fabre, poet of science-第17章

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！



of　conflict。



His　gaze　has　penetrated　even　the　most　hidden　dwellings；　those　in　which　the

Halictus　〃varnishes　her　cells　and　makes　the　round　loaf　which　is　to　receive

the　egg〃；　in　which；　under　the　cover　of　cocoons；　murderous　grubs　devour

slumbering　nymphs；　even　the　depths　of　the　soil　are　not　hidden　from　him；　for


there；　thanks　to　his　artifices；　he　has　surprised　the　astonishing　secret　of

the　Minotaur。



He　sifts　all　doubtful　stories；　anecdotes；　statements　of　supposed　habits；

all　that　is　incoherent；　or　ill　observed；　or　misinterpreted；　all　the　cliches

which　the　makers　of　books　pass　from　hand　to　hand。



In　place　of　repetition　he　gives　us　laws；　constant　facts；　fixed　rules。



With　incomparable　skill；　he　repeats　and　tests　the　ancient　experiments　of

Réaumur。



He　is　not　content　to　show　us　that　Erasmus　Darwin　is　mistaken；　he　points　out

how　it　is　that　he　has　fallen　into　error。　（7/33。）



He　sets　himself　to　decipher　the　meaning　of　old　tales；　skilfully　disengaging

the　little　parcel　of　truth　which　usually　lies　beneath　a　mass　of　incorrect

or　even　false　statements。　He　criticises　La　Fontaine；　and　questions　the

statements　of　Horus　Apollo　and　Pliny。　From　a　mass　of　undigested　knowledge

he　has　created　the　living　science　of　entomology；　which　had　received　from

Réaumur　a　first　breath　of　vitality；　in　such　wise　that　each　individual

creature　is　presented　in　his　work　with　its　precise　expression　and　the

absolute　truth　of　its　character　and　attitudes；　the　inhabitants　of　the　woods

and　fields；　whether　those　which　feed　upon　the　crops　or　those　which　live　in

the　crevices　of　the　rocks；　or　the　obscure　workers　that　crawl　upon　the

earth；　all　those　which　have　a　secret　to　tell　or　something　to　teach　us；　the

Cigale；　so　different　from　the　insect　of　the　Fable；　and　above　all　that

beetle　whose　name　had　hitherto　been　encountered　arrayed　in　the　most

fantastic　legends；　the　famous　Scarabaeus　sacer　of　the　tombs；　which　Fabre

preferred　to　place　at　the　head　of　his　epic　as　an　agreeable　prologue；

although　the　inquiry　relative　to　his　amazing　feats　belongs　chronologically

to　a　comparatively　recent　period　of　his　career。



How　moderate　he　is　in　such　suppositions　as　he　ventures；　how　cautious　when

his　persistent　patience　has　at　last　struck　against　〃the　inaccessible　wall

of　the　Unknowable〃！　Then；　with　admirable　frankness；　tranquil　and　sincere；

he　simply　owns　that　〃he　does　not　know；〃　unlike　so　many　others；　whose

uncritical　minds　are　contented　with　a　fragmentary　vision；　and　run　so　far

ahead　of　the　facts　that　they　can　only　promote　indefinite　illusion　and

error。



One　is　surprised　indeed　to　remark　how　few　even　of　the　most　learned　and

well…informed　of　men　have　a　real　aptitude　for　observation；　and　a　highly

instructive　book　might　be　written　concerning　the　discrepancies　and　the　weak

points　in　our　knowledge。　If　they　were　subjected　to　a　sufficiently　severe

test；　how　threadbare　would　appear　many　of　those　problems　which　nature　and

the　world　present；　and　which　are　regarded　as　resolved！



How　long；　for　instance；　was　needed　to　destroy　the　legend　of　the　cuckoo；

incessantly　repeated　down　to　the　days　of　Xavier　Raspail；　and　to　us　so

familiar；　to　elucidate　its　history；　and　to　set　it　in　its　true　light！

（7/34。）



It　is　by　means　of　such　data　as　these　that　a　science　is　founded；　for

theories　decay；　and　only　well…observed　facts　remain　irrefragable。　With

stones　such　as　these；　which　are　hewn　by　the　great　artisan；　the　structures

of　the　future　will　be　built；　and　our　own　science；　perhaps；　will　one　day　be

refashioned。



For　this　reason　Fabre's　books　are　an　education　for　all　those　who　wish　to

devote　themselves　to　observation；　a　manual　of　mental　discipline；　a　true

〃essay　upon　method；〃　which　should　be　read　by　every　naturalist；　and　the　most

interesting；　instructive；　familiar　and　delightful　course　of　training　that

has　ever　been　known。



On　the　other　hand；　it　is　impossible　to　conceive　what　labour　this　delicate

work　demands；　what　perseverance　Fabre　has　required　painfully　to　extract　one

grain　of　gold；　to　glean　and　unite　the　definite　factors；　the　positive

documents；　which　served　as　foundations　for　each　of　his　essays；　lucid；

limpid；　and　captivating　as　the　most　delightful　of　fairy…tales。　We　are

charmed；　fascinated；　and　astonished；　we　see　nothing　of　the　groping　advance；

the　checks；　and　all　the　toil　and　the　patience　demanded。　We　do　not　suspect

the　long　waiting；　the　hesitation；　the　desperate　length　of　the　inquiries。

For　example；　to　establish　the　curious　relations　which　exist　between　the

wasps　and　the　Volucellae；　what　long　and　repeated　experiments　were　needful！

His　notebooks；　in　which　he　records；　from　day　to　day；　all　that　he　sees；　are

evidence　of　this。　What　watches　in　the　alley　of　lilacs；　year　after　year；　to

decipher　the　mechanism　and　the　mode　of　construction　of　the　hunting…net　of

the　Epe？ra！　Some　of　these　histories；　like　that　of　the　hyper…metamorphosis

of　the　Melo？；　were　only　completed　as　the　result　of　twenty…five　years　of

assiduous　inquiry；　while　forty　years　were　required　to　complete　that　of　the

Scarabaeus　sacer；　for　his　observation　of　it　was　always　partial；　it　is

almost　always　impossible　to　divine　what　one　cannot　see　from　the　little　that

one　does　see；　and　as　a　rule　one　must　return　to　the　same　point　over　and　over

again　in　order　to　fill　up　lacunae。



The　majority　of　the　insects　which　Fabre　has　studied　are　solitary；　and　are

only　to　be　encountered　singly；　scattered　over　wide　areas　of　country。　Some

live　only　in　determined　spots；　and　not　elsewhere；　such　as　the　famous

Cerceris；　or　the　yellow…winged　Sphex；　of　which　no　trace　is　to　be　found

beyond　the　limits　of　the　Carpentras　countryside。



The　proper　season　must　be　watched　for；　one　must　be　ready　at　any　moment　to

profit　by　a　lucky　chance；　and　resign　oneself　to　interminable　watches　at　the

bottom　of　a　ravine；　or　keep　on　the　alert　for　hours　under　a　fiery　sun。　Often

the　chance　goes　by；　or　the　trail　followed　proves　false；　but　the　season　is

over；　and　one　must　wait　for　the　return　of　another　spring。　The　trade　of

observer　in　many　cases　resembles　the　exhausting　labours　of　the　Sisyphus

beetle；　painfully　pushing　his　pellet　up　a　rough　and　stony　path；　so　that　the

team　halts　and　staggers　at　every　moment；　the　load　spills　over　and　rolls

away；　and　all　has　to　be　commenced　over　again。



We　can　now　cast　back；　in　order　to　consider　at　leisure　the　immortal　study

which　marked　the　beginning　of　his　fame；　with　the　greater　interest　and

profit　in　that　Fabre　has　been　able；　during　his　retirement；　to　generalize

and　extend　his　discovery。　（7/35。）



Let　us　first　of　all　note　how　the　observation　which　Dufour　had　made　of　the

nest　of　the　Cerceris　was　transformed　in　his　hands；　and　what　developments　he

was　able　to　evolve　therefrom。



Since　they　have　been　definitely　established　by　Fabre　these　curious　facts

have　been　well…known。　They　form　perhaps　the　greatest　prodigy　presented　by

entomology；　that　science　so　full　of　marvels。



These　wasps　nourish　themselves　only　on　the　nectar　of　flowers；　but　their

larvae；　which　they　will　never　behold；　must　have　fresh　and　succulent　flesh

still　palpitating　with　life。



The　insect　digs　a　tunnel　in　the　soil；　in　which　she　places　her　eggs；　and

having　provisioned　the　cell　with　selected　gamecricket；　spider；

caterpillar；　or　beetleshe　finally　closes　the　entrance；　which　she　does　not

again　cross。



Like　nearly　all　insects；　the　young　wasp　is　born　in　the　larval　state；　and

from　the　moment　of　its　hatching　to　the　end　of　its　growththat　is　to　say；

for　a　period　of　many　daysthe　grub　enclosed　in　its　cell　can　look　for　no

help　from　without。



Here　then　is　a　fascinating　problem：　either　the　victims　deposited　by　the

mother　are　dead；　and　desiccation　or　putrefaction　attacks　them　promptly；　or

else　they　are　living；　as　indeed　the　larvae　require；　but　then　〃what　will

become　of　this　fragile　creature；　which　a　mere　nothing　will　destroy；　shut　in

the　narrow　chamber　of　the　burrow　among　vigorous　beetles；　for　weeks　on　end

working　their　long　spurred　legs；　or　at　grips　with　a　monstrous　caterpillar

making　play　with　its　flanks　and　mandibles；　rolling　and　unrolling　its

tortuous　folds？〃



Such　is　the　thrilling　mystery　of　which　Fabre　discovered　the　key。



With　inconceivable　ingenuity；　the　victim　is　seized　and　thrown　to　the

ground；　and　the　wasp　plunges　her　sting；　not　at　random　into　the　body；　which

would　involve　the　risk　of　death；　but　at　determined　points；　exactly　into　the

seat　of　those　invisible　nervous　ganglions　whose　mechanism　commands　the

various　movements　of　the　creature。



Immediately　after　these　subtle　wounds　the　prey　is　paralysed　throughout　its

body；　its　members　appear　to　be　disarticulated；　〃as　though　all　the　springs

were　broken〃；　the　true　corpse　is　not　more　motionless。



But　the　wound　is　not　mortal；　not　only　does　the　insect　continue　to　live；　but

it　has　acquired　the　strange　prerogative　of　being　able　to　live　for　a　very

long　period　without　taking　any　nourishment；　thanks　precisely　to　the

condition　of　immobility；　in　some　sort　vegetative；　which　paralysis　confers

upon　it。



When　the　hour　strikes　the　hungry　larva　will　find　its　favourite　meat　served

to　its　liking；　and　it　will　attack　this　defenceless　prey　with　all　the

circumspection　of　a　refined　eater；　〃with　an　exquisitely　delicate　art；

nibbling　the　viscera　of　its　victim　little　by　little；　with　an　infallible

method；　the　less　essential　parts　first　of　all；　and　only　in　the　last

instance　those　which　are　necessary　to　life。　Here　then　is　an

incomprehensible　spectacle；　the　spectacle　of　an　animal　which；　eaten　alive；

mouthful　by　mouthful；　during　nearly　a　fortnight；　is　hollowed　out；　grows

less　and　less；　and　finally　collapses；〃　while　retaining　to　the　end　its

succulence　and　its　freshness。



The　fact　is　that　the　mother　has　taken　care　to　deposit　her　egg　〃at　a　point

always　the　same〃　in　the　region　which　her　sting　has　rendered　insensible；　so

that　the　first　mouthfuls　are　only　feebly　resented。　But　as　the　enemy　goes

deeper　and　deeper　〃it　sometimes　happens　that　the　cricket；　bitten　to　the

quick；　attempts　to　retaliate；　but　it　only　succeeds　in　opening　and　closing

the　pincers　of　its　mandibles　on　the　empty　air；　or　in　uselessly　waving　its

antennae。〃　Vain　efforts：　〃for　now　the　voracious　beast　has　bitten　deep　into

the　spot；　and　can　with　impunity　ransack　the　entrails。〃　What　a　slow　and

horrible　agony　for　the　paralysed　victim；　should　some　glimmer　of

consciousness　still　linger　in　its　puny　brain！　What　a　terrible　nightmare　for

the　little　field…cricket；　suddenly　plunged　into　the　den　of　the　Sphex；　so

far　from　the　sunlit　tuft　of　thyme　which　sheltered　its　retreat！



To　paralyse　without　killing；　〃to　deliver　the　prey　to　the　larvae　inert　but

living〃：　that　is　the　end　to　be　attained；　only　the　method　varies　according

to　the　species　of　the　hunter　and　the　structure　of　the　prey；　thus　the

Cerceris；　which　attacks　the　coleoptera；　and　the　Scolia；　which　preys　upon

the　larvae　of　the　rose…beetle；　sting　them　only　once　and　in　a　single　place；

becau