第 32 节
作者:精灵王      更新:2021-04-30 17:23      字数:9322
  striped and ringed with various shades of grey and               brown。      Shall we get
  them?      By    all  means    if  we   can。    Touch     one。     Where      is  he  now?
  Gone?      Vanished into air; or into stone?         Not     quite。    You see that knot
  of sand and broken shell lying on the             rock; where your Dahlia was one
  moment ago。        Touch it; and you will         find it leathery and elastic。       That
  is   all   which   remains   of   the live   Dahlia。    Never   mind;   get   your   finger
  into the crack under him;          work him gently but firmly out; and take him
  home; and he will be         as happy and as gorgeous as ever to…morrow。
  Let   your    Actiniae    stand   for  a  day   or  two    in  the  dish;   and   then;
  picking out   the   liveliest and   handsomest;   detach   them  once   more          from
  their hold; drop them into your vase; right   them with a   bit of               stick; so
  that   the   sucking    base   is  downwards;      and    leave   them   to   themselves
  thenceforth。
  These   two   species   (Mesembryanthemum   and   Crassicornis)   are   quite
  beautiful     enough    to   give   a  beginner    amusement:       but    there   are  two
  others which are not uncommon; and of such exceeding loveliness;                       that
  it  is  worth    while    to  take  a  little  trouble   to  get  them。     The     one    is
  Dianthus;   which   I   have   already   mentioned;   the   other   Bellis;       the   sea…
  daisy; of which there is an excellent description and              plates in Mr。 Gosse's
  〃Rambles in Devon;〃 pp。 24 to 32。
  It   is   common   at   Ilfracombe;   and   at Torquay;   and   indeed   everywhere
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  where   there   are   cracks   and   small   holes   in   limestone   or   slate   rock。     In
  these holes it fixes its base; and expands its delicate brown… grey star…like
  flowers   on   the   surface:     but   it   must   be   chipped   out   with   hammer   and
  chisel;   at   the   expense   of   much   dirt   and   patience;    for   the   moment   it   is
  touched it   contracts deep   into the  rock; and            all   that is   left of   the  daisy
  flower; some two or three inches             across; is a blue knot of half the size of
  a marble。      But it will      expand again; after a day or two of captivity; and
  will repay all      the trouble which it has cost。           Troglodytes may be found;
  as I have      said   already; in   hundreds at   Hastings; in   similar situations to
  that   of   Bellis;   its   only   token;   when   the   tide   is   down;   being   a  round
  dimple in the muddy sand which firs the lower cracks of                    rocks。
  But   you   will   want   more   than   these   anemones;   both   for   your   own
  amusement; and for the health of your tank。                  Microscopic animals           will
  breed; and will also die; and you need for them some such                      scavenger as
  our   poor   friend   Squinado;   to   whom   you   were   introduced           a   few   pages
  back。     Turn; then; a few stones which lie piled on each                 other at extreme
  low…water mark; and five minutes' search will give                    you the very animal
  you want; … a little crab; of a dingy russet              above; and on the under side
  like    smooth     porcelain。     His    back    is  quite    flat;  and   so   are  his   large
  angular   fringed   claws;   which;   when         he   folds   them   up;   lie   in   the   same
  plane with his shell; and fit          neatly into its edges。        Compact little rogue
  that he is; made        especially for sidling in and out of cracks and crannies;
  he    carries   with   him   such   an   apparatus   of   combs   and   brushes   as   Isidor
  or Floris never dreamed of; with which he sweeps out of the sea… water at
  every   moment   shoals   of   minute   animalcules;   and   sucks   them             into   his
  tiny    mouth。     Mr。     Gosse     will  tell  you    more    of   this  marvel;      in   his
  〃Aquarium;〃 p。 48。
  Next;   your   sea…weeds;   if   they   thrive   as   they   ought   to   do;   will   sow
  their minute spores in millions around them; and these; as they                     vegetate;
  will form a green film on the inside of the glass;                spoiling your prospect:
  you may rub it off for yourself; if you             will; with a rag fastened to a stick;
  but   if   you   wish   at   once   to  save   yourself   trouble;   and   to   see   how   all
  emergencies   in   nature   are      provided   for;   you   will   set   three   or   four   live
  shells to do it for      you; and to keep your sub…aqueous lawn close mown。
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  That last word is no figure of speech。             Look among the beds of sea…
  weed   for   a   few   of   the   bright   yellow   or   green   sea…snails   (Nerita);    or
  Conical Tops (Trochus); especially that beautiful pink one                    spotted with
  brown (Ziziphinus); which you are sure to find about                 shaded rock…ledges
  at   dead   low   tide;   and   put   them   into   your aquarium。       For   the   present;
  they will only nibble the green ulvae;             but when the film of young weed
  begins   to   form;   you   will   see   it mown   off   every   morning   as   fast   as   it
  grows; in little semicircular         sweeps; just as if a fairy's scythe had been at
  work during the        night。
  And   a   scythe   has   been   at   work;   none   other   than   the   tongue   of   the
  little shell…fish; a description of its extraordinary mechanism                (too long to
  quote   here;   but   which is   well   worth   reading)   may  be      found   in   Gosse's
  〃Aquarium。〃 (32)
  A prawn or two; and a few minute star…fish; will make your aquarium
  complete; though you may add to it endlessly; as one glance at the                      salt…
  water   tanks   of   the   Zoological   Gardens;   and   the   strange   and      beautiful
  forms which they contain; will prove to you sufficiently。
  You have two more enemies to guard against; dust; and heat。                      If the
  surface     of  the   water   becomes      clogged     with   dust;   the  communication
  between it and the life…giving oxygen of the air is cut off; and                 then your
  animals are liable to die; for the very same reason that               fish die in a pond
  which is long frozen over; unless a hole be              broken in the ice to admit the
  air。   You must guard against this by            occasional stirring of the surface; or;
  as I have already said; by         syringing and by keeping on a cover。             A piece
  of muslin tied over        will do; but a better defence is a plate of glass; raised
  on wire      some half…inch above the edge; so as to admit the air。                I am not
  sure that a sheet of brown paper laid over the vase is not the best                   of all;
  because that; by its shade; also guards against the next               evil; which is heat。
  Against that you must guard by putting a              curtain of muslin or oiled paper
  between the vase and the sun; if            it be very fierce; or simply (for simple
  expedients are best) by         laying a handkerchief over it till the heat is past。
  But   if   you   leave   your   vase   in   a   sunny   window   long   enough   to   let   the
  water get      tepid; all is over with your pets。          Half an hour's boiling may
  frustrate the care of weeks。         And yet; on the other hand; light you             must
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  have;    and   you    can   hardly   have    too  much。     Some      animals     certainly
  prefer   shade;   and   hide   in   the   darkest   crannies;   and   for   them;   if   your
  aquarium is large enough; you must provide shade; by                   arranging the bits
  of stone into piles and caverns。          But without       light; your sea…weeds will
  neither thrive nor keep the water sweet。                With plenty of light you will
  see;   to   quote   Mr。   Gosse   once   more;     (33)   〃thousands   of   tiny   globules
  forming on   every  plant;   and   even       all over   the   stones;   where   the   infant
  vegetation   is   beginning   to     grow;   and   these   globules   presently   rise   in
  rapid succession to the         surface all over the vessel; and this process goes
  on    uninterruptedly as lon