glaucus-第26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！


animals；　the　pickings　of　any　pond；　a　minnow　or　two；　an　eft；　a　few　

of　the　delicate　pond…snails　（unless　they　devour　your　plants　too　

rapidly）：　　water…beetles；　of　activity　inconceivable；　and　that　

wondrous　bug　the　Notonecta；　who　lies　on　his　back　all　day；　rowing　

about　his　boat…shaped　body；　with　one　long　pair　of　oars；　in　search　

of　animalcules；　and　the　moment　the　lights　are　out；　turns　head　over　

heels；　rights　himself；　and　opening　a　pair　of　handsome　wings；　starts　

to　fly　about　the　dark　room　in　company　with　his　friend　the　water…

beetle；　and　（I　suspect）　catch　flies；　and　then　slips　back　demurely　

into　the　water　with　the　first　streak　of　dawn。　　But　perhaps　the　most　

interesting　of　all　the　tribes　of　the　Naiads；　…　（in　default；　of　

course；　of　those　semi…human　nymphs　with　which　our　Teutonic　

forefathers；　like　the　Greeks；　peopled　each　〃sacred　fountain；〃）　…　

are　the　little　〃water…crickets；〃　which　may　be　found　running　under　

the　pebbles；　or　burrowing　in　little　galleries　in　the　banks：　　and　

those　〃caddises；〃　which　crawl　on　the　bottom　in　the　stiller　waters；　

enclosed；　all　save　the　head　and　legs；　in　a　tube　of　sand　or　pebbles；　

shells　or　sticks；　green　or　dead　weeds；　often　arranged　with　quaint　

symmetry；　or　of　very　graceful　shape。　　Their　aspect　in　this　state　

may　be　somewhat　uninviting；　but　they　compensate　for　their　youthful　

ugliness　by　the　strangeness　of　their　transformations；　and　often　by　

the　delicate　beauty　of　the　perfect　insects；　as　the　〃caddises；〃　

rising　to　the　surface；　become　flying　Phryganeae　（caperers　and　sand…

flies）；　generally　of　various　shades　of　fawn…colour；　and　the　water…

crickets　（though　an　unscientific　eye　may　be　able　to　discern　but　

little　difference　in　them　in　the　〃larva；〃　or　imperfect　state）　

change　into　flies　of　the　most　various　shapes；　…　one；　perhaps；　into　

the　great　sluggish　olive　〃Stone…fly〃　（Perla　bicaudata）；　another　

into　the　delicate　lemon…coloured　〃Yellow　Sally〃　（Chrysoperla　

viridis）；　another　into　the　dark　chocolate　〃Alder〃　（Sialis　lutaria）：　　

and　the　majority　into　duns　and　drakes　（Ephemerae）；　whose　grace　of　

form；　and　delicacy　of　colour；　give　them　a　right　to　rank　among　the　

most　exquisite　of　God's　creations；　from　the　tiny　〃Spinners〃　（Ba塼is　

or　Chloron）　of　incandescent　glass；　with　gorgeous　rainbow…coloured　

eyes；　to　the　great　Green　Drake　（Ephemera　vulgata）；　known　to　all　

fishermen　as　the　prince　of　trout…flies。　　These　animals；　their　

habits；　their　miraculous　transformations；　might　give　many　an　hour's　

quiet　amusement　to　an　invalid；　laid　on　a　sofa；　or　imprisoned　in　a　

sick…room；　and　debarred　from　reading；　unless　by　some　such　means；　

any　page　of　that　great　green　book　outside；　whose　pen　is　the　finger　

of　God；　whose　covers　are　the　fire　kingdoms　and　the　star　kingdoms；　

and　its　leaves　the　heather…bells；　and　the　polypes　of　the　sea；　and　

the　gnats　above　the　summer　stream。



I　said　just　now；　that　happy　was　the　sportsman　who　was　also　a　

naturalist。　　And；　having　once　mentioned　these　curious　water…flies；　

I　cannot　help　going　a　little　farther；　and　saying；　that　lucky　is　the　

fisherman　who　is　also　a　naturalist。　　A　fair　scientific　knowledge　of　

the　flies　which　he　imitates；　and　of　their　habits；　would　often　

ensure　him　sport；　while　other　men　are　going　home　with　empty　creels。　　

One　would　have　fancied　this　a　self…evident　fact；　yet　I　have　never　

found　any　sound　knowledge　of　the　natural　water…flies　which　haunt　a　

given　stream；　except　among　cunning　old　fishermen　of　the　lower　

class；　who　get　their　living　by　the　gentle　art；　and　bring　to　indoors　

baskets　of　trout　killed　on　flies；　which　look　as　if　they　had　been　

tied　with　a　pair　of　tongs；　so　rough　and　ungainly　are　they；　but　

which；　nevertheless；　kill；　simply　because　they　are　（in　COLOUR；　

which　is　all　that　fish　really　care　for）　exact　likenesses　of　some　

obscure　local　species；　which　happen　to　be　on　the　water　at　the　time。　　

Among　gentlemen…fishermen；　on　the　other　hand；　so　deep　is　the　

ignorance　of　the　natural　fly；　that　I　have　known　good　sportsmen　

still　under　the　delusion　that　the　great　green　May…fly　comes　out　of　

a　caddis…bait；　the　gentlemen　having　never　seen；　much　less　fished　

with；　that　most　deadly　bait　the　〃Water…cricket；〃　or　free　creeping　

larva　of　the　May…fly；　which　may　be　found　in　May　under　the　river…

banks。　　The　consequence　of　this　ignorance　is　that　they　depend　for　

good　patterns　of　flies　on　mere　chance　and　experiment；　and　that　the　

shop　patterns；　originally　excellent；　deteriorate　continually；　till　

little　or　no　likeness　to　their　living　prototype　remains；　being　tied　

by　town　girls；　who　have　no　more　understanding　of　what　the　feathers　

and　mohair　in　their　hands　represent　than　they　have　of　what　the　

National　Debt　represents。　　Hence　follows　many　a　failure　at　the　

stream…side；　because　the　〃Caperer；〃　or　〃Dun；〃　or　〃Yellow　Sally；〃　

which　is　produced　from　the　fly…book；　though；　possibly；　like　the　

brood　which　came　out　three　years　since　on　some　stream　a　hundred　

miles　away；　is　quite　unlike　the　brood　which　is　out　to…day　on　one's　

own　river。　　For　not　only　do　most　of　these　flies　vary　in　colour　in　

different　soils　and　climates；　but　many　of　them　change　their　hue　

during　life；　the　Ephemerae；　especially；　have　a　habit　of　throwing　

off　the　whole　of　their　skins　（even；　marvellously　enough；　to　the　

skin　of　the　eyes　and　wings；　and　the　delicate　〃whisks〃　at　their　

tail）；　and　appearing　in　an　utterly　new　garb　after　ten　minutes'　

rest；　to　the　discomfiture　of　the　astonished　angler。



The　natural　history　of　these　flies；　I　understand　from　Mr。　Stainton　

（one　of　our　most　distinguished　entomologists）；　has　not　yet　been　

worked　out；　at　least　for　England。　　The　only　attempt；　I　believe；　in　

that　direction　is　one　made　by　a　charming　book；　〃The　Fly…fisher's　

Entomology；〃　which　should　be　in　every　good　angler's　library；　but　

why　should　not　a　few　fishermen　combine　to　work　out　the　subject　for　

themselves；　and　study　for　the　interests　both　of　science　and　their　

own　sport；　〃The　Wonders　of　the　Bank？〃　　The　work；　petty　as　it　may　

seem；　is　much　too　great　for　one　man；　so　prodigal　is　Nature　of　her　

forms；　in　the　stream　as　in　the　ocean；　but　what　if　a　correspondence　

were　opened　between　a　few　fishermen　…　of　whom　one　should　live；　say；　

by　the　Hampshire　or　Berkshire　chalk　streams；　another　on　the　slates　

and　granites　of　Devon；　another　on　the　limestones　of　Yorkshire　or　

Derbyshire；　another　among　the　yet　earlier　slates　of　Snowdonia；　or　

some　mountain　part　of　Wales；　and　more　than　one　among　the　hills　of　

the　Border　and　the　lakes　of　the　Highlands？　　Each　would　find　（I　

suspect）；　on　comparing　his　insects　with　those　of　the　others；　that　

he　was　exploring　a　little　peculiar　world　of　his　own；　and　that　with　

the　exception　of　a　certain　number　of　typical　forms；　the　flies　of　

his　county　were　unknown　a　hundred　miles　away；　or；　at　least；　

appeared　there　under　great　differences　of　size　and　colour；　and　

each；　if　he　would　take　the　trouble　to　collect　the　caddises　and　

water…crickets；　and　breed　them　into　the　perfect　fly　in　an　aquarium；　

would　see　marvels　in　their　transformations；　their　instincts；　their　

anatomy；　quite　as　great　（though　not；　perhaps；　as　showy　and　

startling）　as　I　have　been　trying　to　point　out　on　the　sea…shore。　　

Moreover；　each　and　every　one　of　the　party；　I　will　warrant；　will　

find　his　fellow…correspondents　（perhaps　previously　unknown　to　him）　

men　worth　knowing；　not；　it　may　be；　of　the　meditative　and　half…

saintly　type　of　dear　old　Izaak　Walton　（who；　after　all；　was　no　fly…

fisher；　but　a　sedentary　〃popjoy〃　guilty　of　float　and　worm）；　but　

rather；　like　his　fly…fishing　disciple　Cotton；　good　fellows　and　men　

of　the　world；　and；　perhaps；　something　better　over　and　above。



The　suggestion　has　been　made。　　Will　it　ever　be　taken　up；　and　a　

〃Naiad　Club〃　formed；　for　the　combination　of　sport　and　science？



And；　now；　how　can　this　desultory　little　treatise　end　more　usefully　

than　in　recommending　a　few　books　on　Natural　History；　fit　for　the　

use　of　young　people；　and　fit　to　serve　as　introductions　to　such　

deeper　and　larger　works　as　Yarrell's　〃Birds　and　Fishes；〃　Bell's　

〃Quadrupeds〃　and　〃Crustacea；〃　Forbes　and　Hanley's　〃Mollusca；〃　

Owen's　〃Fossil　Mammals　and　Birds；〃　and　a　host　of　other　admirable　

works？　　Not　that　this　list　will　contain　all　the　best；　but　simply　

the　best　of　which　the　writer　knows；　let；　therefore；　none　feel　

aggrieved；　if；　as　it　may　chance；　opening　these　pages；　they　find　

their　books　omitted。



First　and　foremost；　certainly；　come　Mr。　Gosse's　books。　　There　is　a　

playful　and　genial　spirit　in　them；　a　brilliant　power　of　word…

painting　combined　with　deep　and　earnest　religious　feeling；　which　

makes　them　as　morally　valuable　as　they　are　intellectually　

interesting。　　Since　White's　〃History　of　Selborne；〃　few　or　no　

writers　on　Natural　History；　save　Mr。　Gosse；　Mr。　G。　H。　Lewes；　and　

poor　Mr。　E。　Forbes；　have　had　the　power　of　bringing　out　the　human　

side　of　science；　and　giving　to　seemingly　dry　disquisitions　and　

animals　of　the　lowest　type；　by　little　touches　of　pathos　and　humour；　

tha