

〃pale　Italian　cricket；　delirious　with　its　nocturnal　madness；　chirrups　among

the　rosemary　thickets；〃　while　in　the　distance　sounds　the　melodious　tinkle

of　the　bell…ringer　frogs；　replying　from　one　hiding…place　to　another；　the

old　master　shows　us　that　profound　and　mysterious　magic　with　which　matter　is

endowed　by　the　faintest　glimmer　of　life。



He　shows　us　the　intimate　connection　of　things；　the　universal　harmony