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glaucus-or the wonders of the shore(格劳高斯)-第24部分

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Holothuria! who possesses really             the secret of everlasting youth; which 

ancient fable bestowed on           the serpent and the eagle。         For when his teeth 

ache; or his      digestive organs trouble him; all he has to do is just to cast 

up    forthwith   his   entire   inside;   and;   faisant   maigre   for   a   month   or   so; 

grow a fresh set; and then eat away as merrily as ever。                His name;      if you 

wish to consult so triumphant a hygeist; is Cucumaria                 Pentactes:      but he 

has    many     a  stout   cousin    round    the   Scotch     coast;    who     knows     the 

antibilious     panacea     as  well   as  he;   and   submits;    among      the   northern 

fishermen; to the rather rude and undeserved name of                   sea…puddings; one 

of    which    grows    in   Shetland    to   the  enormous      length     of   three   feet; 

rivalling there his huge congeners; who display               their exquisite plumes on 

every tropic coral reef。        (9) 

     Next; what are those bright little buds; like salmon…coloured                  Banksia 

roses half expanded; sitting closely on the stone?               Touch      them; the soft 

part is retracted; and the orange flower of flesh is             transformed into a pale 

pink    flower    of  stone。    That    is  the   Madrepore;        Caryophyllia      Smithii 

(Plate V。 fig。 2); one of our south           coast rarities:     and see; on the lip of 

the last one; which   we   have         carefully scooped   off   with the   chisel;  two 

little pink towers of        stone; delicately striated; drop them into this small 

bottle   of   sea…water;   and   from   the   top   of   each   tower   issues   every   half… 

second      …   what    shall   we   call  it?  …  a  hand    or  a  net   of  finest   hairs; 

clutching      at  something      invisible    to  our   grosser    sense。    That     is  the 

Pyrgoma; parasitic only (as far as we know) on the lip of this same                      rare 

Madrepore; a little 〃cirrhipod;〃 the cousin of those tiny                barnacles which 

roughen      every    rock    (a  larger    sort  whereof      I  showed      you     on   the 

Turritella); and of those larger ones also who burrow in                 the thick hide of 

the whale; and; borne about upon his mighty                  sides; throw out their tiny 

casting   nets;   as   this   Pyrgoma   does;   to   catch   every   passing   animalcule; 

and    sweep     them   into   the  jaws    concealed      within    its  shell。  And     this 

creature; rooted to one spot          through life and death; was in its infancy a 

free swimming animal;           hovering from place to place upon delicate ciliae; 

till; having     sown its wild oats; it settled down in life; built itself a good 



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stone house; and became a landowner; or rather a glebae adscriptus;                      for 

ever and a day。        Mysterious destiny! … yet not so mysterious as                that of 

the   free   medusoid   young   of   every   polype   and   coral;   which      ends   as   a 

rooted tree of horn or stone; and seems to the eye of                 sensuous fancy to 

have literally degenerated into a vegetable。             Of    them you must read for 

yourself     in  Mr。    Gosse's    book;    in  the   meanwhile        he   shall  tell  you 

something       of  the  beautiful    Madrepores       themselves。      His    description; 

(10)    by   far  the  best  yet   published;     should     be  read   in  full;  we   must 

content ourselves with extracts。 

     〃Doubtless       you    are    familiar    with    the    stony    skeleton     of   our 

Madrepore; as it appears in museums。                It consists of a number of          thin 

calcareous      plates   standing    up   edgewise;     and   arranged    in  a   radiating 

manner       round    a   low    centre。     A     little  below    the    margin      their 

individuality is lost in the deposition of rough calcareous               matter。 。 。 。 The 

general form is more or less cylindrical;            commonly wider at top than just 

above the bottom。 。 。 。 This is but           the skeleton; and though it is a very 

pretty object; those who are         acquainted with it alone; can form but a very 

poor idea of the       beauty of the living animal。 。 。 。 Let it; after being torn 

from     the    rock;   recover    its  equanimity;     then   you   will  see   a  pellucid 

gelatinous flesh emerging from between the plates; and little                  exquisitely 

formed and coloured tentacula; with white clubbed tips                 fringing the sides 

of   the   cup…shaped   cavity  in   the   centre;   across   which   stretches   the   oval 

disc marked with a star of some rich and             brilliant colour; surrounding the 

central mouth; a slit with white           crenated lips; like the orifice of one of 

those elegant cowry          shells which we put upon our mantelpieces。                 The 

mouth      is  always    more     or  less  prominent;     and   can   be   protruded    and 

expanded   to   an     astonishing   extent。      The   space   surrounding   the  lips   is 

commonly        fawn   colour;   or   rich   chestnut…brown;   the   star   or   vandyked 

circle    rich red; pale vermilion; and sometimes the most brilliant emerald 

green; as brilliant as the gorget of a humming…bird。〃 

     And   what   does   this   exquisitely   delicate   creature   do   with   its   pretty 

mouth?      Alas for fact!      It sips no honey…dew; or fruits from            paradise。 … 

〃I put a minute spider; as large as a pin's head; into             the water; pushing it 

down      to  the  coral。   The     instant   it  touched    the    tip  of  a  tentacle;   it 



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adhered;  and   was drawn   in   with the         surrounding   tentacles between   the 

plates。    With a lens I saw the          small mouth slowly open; and move over 

to that side; the lips      gaping unsymmetrically; while with a movement as 

imperceptible   as       that   of   the   hour   hand   of   a   watch;   the   tiny   prey   was 

carried along       between the plates to the corner of the mouth。              The mouth; 

however;       moved   most;   and   at   length   reached   the   edges   of   the   plates; 

gradually closed upon the insect; and then returned to its usual                    place in 

the centre。〃 

     Mr。 Gosse next tried the fairy of the walking mouth with a house… fly; 

who escaped only by hard fighting; and at last the gentle                    creature; after 

swallowing       and    disgorging     various 
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