Their Aspect in the Dry Season—Vegetable Sources—Land Spouts—Effects of the Mirage2—A Savannah on Fire—Opening of the Rainy Season—Miraculous3 Changes—Exuberance of Animal and Vegetable Life—Conflict between Horses and Electrical Eels4—Beauty of the Llanos at the Termination of the Rainy Season—The Mauritia Palm.
In South America, the features of Nature are traced on a gigantic scale. Mountains, forests, rivers, plains, there appear in far more colossal6 dimensions than in our part of the world. Many a branch of the Marañon surpasses the Danube in size. In the boundless8 primitive9 forests of Guiana more than one Great Britain could find room. The Alps would seem but of moderate elevation10 if placed aside of the towering Andes; and the plains of Northern Germany and Holland are utterly11 insignificant12 when compared with the Llanos of Venezuela and New Grenada, which, stretching from the coast-chain of Caraccas to the forests of Guiana, and from the snow-crowned mountains of Merida to the Delta13 of the Orinoco, cover a surface of more than 250,000 square miles.
Nothing can be more remarkable14 than the contrast which these immeasurable plains present at various seasons of the year—now parched15 by a long-continued drought, and now covered with the most luxuriant vegetation. When, day after day, the sun, rising and setting in a cloudless sky, pours his vertical16 rays upon the thirsty Llanos, the calcined grass-plains present the monotonous17 aspect of an interminable waste. Like the ocean, their limits melt in the hazy18 distance with those of the horizon; but here the resemblance ceases, for no refreshing20 breeze wafts21 coolness over the desert, and comforts the drooping22 spirits of the wanderer.
12 In the wintry solitudes23 of Siberia the skin of the reindeer24 affords protection to man against the extreme cold; but in these sultry plains there is no refuge from the burning sun above and the heat reflected from the glowing soil below, save where, at vast intervals25, small clumps26 of the Mauritia palm afford a scanty27 shade. The water-pools which nourished this beneficent tree have long since disappeared; and the marks of the previous rainy season, still visible on the tall reeds that spring from the marshy28 ground, serve only to mock the thirst of the exhausted29 traveller. The long-legged jabiru and the scarlet30 ibis have forsaken31 the dried-up swamp which no longer affords them any subsistence, and only here and there a solitary32 Caracara falcon33 lingers on the spot, as if meditating34 on the vicissitudes35 of the seasons.
NEPENTHES.
Yet even now the parched savannah has some refreshment36 to bestow37, as Nature—which in the East Indian forests fills the pitchers38 of the Nepenthes with a grateful liquid,—here also displays her bounty39; for the globular melon-cactus40, which flourishes on the driest soil, and not seldom measures a foot in diameter, conceals41 a juicy pulp42 under its tough and brickly skin. Guided by an admirable instinct, the wary43 mule44 strikes off with his fore-feet the long, sharp thorns of this remarkable plant, the emblem45 of good-nature under a rough exterior46, and then cautiously approaches his lips to sip47 the refreshing juice. Yet, drinking from these living sources is not unattended with danger, and mules48 are often met with that have been lamed49 by the formidable prickles of the cactus. The wild horse and ox of the savannah, not gifted with the same sagacity, roam about a prey50 to hunger and burning thirst—the latter hoarsely51 bellowing52, the former snuffing up the air with outstreched neck to discover by its moisture the neighbourhood of some pool that may have resisted the general drought.
Besides their interminable extent, the Llanos have several other points of resemblance to the sea. As here the water-spout1,13 raised by contending air-currents, rises to the clouds and sweeps over the floods, thus also the glowing dust of the savannah, set in motion by conflicting winds, ascends54 in mighty55 columns and glides56 over the desert plain. Then woe57 to the traveller who cannot escape by a timely flight; for, seizing him with irresistible58 violence the sand spout carries him along in its embrace, and hurls59 him senseless to the ground.
As if ‘on a painted ocean,’ the becalmed ship rests on the glassy sea. No breath of air ruffles60 the surface of the waters.
The pennant61 hangs lazily from the mast; the water-casks are empty; the torments62 of thirst, aggravated63 by the heat of a vertical sun, become intolerable. But, suddenly, as if by magic, a beautiful island rises from the floods; waving palm-trees seem to welcome the mariner64: he fancies he hears the purling of the brook65 and the splashing of the waterfall. Yet still the vessel66 moves not from the spot, and soon the fading phantom67 that mocked his misery68 leaves him the victim of increased despair.
Similar delusions69 of the mirage, produced by the refraction of the light as it passes through atmospherical70 strata71 of unequal warmth, and consequently of unequal density72, likewise take place over the surface of the Llanos, which then assume the semblance19 of a sea, heaving and rocking in wave-like motion. In the Lybian desert, in the dread73 solitudes of the polar ocean, in every zone, we meet with the same phenomenon, produced by the same cause.
As in the arctic regions the intense cold during winter retards74 the pulsations, or even suspends the operations of life, so in the Llanos the long continuance of drought causes a similar stagnation75 in animated76 nature. The thinly-scattered77 trees and shrubs78 do not indeed cast their foliage79, but the greyish-yellow of their leaves announces that vegetation is suspended. Buried in the clay of the dried-up pools, the alligator80 and the water-boa lie plunged81 in a deep summer-sleep, like the bear of the north in his long winter slumber82; and many animals which, at other times, are found roaming over the Llanos,—such as the graceful83 aguti, the hoggish84 peccary, and the timid deer of the savannah,—have left the parched plains and migrated to the forest or the river. The large maneless puma85 and the spotted86 jaguar87, following their prey to less arid88 regions, are now no longer seen in their former hunting-grounds, and the Indian14 has also disappeared with the stag whom he pursued with his poisoned arrows. In the Siberian Tundras89 the reindeer and the migratory90 birds are scared away by winter; here life is banished91 or suspended by an intolerable aridity92.
AGUTI.
PECCARY.
Sometimes the ravages93 of fire complete the image of death on the parched savannah.
‘We had not yet penetrated94 far into the plain,’ says Schomburgk, ‘when we saw to the south-east high columns of smoke ascending95 to the skies, the sure signs of a savannah fire, and at the same time the Indians anxiously pressed us to speed on, as the burning torrent96 would most likely roll in our direction. Although at first we were inclined to consider their fears as exaggerated, yet the next half-hour served to convince us of the extreme peril97 of our situation. In whatever direction we gazed, we nowhere saw a darker patch in the grass-plain announcing the refuge of a water-pool; we could already distinguish the flames of the advancing column, already hear the bursting and crackling of the reeds, when fortunately the sharp eye of the Indians discovered some small eminences98 before us, only sparingly covered with a low vegetation, and to these we now careered as if Death himself were behind us. Half a minute later, and I should never have lived to relate our adventures. With beating hearts we saw the sea of fire rolling its devouring99 billows towards us; the suffocating100 smoke, striking in our faces, forced us to turn our backs upon the advancing conflagration101, and to await the dreadful decision with the resignation of helpless despair.
‘And now we were in the midst of the blaze. Two arms of fire encircled the base of the little hillock on which we stood, and united before us in a waving mass, which, rolling onwards,15 receded102 farther and farther from our gaze. The flames had devoured103 the short grass of the hillock, but had not found sufficient nourishment104 for our destruction. Whole swarms106 of voracious107 vultures followed in circling flight the fiery108 column, like so many hungry jackals, and pounced109 upon the snakes and lizards111 which the blaze had stifled112 and half-calcined in its murderous embrace. When, with the rapidity of lightning, they darted113 upon their prey and disappeared in the clouds of smoke, it almost seemed as if they were voluntarily devoting themselves to a fiery death. Soon the deafening114 noise of the conflagration ceased, and the dense115 black clouds in the distance were the only signs that the fire was still proceeding116 on its devastating117 path over the wide wastes of the savannah.’
At length, after a long drought, when all Nature seems about to expire under the want of moisture, various signs announce the approach of the rainy season. The sky, instead of its brilliant blue, assumes a leaden tint118, from the vapours which are beginning to condense. The black spot of the ‘Southern Cross,’ that most beautiful of constellations119, in which, as the Indians poetically120 fancy, the Spirit of the savannah resides, becomes more indistinct as the transparency of the atmosphere diminishes. The mild phosphoric gleam of the Magellanic clouds expires. The fixed122 stars, which shone with a quiet planetary light, now twinkle even in the zenith. Like distant mountain-chains, banks of clouds begin to rise over the horizon, and accumulating in masses of increasing density, ascend53 higher and higher, until at length the lightning flashes from their dark bosom123, and with the loud crash of thunder, the first rains burst in torrents124 over the thirsty land. Scarce have the showers had time to moisten the earth, when the dormant125 powers of vegetation begin to awaken126 with almost miraculous rapidity. The dull, tawny127 surface of the parched savannah changes as if by magic into a carpet of the liveliest green, enamelled with thousands of flowers of every colour. Stimulated128 by the light of early day, the mimosas expand their delicate foliage, and the fronds129 of the beautiful mauritias sprout130 forth131 with all the luxuriance of youthful energy.
And now, also, the animal life of the savannah awakens132 to the full enjoyment133 of existence. The horse and the ox rejoice in the grasses, under whose covert134 the jaguar frequently lurks,16 to pounce110 upon them with his fatal spring. On the border of the swamps, the moist clay, slowly heaving, bursts asunder135, and from the tomb in which he lay embedded136 rises a gigantic water-snake or a huge crocodile. The new-formed pools and lakes swarm105 with life, and a host of water-fowl—ibises, cranes, flamingos137, mycterias—make their appearance, to regale138 on the prodigal139 banquet. A new creation of insects and other unbidden guests now seek the wretched hovels of the Indians, which are sparingly scattered over the higher parts of the savannah. Countless140 multitudes of ants, sandflies, and mosquitos; rattlesnakes, expelled by the cold and moisture from the lower grounds; repulsive141 geckos, which with incredible rapidity run along the overhanging rafters; nauseous toads142, which, concealing143 themselves by day in the dark corners of the huts, crawl forth in the evening in quest of prey; lizards, scorpions144, centipedes; in a word, worms and vermin of all names and forms,—emerge from the inundated145 plains, for the tropical rains have gradually converted the savannah, which erewhile exhibited a waste as dreary146 as that of the Sahara, into a boundless lake. The swollen147 rivers of the steppe—the Apure, the Arachuna, the Pajara, the Arauca—pour forth their mighty streams over the plains, and boats are now able to sail for miles across the land from one river-bed into another.
On the same spot where, erewhile, the thirsty horse anxiously snuffed the air to discover by its moisture the presence of some pool, the animal is now obliged to lead an amphibious life. The mares retreat with their foals to the higher banks, which rise like islands above the waters, and as from day to day the land contracts within narrower limits, the want of forage148 obliges them to swim about in quest of the grasses that raise their heads above the fermenting149 waters. Many foals are drowned; many are surprised by the crocodiles, that fell them by a stroke of their jagged tail, and then crush them between their jaws150. Horses and oxen are not seldom met with, which, having fortunately escaped these huge saurians, bear on their limbs the marks of their sharp teeth.
‘This sight,’ says Humboldt, ‘involuntarily reminds the observer of the great pliability151 with which nature has endowed several plants and animals. Along with the fruits of Ceres, the horse and the ox have followed man over the whole earth, from17 the Granges to the La Plata, and from the coast of Africa to the mountain-plain of Antisana, which is more elevated than the lofty peak of Teneriffe. Here the northern birch-tree, there the date-palm, protects the tired ox from the heat of the mid-day sun. The same species of animal which contends in eastern Europe with bears and wolves, is attacked in another zone by the tiger and the crocodile.’
ELECTRICAL EEL5. (GYMNOTUS ELECTRICUS.)
But it is not the jaguar and the alligator alone which lie in wait for the South American horse, for even among the fishes he has a dangerous enemy. The rivers and marshes152 of the Llanos are often filled with electrical eels, which send forth at will from the under part of the tail a stunning153 shock. These eels are from five to six feet long. They are able, when in full vigour155, to kill the largest animals, when they suddenly unload their electrical organs in a favourable156 direction. Humboldt having accidentally set his foot on a gymnote which had just been taken out of the water felt the whole day severe pains in the knees and almost in every joint157. Lizards, turtles, and frogs seek the morasses158 where they are safe from their discharges, and all other fishes, aware of their power, fly at the sight of the formidable gymnotes. They stun154 even the angler on the high river-bank, the moist line serving as a conductor for the electric fluid. The capture of these eels affords a highly entertaining and animated scene. Mules and horses are driven into the pond which the Indians surround, until the unwonted noise and splashing of the waters rouse the fishes to an attack. Gliding159 along, they creep under the belly160 of the horses, many of whom die from the shock of their strokes; while others, with mane erect161, and dilated162 nostrils163, endeavour to flee from the electric storm which they have roused. But the Indians, armed with long poles, drive them back again into the pool.
Gradually the unequal contest subsides164. Like spent thunderclouds, the exhausted fishes disperse165, for they require a long rest and plentiful166 food to repair the loss of their galvanic powers. Their shocks grow weaker and weaker. Terrified by the noise of the horses, they timidly approach the banks, when, wounded with harpoons167, they are dragged on shore with dry and nonconducting pieces of wood; and thus the strange combat ends.
18 The Llanos are never more beautiful than at the end of the rainy season, before the sun has absorbed the moisture of the soil. Then every plant is robed with the freshest green; an agreeable breeze, cooled by the evaporating waters, undulates over the sea of grasses, and at night a host of stars shines mildly upon the fragrant168 savannah, or the silvery moonbeam trembles on its surface. Where on the margin169 of the primitive forest, girt with colossal cactuses and agaves, groups of the mauritia rise majestically170 over the plain, the stateliest park ever planted by man must yield in beauty to the charming picture of these natural gardens, bordered here by impenetrable thickets171, and there by the blue mountain-chain, behind which the fancy paints scenes of still more enchanting172 loveliness.
The mauritia, the chief ornament173 of the park-like savannah, and no less useful than the date-tree of the African oasis174, provides the Indian with almost every necessary, and fully175 deserves the name of ‘tree of life,’ bestowed176 upon it by the poetical121 fancy of the Jesuit Gumilla. Rising to the height of a hundred feet, its slender trunk is surmounted177 by a magnificent tuft of large, fan-shaped fronds, of a brilliant green, under whose canopy178 the scaly179 fruits, resembling pine cones180, hang in large clusters. Like the banana, they afford a food differing in taste according to the stages of ripeness in which they are plucked; and before the blossoms of the male palm have expanded, its trunk contains a nutritious181 pith like sago, which, dried in thin slices, forms one of the chief articles of the Indian’s bill of fare. Like his brethren of the Eastern world, he also knows how to prepare an intoxicating182 ‘toddy’ from the juice of the flower-spathes; the leaves serve to cover his hut; out of the fibres of their petioles he manufactures twine183 and cordage; and the sheaths at their base afford him material for his sandals.
At the mouth of the Orinoco the very existence of the yet unsubdued Guaranas depends on the mauritia, which gives them both food and liberty. Formerly184, when this tribe was more numerous than at the present day, they raised their huts on floorings stretched from trunk to trunk, and formed of the leaf-stalks of their tutelary185 palm. Thus, like the monkeys and parrots of their native wilds, they lived in the trees during the inundations of the Delta in the rainy season. These platforms19 were partly covered with moist clay, on which fire was made for household purposes; and the flames afforded a strange sight to travellers sailing on the river at night. Even now the light-footed Guaranas owe their independence to the marshy nature of their territory, and to their arboreal186 life.
The fruits of the mauritia, besides affording food to the Indian, are eagerly devoured by monkeys and parrots. On approaching a group of palms at the time when the fruits are ripening187, the profound silence which within the tropics chiefly characterises the noon, is interrupted by a scream of warning, and soon after a numerous troop of birds wheels screeching188 about the grove189.
When the Spaniards first settled in the beautiful mountain valleys of Caraccas and on the Orinoco, they found the Llanos, in spite of their abundant verdure, almost entirely190 uninhabited by man, for the Indians were unacquainted with pastoral life; and if the mauritia had not here and there tempted191 a few savages192 to settle on the open savannahs, they would have been left entirely to the animal life which from time immemorial had thriven on their herbage. But the Spaniards introduced new quadrupeds into the new world,—the ox, the horse, the ass7, our faithful companions over the whole surface of the globe,—and the progeny193 of these domestic animals, returning to their wild state, has multiplied amazingly in the vast pastures of the Llanos. Man has followed them into their new domain194; and small hamlets, often situated195 whole days’ journeys one from another, and consisting only of a few wretched huts, though generally dignified196 with the name of towns, proclaim that he has at least made a beginning to establish his empire over these boundless plains.
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1
spout
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| v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱 | |
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2
mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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3
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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4
eels
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| abbr. 电子发射器定位系统（=electronic emitter location system） | |
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5
eel
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| n.鳗鲡 | |
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6
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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8
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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9
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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10
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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11
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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13
delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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15
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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16
vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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17
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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21
wafts
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| n.空中飘来的气味，一阵气味( waft的名词复数 )；摇转风扇v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的第三人称单数 ) | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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reindeer
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| n.驯鹿 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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27
scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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falcon
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| n.隼，猎鹰 | |
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meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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37
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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38
pitchers
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| 大水罐( pitcher的名词复数 ) | |
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bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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40
cactus
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| n.仙人掌 | |
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41
conceals
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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42
pulp
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| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
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43
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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44
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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45
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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46
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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47
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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48
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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49
lamed
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| 希伯莱语第十二个字母 | |
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50
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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51
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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52
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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53
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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54
ascends
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
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55
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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56
glides
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| n.滑行( glide的名词复数 )；滑音；音渡；过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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57
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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58
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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59
hurls
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的第三人称单数 )；大声叫骂 | |
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60
ruffles
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| 褶裥花边( ruffle的名词复数 ) | |
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61
pennant
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| n.三角旗；锦标旗 | |
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62
torments
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| （肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人] | |
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63
aggravated
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| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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64
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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65
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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66
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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67
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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68
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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69
delusions
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| n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想 | |
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70
atmospherical
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| adj.空气的，气压的 | |
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71
strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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72
density
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| n.密集，密度，浓度 | |
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73
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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74
retards
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| 使减速( retard的第三人称单数 )； 妨碍； 阻止； 推迟 | |
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75
stagnation
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| n. 停滞 | |
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76
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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77
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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78
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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79
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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80
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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81
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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82
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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83
graceful
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|
| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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84
hoggish
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| adj.贪婪的 | |
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85
puma
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| 美洲豹 | |
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86
spotted
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|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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87
jaguar
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| n.美洲虎 | |
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88
arid
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|
| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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89
tundras
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| n.（多数位于北极圈的）冻土带( tundra的名词复数 )；苔原；冻原；寒漠 | |
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90
migratory
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| n.候鸟，迁移 | |
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91
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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92
aridity
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| n.干旱，乏味；干燥性；荒芜 | |
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93
ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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94
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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95
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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96
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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97
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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98
eminences
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| 卓越( eminence的名词复数 )； 著名； 高地； 山丘 | |
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99
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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100
suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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101
conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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102
receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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103
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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104
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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105
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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106
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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107
voracious
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| adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的 | |
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108
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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109
pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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110
pounce
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| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
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111
lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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112
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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113
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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114
deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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115
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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116
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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117
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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118
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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119
constellations
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| n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人） | |
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120
poetically
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| adv.有诗意地，用韵文 | |
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121
poetical
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| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
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122
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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123
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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124
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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125
dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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126
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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127
tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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128
stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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129
fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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130
sprout
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| n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条 | |
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131
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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132
awakens
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的第三人称单数 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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133
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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134
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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135
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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136
embedded
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| a.扎牢的 | |
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137
flamingos
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| n.红鹳，火烈鸟（羽毛粉红、长颈的大涉禽）( flamingo的名词复数 ) | |
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138
regale
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| v.取悦，款待 | |
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139
prodigal
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| adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的 | |
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140
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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141
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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142
toads
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
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143
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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144
scorpions
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| n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 ) | |
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145
inundated
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| v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付 | |
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146
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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147
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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148
forage
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| n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻 | |
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149
fermenting
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| v.（使）发酵( ferment的现在分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰 | |
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150
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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151
pliability
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| n.柔韧性；可弯性 | |
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152
marshes
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| n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 ) | |
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153
stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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154
stun
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| vt.打昏，使昏迷，使震惊，使惊叹 | |
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155
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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156
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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157
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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158
morasses
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| n.缠作一团( morass的名词复数 )；困境；沼泽；陷阱 | |
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159
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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160
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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161
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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162
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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163
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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164
subsides
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的第三人称单数 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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165
disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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166
plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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167
harpoons
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| n.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的名词复数 )v.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的第三人称单数 ) | |
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168
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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169
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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170
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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171
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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172
enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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173
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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174
oasis
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方 | |
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175
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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176
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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177
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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178
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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179
scaly
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| adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的 | |
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180
cones
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| n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒 | |
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181
nutritious
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| adj.有营养的，营养价值高的 | |
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182
intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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183
twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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184
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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185
tutelary
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| adj.保护的；守护的 | |
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186
arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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187
ripening
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成 | |
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188
screeching
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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189
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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190
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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191
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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192
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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193
progeny
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| n.后代，子孙；结果 | |
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194
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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195
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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196
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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