第 12 节
作者:精灵王      更新:2021-04-30 17:23      字数:9322
  inherit     the now superfluous horns of his primeval wild ancestors; though
  he    fights   now   …   if   he   fights   at   all   …   not   with   his   horns;   but   with   his
  forehead。
  Enough of Cardium tuberculatum。                 Now for the other animals of the
  heap; and first; for those long white razors。                They; as well as the         grey
  scimitars; are Solens; Razor…fish (Solen siliqua and S。                   ensis); burrowers
  in   the   sand    by   that  foot   which     protrudes     from   one     end;    nimble    in
  escaping   from   the   Torquay   boys;   whom   you   will   see          boring   for   them
  with a long iron screw; on the sands at low tide。                  They are very good to
  eat; these razor…fish; at least; for those          who so think them; and abound in
  millions upon all our sandy           shores。 (3)
  Now for the tapering brown spires。                They are Turritellae; snail… like
  animals      (though     the  form    of   the  shell   is  different);   who     crawl    and
  browse by thousands on the beds of Zostera; or grass wrack;                       which you
  see   thrown   about   on   the   beach;   and   which   grows   naturally         in   two   or
  three   fathoms   water。      Stay:     here   is   one   which   is   〃more    than   itself。〃
  On its back is mounted a cluster of barnacles                 (Balanus Porcatus); of the
  same   family   as   those   which   stud   the     tide…rocks   in   millions;   scratching
  the legs of hapless bathers。           Of    them; I will speak presently; for I may
  have     a  still  more   curious     member       of  the   family   to   show    you。    But
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  meanwhile; look at the mouth             of the shell; a long grey worm protrudes
  from it; which is not the        rightful inhabitant。      He is dead long since; and
  his   place   has   been   occupied   by   one   Sipunculus   Bernhardi;   a   wight   of
  low    degree;    who     connects     〃radiate〃    with   annulate    forms    …  in  plain
  English;   sea…   cucumbers   (of   which   we   shall   see   some   soon)   with   sea…
  worms。      But     however low in the scale of comparative anatomy; he has
  wit enough       to take care of himself; mean ugly little worm as he seems。
  For    finding the mouth of the Turritella too big for him; he has               plastered
  it up with sand and mud (Heaven alone knows how); just as                     a wry…neck
  plasters up a hole in an apple…tree when she intends to               build therein; and
  has left only a round hole; out of which he can                poke his proboscis。        A
  curious thing is this proboscis; when seen              through the magnifier。         You
  perceive a ring of tentacles round the            mouth; for picking up I know not
  what; and you will perceive; too;           if you watch it; that when he draws it
  in;   he   turns   mouth;   tentacles   and   all;   inwards;   and   so   down   into   his
  stomach; just as       if you were to turn the finger of a glove inward from the
  tip till   it passed into the hand; and so performs; every time he eats; the
  clown's as yet ideal feat; of jumping down his own throat。 (4)
  So much have we seen on one little shell。               But there is more to see
  close to it。     Those yellow plants which I likened to squirrels'               tails and
  lobsters' horns; and what not; are zoophytes of different               kinds。     Here is
  Sertularia   argentea   (true   squirrel's   tail);   here; S。   filicula;   as   delicate   as
  tangled     threads   of   glass;  here;   abietina;   here;   rosacea。    The     lobsters'
  horns are Antennaria         antennina; and mingled with them are Plumulariae;
  always to be       distinguished from Sertulariae by polypes growing on one
  side   of    the   branch;   and   not   on   both。  Here   is   falcata;   with   its   roots
  twisted round a sea…weed。          Here is cristata; on the same weed; and             here
  is a piece of the beautiful myriophyllum; which has been                   battered in its
  long journey out of the deep water about the ore              rock。    For all these you
  must   consult   Johnson's   〃Zoophytes;〃   and         for   a   dozen   smaller   species;
  which you would probably find tangled               among them; or parasitic on the
  sea…weed。      Here   are   Flustrae;   or    sea…mats。     This;   which   smells      very
  like Verbena; is Flustra        coriacea (Pl。 I。 Fig。 2)。      That scurf on the frond
  of ore…weed is       F。 lineata (Pl。 Fig。 1)。      The glass bells twined about this
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  Sertularia   are   Campanularia   syringa   (Pl。   I。   Fig。   9);   and   here   is   a   tiny
  plant   of   Cellularia   ciliata   (Pl。   I。  Fig。  8)。 Look   at it   through  the   field…
  glass; for   it is   truly  wonderful。      Each polype        cell   is edged   with   whip…
  like spines; and on the back of some of                 them is … what is it; but a live
  vulture's head; snapping and           snapping … what for?
  Nay;   reader;   I   am   here   to   show   you   what   can   be   seen:   but   as   for
  telling you what can be known; much more what cannot; I decline;                           and
  refer   you   to   Johnson's   〃Zoophytes;〃   wherein   you   will   find   that       several
  species of polypes carry these same birds' heads:                   but    whether they be
  parts of the polype; and of what use they are; no               man living knoweth。
  Next; what are the striped pears?              They are sea…anemones; and of a
  species      only   lately    well   known;      Sagartia    viduata;     the   snake…locked
  anemone (Pl。 V。 Fig。 3(5))。          They have been washed off the loose                stones
  to   which   they   usually   adhere   by   the   pitiless   roll   of   the  ground…swell;
  however; they are not so far gone; but that if you                take one of them home;
  and   put   it   in   a   jar   of   water;   it   will   expand into   a   delicate   compound
  flower;   which   can   neither   be   described   nor        painted;   of   long   pellucid
  tentacles; hanging like a thin bluish            cloud over a disk of mottled brown
  and grey。
  Here;     adhering    to   this  large   whelk;    is  another;    but   far  larger   and
  coarser。     It is Sagartia parasitica; one of our largest British              species; and
  most singular in this; that it is almost always (in               Torbay; at least;) found
  adhering to a whelk:          but never to a live       one; and for this reason。          The
  live whelk (as you may see for             yourself when the tide is out) burrows in
  the sand in chase of         hapless bivalve shells; whom he bores through with
  his sharp tongue         (always; cunning fellow; close to the hinge; where the
  fish is);    and then sucks out their life。         Now; if the anemone stuck to him;
  it would be carried under the sand daily; to its own disgust。                    It   prefers;
  therefore; the dead whelk; inhabited by a soldier crab;                 Pagurus Bernhardi
  (Pl。  II。   Fig。  2);   of   which   you   may  find   a   dozen    anywhere   as   the   tide
  goes out; and travels about at the crab's               expense; sharing with him the
  offal   which   is   his   food。   Note;     moreover;   that   the   soldier   crab   is   the
  most hasty and blundering of             marine animals; as active as a monkey; and
  as subject to panics as         a horse; wherefore the poor anemone on his back
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  must have a hard        life of it; being knocked about against rocks and shells;
  without      warning; from morn to night and night to morn。               Against which
  danger;     kind   Nature;    ever   MAXIMA         IN   MINIMIS;       has   provided    by
  fitting him with a stout leather coat; which she has given; I               believe; to no
  other of his family。
  Next;   for   the   babies'   heads;   covered   with   prickles;   instead   of  hair。
  They are sea…urchins; Amphidotus cordatus; which burrow by                      thousands
  in the sand。      These are of that Spatangoid form; which                 you will often
  find   fossil   in   the   chalk;   and   which   shepherd   boys    call   snakes'   heads。
  We shall soon find another sort; an Echinus;               and have time to talk over
  these most strange (i