There are no fish in the pond, of course, because it is not permanent; it dries up in August. But there are frogs and tadpoles21 by the thousand in due season; and, what is odder still, the frogs are there now, though you cannot see them. Indeed, frogs and newts are merely slight variations on the fishy23 type, evolved to meet this very want and to fill this very place in the economy of nature: practically speaking, they are fish which turn at last into terrestrial reptiles. During the earlier spring days, when the ponds are full, the parents lay their spawn24 among the sunk leaves of water-weeds; and soon the tadpoles emerge from their jelly-like eggs, and swarm25 at the edge in a seething26 black mass of bustling27 and jostling life. Then, as the pond gets low, and breathing becomes difficult, they proceed by degrees to drop their gills, and develop the rudimentary swim-bladder into a pair of true lungs. Soon four weak little legs with sprawling28 fingers bud out at their sides; and, hi, presto29! they hop30 or crawl ashore as full-fledged air-breathers. At this point grave differences appear between them. The newts retain their tails through life, but the more advanced frogs drop or absorb theirs, and assume the shape of thorough-going land animals. In winter, however, the frogs return once more to the pond, and bury themselves in the oozy31 mud at the bottom, often huddled32 together in close-packed groups, for warmth and company. At first sight you might think they would be warmer on dry land; but this is not so, for they have little animal heat of their own, being cold-blooded creatures, and they would therefore get frozen whenever the surface temperature fell below freezing-point. But the pond seldom or never freezes solid; in other words, the degree of cold at the bottom never goes down to freezing; and so the frogs are comparatively safe in the mud of the bed. If you dig in the ooze34 in winter, you may turn up whole spadefuls of frogs and great crested newts in certain cosy35 corners, lying torpid and half dead, but waiting patiently for the returning sun of spring to warm them. So that even the frozen pond has a great deal more life in it than the casual townsman would at first imagine.
As for the snails36 and beetles37, and other small fry of the pond, they mostly retire, like their enemies the frogs, to the depths for protection. The summer is their life; winter to them is merely a time to be dozed38 through and tided over. Many of the shorter-lived kinds, indeed, die out altogether at the first touch of autumn, leaving only their eggs or their pup? to represent them through the cold season. In these cases, therefore, we might almost say that the species, not the individual, lies dormant39 through the winter. It ceases to exist altogether for the time, and is only vouched40 for by the eggs or spawn, so that each generation knows nothing by sight of the generation that preceded it.
But when spring comes round again, there is a sudden waking up into spasmodic activity on the part of the pond and all its inhabitants. The season has set in, and life is to the fore33 again. The greater newt, in imitation of the poet’s wanton lapwing, “gets himself another crest,” and adorns41 his breast with brilliant spots of crimson42 and orange. The mating proceeds apace; frogs pair and spawn; the water swarms43 once more with layer upon layer of wriggling44 black tadpoles. Now the great pond-snail floats at the top, and lays its oblong bunch of transparent45 eggs; now the water-crowfoot flowers; the diver beetles disport46 themselves amain; strange long-legged beasts that walk the water like insect Blondins, begin to stalk the surface on their living stilts47; and dancing little “whirligigs,” who skim the pond, coquette and pirouette in interlacing circles. All nature is alive. Winter is forgotten; eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, are the order of the day in pond and hedgerow. Then the crested newt proceeds to devour48 his smaller relative, and the tadpole22 to elbow his neighbour out of existence; and all goes merrily as wedding bells in the world of the pond—till winter comes again.

点击
收听单词发音

1
moor
![]() |
|
n.荒野,沼泽;vt.(使)停泊;vi.停泊 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2
epoch
![]() |
|
n.(新)时代;历元 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3
appreciable
![]() |
|
adj.明显的,可见的,可估量的,可觉察的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4
precarious
![]() |
|
adj.不安定的,靠不住的;根据不足的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5
steer
![]() |
|
vt.驾驶,为…操舵;引导;vi.驾驶 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6
seclusion
![]() |
|
n.隐遁,隔离 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7
contingencies
![]() |
|
n.偶然发生的事故,意外事故( contingency的名词复数 );以备万一 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8
fickle
![]() |
|
adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的,不坚定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9
salmon
![]() |
|
n.鲑,大马哈鱼,橙红色的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10
diffuse
![]() |
|
v.扩散;传播;adj.冗长的;四散的,弥漫的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11
aquatic
![]() |
|
adj.水生的,水栖的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12
reptiles
![]() |
|
n.爬行动物,爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13
amphibians
![]() |
|
两栖动物( amphibian的名词复数 ); 水陆两用车; 水旱两生植物; 水陆两用飞行器 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14
peculiar
![]() |
|
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15
crested
![]() |
|
adj.有顶饰的,有纹章的,有冠毛的v.到达山顶(或浪峰)( crest的过去式和过去分词 );到达洪峰,达到顶点 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16
torpid
![]() |
|
adj.麻痹的,麻木的,迟钝的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17
adventurous
![]() |
|
adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18
ashore
![]() |
|
adv.在(向)岸上,上岸 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19
lurking
![]() |
|
潜在 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20
vaults
![]() |
|
n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 );地下室;撑物跳高;墓穴 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21
tadpoles
![]() |
|
n.蝌蚪( tadpole的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22
tadpole
![]() |
|
n.[动]蝌蚪 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23
fishy
![]() |
|
adj. 值得怀疑的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24
spawn
![]() |
|
n.卵,产物,后代,结果;vt.产卵,种菌丝于,产生,造成;vi.产卵,大量生产 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25
swarm
![]() |
|
n.(昆虫)等一大群;vi.成群飞舞;蜂拥而入 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26
seething
![]() |
|
沸腾的,火热的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27
bustling
![]() |
|
adj.喧闹的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28
sprawling
![]() |
|
adj.蔓生的,不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 );蔓延;杂乱无序地拓展;四肢伸展坐着(或躺着) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29
presto
![]() |
|
adv.急速地;n.急板乐段;adj.急板的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30
hop
![]() |
|
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31
oozy
![]() |
|
adj.软泥的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32
huddled
![]() |
|
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33
fore
![]() |
|
adv.在前面;adj.先前的;在前部的;n.前部 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34
ooze
![]() |
|
n.软泥,渗出物;vi.渗出,泄漏;vt.慢慢渗出,流露 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35
cosy
![]() |
|
adj.温暖而舒适的,安逸的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36
snails
![]() |
|
n.蜗牛;迟钝的人;蜗牛( snail的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37
beetles
![]() |
|
n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38
dozed
![]() |
|
v.打盹儿,打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39
dormant
![]() |
|
adj.暂停活动的;休眠的;潜伏的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40
vouched
![]() |
|
v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 );担保;确定;确定地说 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41
adorns
![]() |
|
装饰,佩带( adorn的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42
crimson
![]() |
|
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43
swarms
![]() |
|
蜂群,一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44
wriggling
![]() |
|
v.扭动,蠕动,蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 );(使身体某一部位)扭动;耍滑不做,逃避(应做的事等);蠕蠕 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45
transparent
![]() |
|
adj.明显的,无疑的;透明的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46
disport
![]() |
|
v.嬉戏,玩 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47
stilts
![]() |
|
n.(支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的)桩子,支柱( stilt的名词复数 );高跷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48
devour
![]() |
|
v.吞没;贪婪地注视或谛听,贪读;使着迷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |