Before the snow, which has given rise to so long a digression, had quite ceased falling the blue sky was smiling again, and I set forth1 on my muddy walk home. Under the brilliant sun the white mantle2 very soon began to exhibit broad black lines and rents, and in a brief space of time the earth had recovered its wonted appearance — the cheerful greenish-bluish-grey, which is Nature’s livery at all times in this part of Patagonia; while from the dripping thorn bushes the birds resumed their singing.
If the birds of this region do not excel those of other lands in sweetness, compass, and variety (and I am not sure that they do not), for constancy in singing they indubitably carry the palm. In spring and early summer their notes are incessant3; and the choir4 is then led by that incomparable melodist, the white-banded mocking-bird, a summer visitor. Even in the coldest months of winter, June and July, when the sun shines, the hoarse5 crooning of the spotted6 ‘Columba’, resembling that of the wood-pigeon of Europe, and the softer, more sigh-like lamentations of the ‘Zenaida maculata’, so replete7 with wild pathos8, are heard from the leafless willows9 fringing the river. Meanwhile, in the bosky uplands, one hears the songs of many passerine species; and always amongst them, with lively hurried notes, the black-headed Magellanic siskin. The scarlet10-breasted or military starling sings on the coldest days and during the most boisterous11 weather: nor can the rainiest sky cheat the grey finches, ‘Diuca minor’, of their morning and evening hymns12, sung by many individuals in joyous13 concert. The common mocking-bird is still more indefatigable14, and sheltering himself from the cold blast continues till after dark warbling out snatches of song from his inexhaustible repertory; his own music being apparently15 necessary as food and air to his existence.
Warm lovely days succeeded the snowfall. Rising each morning I could reverently16 exclaim with the human singer,
O gift of God! O perfect Day!
Whereon should no man work but play.
Days windless and serene17 to their very end, bright with a cloudless sky, and sunshine sweet and pleasant to behold19, making the grey solitudes20 smile as if conscious of the heavenly influence. It is a common saying in this country that “once in a hundred years, a man dies in Patagonia.” I do not think any other region of the globe can boast of a saying to equal that; though it has been ill-naturedly suggested that the proverb might owe its origin to the fact that most people in Patagonia meet with some violent end. I do not myself believe there is any climate in the world to compare with the winter of the east coast of Patagonia; and although its summer might seem disagreeable to some persons on account of the violent winds that prevail at that season, the atmosphere at all times is so dry and pure as to make pulmonary complaints unknown. A wealthy tradesman of the town told me that from boyhood he suffered from weak lungs and asthma22; in search of health he left his country, Spain, and settled in Buenos Ayres, where he formed ties and entered into business. But his old enemy found him there; his asthma became worse and worse, and at last, on his doctor’s recommendation, he went on a visit to Patagonia, where in a short time he was restored to complete health — such health as he had never previously23 known. He went back rejoicing to Buenos Ayres, only to fall ill again and to find his life growing a burden to him. Finally, in desperation, he sold his business and went back to the only country where existence was possible; and when I knew him he had been permanently24 settled there for about fourteen years, during which time he had enjoyed the most perfect health.
But he was not happy. He confided25 to me that he had purchased health at a very heavy cost, since he found it impossible ever to accommodate himself to such a rude existence; that he was essentially26 a child of civilisation27, a man of the pavement, whose pleasure was in society, in newspapers, the play, and in the café where one meets one’s friends of an evening and has a pleasant game of dominoes. As these things which he valued were merely dust and ashes to me, I did not sympathise deeply with his discontent, nor consider that it mattered much which portion of the globe he made choice of for a residence. But the facts of his case interested me; and if I should have a reader who has other ideals, who has felt the mystery and glory of life overcoming his soul with wonder and desire, and who bears in his system the canker of consumption which threatens to darken the vision prematurely29 — to such a one I would say, TRY PATAGONIA. It is far to travel, and in place of the smoothness of Madeira there would be roughness; but how far men go, into what rough places, in search of rubies30 and ingots of gold; and life is more than these.
During this beautiful weather merely to exist has seemed to me a sufficient pleasure: sometimes rowing on the river, which is here about nine hundred feet wide — going up to the town with the tide and returning with the current when only a slight exertion31 suffices to keep the boat swiftly gliding32 over the pure green water. At other times I amuse myself by seeking for the resinous33 gum, known here by its Indian name ‘maken’. The scraggy wide-spreading bush, a kind of juniper, it is found on, repays me with many a scratch and rent for all the amber34 tears I steal. The gum is found in little lumps on the underside of the lower branches, and is, when fresh, semi-transparent and sticky as bird-lime. To fit it for use the natives make it into pellets, and hold it on the point of a stick over a basin of cold water; a coal of fire is then approached to it, causing it to melt and trickle35 down by drops into the basin. The drops, hardened by the process, are then kneaded with the fingers, cold water being added occasionally, till the gum becomes thick and opaque36 like putty. To chew it properly requires a great deal of practice, and when this indigenous37 art has been acquired a small ball of maken may be kept in the mouth two or three hours every day, and used for a week or longer without losing its agreeable resinous flavour or diminishing in bulk, so firmly does it hold together. The maken-chewer, on taking the ball or quid from his mouth, washes it and puts it by for future use, just as one does with a tooth-brush. Chewing gum is not merely an idle habit, and the least that can be said in its favour is that it allays38 the desire for excessive smoking — no small advantage to the idle dwellers39, white or red, in this desert land; it also preserves the teeth by keeping them free from extraneous40 matter, and gives them such a pearly lustre41 as I have never seen outside of this region.
My own attempts at chewing maken have, so far, proved signal failures. Somehow the gum invariably spreads itself in a thin coat over the interior of my mouth, covering the palate like a sticking-plaster and enclosing the teeth in a stubborn rubber case. Nothing will serve to remove it when it comes to this pass but raw suet, vigorously chewed for half an hour, with occasional sips42 of cold water to harden the delightful43 mixture and induce it to come away. The culmination44 of the mess is when the gum spreads over the lips and becomes entangled45 in the hairs that overshadow them; and when the closed mouth has to be carefully opened with the fingers, until these also become sticky and hold together firmly as if united by a membrane46. All this comes about through the neglect of a simple precaution, and never happens to the accomplished47 masticator48, who is to the manner born. When the gum is still fresh occasionally it loses the quality of stiffness artificially imparted to it, and suddenly, without rhyme or reason, retransforms itself into the raw material as it came from the tree. The adept49, knowing by certain indications when this is about to happen, takes a mouthful of cold water at the critical moment, and so averts50 a result so discouraging to the novice51. Maken-chewing is a habit common to everybody throughout the entire territory of Patagonia, and for this reason I have described the delightful practice at some length.
When disinclined for gum-chewing I ramble52 for hours through the bushes to listen to the birds, learning their language and making myself familiar with their habits. How coy are some species whose instincts ever impel53 them to concealment54! What vigilance, keen and never relaxed, is theirs! Difficult even to catch a passing glimpse of them as they skulk55 from notice, how much more so to observe them disporting56 themselves without fear or restraint, unconscious of any intrusive57 presence! Yet such observation only satisfies the naturalist58, and when obtained it amply repays the silence, the watching, and the waiting it costs. In some cases the opportunities are so rare that whilst they are being sought, and without ever actually occurring, the observer day by day grows more familiar with the manners of the wild creatures that still succeed in eluding59 his sight.
Now the little cock (‘Rhinocrypta lanceolata’), an amusing bird that lives on the ground, carries its tail erect60 and looks wonderfully like a very small bantam, has spied me, and full of alarm, utters his loud chirrup from an adjacent bush. Gently I steal towards him, careful to tread on the sand, then peer cautiously into the foliage61. For a few moments he scolds me with loud, emphatic62 tones, and then is silent. Fancying him still in the same place, I walk about the bush many times, striving to catch sight of him. Suddenly the loud chirrup is resumed in a bush a stone’s-throw away; and soon, getting tired of this game of hide-and-seek, in which the bird has all the fun and I all the seeking, I give it up and ramble on.
Then, perhaps, the measured, deep, percussive63 tones of the subterranean64 ‘Ctenomys’, well named ‘oculto’ in the vernacular65, resound66 within a dozen yards of my feet. So near and loud do they sound, I am convinced the shy little rodent67 has ventured for a moment to visit the sunshine. I might possibly even catch a momentary68 glimpse of him, sitting, trembling at the slightest sound, turning his restless bright black eyes this way and that to make sure that no insidious69 foe70 is lurking71 near. For while the mole’s eyes have dwindled72 to mere28 specks73, a dark subterranean life has had a contrary effect on the ‘oculto’s’ orbs74, and made them large, although not so large as in some cave-rodents. On tiptoe, scarcely breathing, I approach the intervening bush and peep round it, only to find that he has already vanished! A hillock of damp, fresh sand, bearing the impress of a tail and a pair of little feet, show that he has been busy there, and had sat only a moment ago swelling75 the silky fur of his bosom76 with those deep, mysterious sounds. Cautiously, silently, I had approached him, but the subtle fox and the velvet-footed cat would have drawn77 near with still greater silence and caution, yet he would have baffled them both. Of all shy mammals he is the shyest; in him fear is never overcome by curiosity, and days, even weeks, may now elapse before I come so near seeing the ‘Ctenomys magellanica’ again.
It is near sunset, and, hark! as I ramble on I hear in the low scrub before me the crested78 tinamous (‘Calodromus elegans’), the wild fowl79 of this region, and in size like the English pheasant, just beginning their evening call. It is a long, sweetly-modulated note, somewhat flute80-like, and sounding clear and far in the quiet evening air. The covey is a large one, I conjecture81, for many voices are joined in the concert. I mark the spot and walk on; but at my approach, however quiet and masked with bushes it may be, one by one the shy vocalists drop their parts. The last to cease repeats his note half a dozen times, then the contagion82 reaches him and he too becomes silent. I whistle and he answers; for a few minutes we keep up the duet, then, aware of the deception83, he is silent again. I resume my walk and pass and repass fifty times through the scattered84 scrub, knowing all the time that I am walking about amongst the birds, as they sit turning their furtive85 eyes to watch my movements, yet concealed86 from me by that wonderful adaptive resemblance in the colour of their plumage to the sere18 grass and foliage around them, and by that correlated instinct which bids them sit still in their places. I find many evidences of their presence — prettily-mottled feathers dropped when they preened87 their wings, also a dozen or twenty neat circular hollows scooped89 in the sand in which they recently dusted themselves. There are also little chains of footprints running from one hollow to the other; for these pulverising pits serve the same birds every day, and, there being more birds in the covey than there are pits, the bird that does not quickly secure a place doubtless runs from pit to pit in search of one unoccupied. Doubtless there are many pretty quarrels too; and the older, stronger bird, regular in the observance of this cleanly luxurious90 habit, must, ‘per fas et nefas’, find accommodation somewhere.
I leave the favoured haunt, but when hardly a hundred yards away the birds resume their call in the precise spot I have just quitted; first one and then two are heard, then twenty voices join in the pleasing concert. Already fear, an emotion strong but transitory in all wild creatures, has passed from them, and they are free and happy as if my wandering shadow had never fallen across them.
Twilight91 comes and brings an end to these useless researches; useless, I say, and take great delight in saying it, for if there is anything one feels inclined to abhor92 in this placid93 land, it is the doctrine94 that all our investigations95 into nature are for some benefit, present or future, to the human race.
Night also brings supper, welcome to the hungry man, and hours of basking96 in the genial97 light and warmth of a wood fire, I on one side, and my bachelor host on the other. The smoke curls up from our silent lips whilst idle reveries possess our minds — fit termination of a day spent as we have spent it: for my host is also an idler, only a more accomplished one than I can ever hope to be.
We read little; my companion has never learnt letters, and I, less fortunate in that respect, having only been able to discover one book in the house, a Spanish ‘Libro de Misa’, beautifully printed in red and black letters, and bound in scarlet morocco, I take this book and read, until he, tired of listening to prayers, however beautiful, challenges me to a game of cards. For some time we could not hit on anything to play for, cigarettes being common property, but at length we thought of stories, the loser of most games during the evening to tell the other a story, as a mild soporific, after retiring. My host invariably won, which was not very strange, for he had been a professional gambler most of his days, and could deal himself the killing98 cards every time he shuffled99. More than once I caught him in the very act, for he despised his antagonist101 and was careless, and lectured him on the immorality102 of cheating at cards, even when we were only playing for love, or for something next door to it. My strictures amused his Patagonian mind very much; he explained that what I called cheating was only a superior kind of skill acquired by much study and long practice; so it happened that every night I was compelled to draw on my memory or invention for stories to pay my losses.
Only at night one feels the winter here, but in September one knows that it has gone, though summer birds have not yet returned, nor the forest of dwarf103 mimosas burst into brilliant yellow bloom. Through all seasons the general aspect of nature remains104 the same, owing to the grey undeciduous foliage of the tree and shrub105 vegetation covering the country.
As spring advances each day dawns apparently more brilliantly beautiful than the preceding one, and after breakfast I roam forth, unencumbered with gun, in search of recreation.
Hard by my residence there is a hill called the “Parrots’ Cliff,” where the swift current of the river, altering its course, has eaten into the shore till a sheer smooth precipice106 over a hundred feet high has been formed. In ancient times the summit must have been the site of an Indian village, for I am continually picking up arrow-heads here; at present the face of the cliff is inhabited by a flock of screaming Patagonian parrots, that have their ancestral breeding-holes in the soft rock. It is also haunted by a flock of pigeons that have taken to a feral life, by one pair of little hawks107 (‘Falco sparverius’), and a colony of purple martins; only these last have not yet returned from their equatorial wanderings. Quiet reigns108 along the precipice when I reach it, for the vociferous109 parrots are away feeding. I lie down on my breast and peer over the edge; far, far beneath me a number of coots are peacefully disporting themselves in the water. I take a stone the bigness of my hand, and, poising110 it over the perilous111 rim112, drop it upon them: down, down, down it drops; oh, simple, unsuspecting coots, beware! Splash it falls in the middle of the flock, sending up a column of water ten feet high, and then what a panic seizes on the birds! They tumble over as if shot, dive down incontinently, then reappearing, pause not to look about them, but spring away with all that marvellous flutter and splutter of which coots alone are capable; the wings beating rapidly, the long legs and lobed113 feet sprawling114 behind or striking the surface, away they scud115, flying and tumbling over the water, spreading needless alarm through flocks of pin-tails, shrill116-voiced widgeons, and stately black-necked swans, but never pausing until the opposite shore of the river is reached.
Pleased with the success of my experiment, I quit the precipice, to the great relief of the blue pigeons and of the little hawks; these last having viewed my proceedings117 with great jealousy118, for they have already taken possession of a hole in the rock with a view to nidification.
Further on in my rambles119 I discover a nest of the large black leaf-cutting ant (‘Oecodoma’) found over the entire South American continent — and a leading member of that social tribe of insects of which it has been said that they rank intellectually next to ourselves. Certainly this ant, in its actions, simulates man’s intellect very closely, and not in the unpleasant manner of species having warrior120 castes and slaves. The leaf-cutter is exclusively agricultural in its habits, and constructs subterranean galleries, in which it stores fresh leaves in amazing quantities. The leaves are not eaten, but are cut up into small pieces and arranged in beds: these beds quickly become frosted over with a growth of minute fungus121; this the ant industriously123 gathers and stores for use, and when the artificial bed is exhausted124 the withered125 leaves are carried out to make room for a layer of fresh ones. Thus the ‘Oecodoma’ literally126 grows its own food, and in this respect appears to have reached a stage beyond the most highly developed ant communities hitherto described. Another interesting fact is that, although the leaf-cutters have a peaceful disposition127, never showing resentment128 except when gratuitously129 interfered130 with, they are just as courageous131 as any purely132 predatory species, only their angry emotions and warlike qualities always appear to be dominated by reason and the public good. Occasionally a community of leaf-cutters goes to war with a neighbouring colony of ants of some other species; in this, as in everything else, they seem to act with a definite purpose and great deliberation. Wars are infrequent but in all those I have witnessed — and I have known this species from childhood — the fate of the nation is decided133 in one great pitched battle. A spacious134 bare level spot of ground is chosen, where the contending armies meet, the fight raging for several hours at a stretch, to be renewed on several consecutive135 days. The combatants, equally sprinkled over a wide area, are seen engaged in single combat or in small groups, while others, non-fighters, run briskly about removing the dead and disabled warriors136 from the field of battle.
Perhaps some reader, who has made the acquaintance of nature in a London square, will smile at my wonderful ant story. Well, I have smiled too, and cried a little, perhaps, when, witnessing one of these “decisive battles of the world,” I have thought that the stable civilisation of the ‘Oecodoma’ ants will probably continue to flourish on the earth when our feverish138 dream of progress has ceased to vex139 it. Does that notion seem very fantastical? Might not such a thought have crossed the mind of some priestly Peruvian, idly watching the labours of a colony of leaf-cutters — a thousand years ago, let us say, before the canker had entered into his system to make it, long ere the Spaniard came, ripe for death? History preserves one brief fragment which goes to show that the Incas themselves were not altogether enslaved by the sublime140 traditions they taught the vulgar; that they also possessed141, like philosophic142 moderns, some conception of that implacable power of nature which orders all things, and is above Viracocha and Pachacamac and the majestic143 gods that rode the whirlwind and tempest, and had their thrones on the everlasting144 peaks of the Andes. Five or six centuries have probably made little change in the economy of the ‘Oecodoma’, but the splendid civilisation of the children of the sun, albeit145 it bore on the face of it the impress of unchangeableness and endless duration, has vanished utterly146 from the earth.
To return from this digression. The nest I have discovered is more populous147 than London, and there are several roads diverging148 from it, each one four or five inches wide, and winding149 away hundreds of yards through the bushes. Never was any thoroughfare in a great city fuller of busy hurrying people than one of these roads. Sitting beside one, just where it wound over the soft yellow sand, I grew tired of watching the endless procession of little toilers, each one carrying a leaf in his jaws150; and very soon there came into my ear a whisper from somebody:
Who finds some mischief151 still For idle hands to do.
It is always pleasant to have even a hypothetical somebody on whom to shuffle100 the responsibility of our evil actions. Warning my conscience that I am only going to try a scientific experiment, one not nearly so cruel as many in which the pious152 Spallanzani took great delight, I scoop88 a deep pit in the sand; and the ants, keeping on their way with their usual blind, stupid sagacity, tumble pell-mell over each other into it. On, on they come, in scores and in hundreds, like an endless flock of sheep jumping down a pit into which the crazy bell-wether has led the way: soon the hundreds have swelled153 to thousands, and the yawning gulf154 begins to fill with an inky mass of wriggling155, biting, struggling ants. Every falling leaf-cutter carries down a few grains of treacherous156 sand with it, making the descent easier, and soon the pit is full to overflowing157. In five minutes more they will all be out again at their accustomed labours, just a little sore about the legs, perhaps, where they have bitten one another, but no worse for their tumble, and all that will remain of the dreadful cavern158 will be a slight depression in the soil.
Satisfied with the result, I resume my solitary159 ramble, and by-and-by coming upon a fine Escandalosa bush I resolve to add incendiarism to my list of misdeeds. It might appear strange that a bush should be called Escandalosa, which means simply Scandalous, or, to prevent mistakes, which simply means Scandalous; but this is one of those quaint137 names the Argentine peasants have bestowed160 on some of their curious plants — dry love, the devil’s snuff-box, bashful weed, and many others. The Escandalosa is a wide-spreading shrub, three to five feet high, thickly clothed with prickly leaves, and covered all the year round with large pale-yellow immortal161 flowers; and the curious thing about the plant is that when touched with fire it blazes up like a pile of wood shavings, and is immediately consumed to ashes with a marvellous noise of hissing162 and crackling. And thus the bush I have found burns itself up on my placing a lighted match at its roots.
I enjoy the spectacle amazingly while it lasts, the brilliant tongues of white flame darting163 and leaping through the dark foliage making a very pretty show; but presently, contemplating164 the heap of white ashes at my feet where the green miracle, covered with its everlasting flowers, flourished a moment ago, I begin to feel heartily165 ashamed of myself. For how have I spent my day? I remember with remorse166 the practical joke perpetrated on the simple-minded coots, also the consternation167 caused to a whole colony of industrious122 ants; for the idler looks impatiently on the occupations of others, and is always glad of an opportunity of showing up the futility168 of their labours. But what motive169 had I in burning this flowering bush that neither toiled170 nor spun171, this slow-growing plant, useless amongst plants as I amongst my fellow-men? Is it not the fact that something of the spirit of our simian172 progenitors173 survives in us still? Who that has noticed monkeys in captivity174 — their profound inconsequent gravity and insane delight in their own unreasonableness175 — has not envied them their immunity176 from cold criticism? That intense relief which all men, whether grave or gay, experience in escaping from conventional trammels into the solitude21, what is it, after all, but the delight of going back to nature, to be for a time, what we are always pining to be, wild animals, unconfined monkeys, with nothing to restrain us in our gambols177, and with only a keener sense of the ridiculous to distinguish us from other creatures?
But what, I suddenly think, if some person in search of roots and gums, or only curious to know how a field naturalist spends his days, gunless in the woods, should be secretly following and watching me all the time?
I spring up alarmed, and cast my eyes rapidly around me. Merciful heavens! what is that suspiciously human-looking object seventy yards away amongst the bushes? Ah, relief inexpressible, it is only the pretty hare-like ‘Dolichotis patagonica’ sitting up on his haunches, gazing at me with a meek178 wonder in his large round timid eyes.
The little birds are bolder and come in crowds, peering curiously179 from every twig180, chirping181 and twittering with occasional explosions of shrill derisive182 laughter. I feel myself blushing all over my face; their jeering183 remarks become intolerable, and, owl-like, I fly from their persecutions to hide myself in a close thicket184. There, with grey-green curtains about and around me, I lie on a floor of soft yellow sand, silent and motionless as my neighbour the little spider seated on his geometric web, till the waning185 light and the flute of the tinamou send me home to supper.
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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replete
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| adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁 | |
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pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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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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boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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indefatigable
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| adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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sere
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| adj.干枯的；n.演替系列 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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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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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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asthma
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| n.气喘病，哮喘病 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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32
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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33
resinous
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| adj.树脂的，树脂质的，树脂制的 | |
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34
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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35
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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36
opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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37
indigenous
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| adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的 | |
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38
allays
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| v.减轻，缓和( allay的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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40
extraneous
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| adj.体外的；外来的；外部的 | |
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41
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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42
sips
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| n.小口喝，一小口的量( sip的名词复数 )v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的第三人称单数 ) | |
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43
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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44
culmination
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| n.顶点；最高潮 | |
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45
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
membrane
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| n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸 | |
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47
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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48
masticator
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| n.咀嚼者；撕捏机；割碎机 | |
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49
adept
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| adj.老练的，精通的 | |
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50
averts
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| 防止，避免( avert的第三人称单数 )； 转移 | |
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51
novice
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| adj.新手的，生手的 | |
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52
ramble
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| v.漫步，漫谈，漫游；n.漫步，闲谈，蔓延 | |
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53
impel
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| v.推动；激励，迫使 | |
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54
concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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55
skulk
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| v.藏匿；潜行 | |
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56
disporting
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| v.嬉戏，玩乐，自娱( disport的现在分词 ) | |
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57
intrusive
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| adj.打搅的；侵扰的 | |
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58
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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59
eluding
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的现在分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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60
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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61
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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62
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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63
percussive
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| adj.敲击的 | |
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64
subterranean
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|
| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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65
vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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66
resound
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| v.回响 | |
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67
rodent
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| n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的 | |
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68
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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69
insidious
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| adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧 | |
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70
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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71
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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72
dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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74
orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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75
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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76
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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77
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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78
crested
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|
| 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 | |
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79
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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80
flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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81
conjecture
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|
| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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82
contagion
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|
| n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延 | |
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83
deception
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|
| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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84
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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85
furtive
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|
| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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86
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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87
preened
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| v.（鸟）用嘴整理（羽毛）( preen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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88
scoop
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| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
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89
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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90
luxurious
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|
| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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91
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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92
abhor
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| v.憎恶；痛恨 | |
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93
placid
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|
| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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94
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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95
investigations
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|
| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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96
basking
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|
| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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97
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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98
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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99
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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100
shuffle
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| n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走 | |
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101
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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102
immorality
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| n. 不道德, 无道义 | |
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103
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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104
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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105
shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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106
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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107
hawks
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| 鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物 | |
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108
reigns
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| n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期 | |
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109
vociferous
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| adj.喧哗的，大叫大嚷的 | |
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110
poising
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| 使平衡( poise的现在分词 )； 保持（某种姿势）； 抓紧； 使稳定 | |
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111
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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112
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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113
lobed
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| adj.浅裂的，叶状的 | |
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114
sprawling
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| 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） | |
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115
scud
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| n.疾行；v.疾行 | |
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116
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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117
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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118
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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119
rambles
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的第三人称单数 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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120
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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121
fungus
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| n.真菌，真菌类植物 | |
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122
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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123
industriously
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124
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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125
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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126
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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127
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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128
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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129
gratuitously
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| 平白 | |
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130
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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131
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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132
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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133
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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134
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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135
consecutive
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| adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的 | |
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136
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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137
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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138
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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139
vex
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| vt.使烦恼，使苦恼 | |
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140
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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141
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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142
philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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143
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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144
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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145
albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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146
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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147
populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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148
diverging
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| 分开( diverge的现在分词 )； 偏离； 分歧； 分道扬镳 | |
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149
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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150
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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151
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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152
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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153
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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154
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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155
wriggling
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| 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 | |
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156
treacherous
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|
| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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157
overflowing
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|
| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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158
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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159
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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160
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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161
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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162
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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163
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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164
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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165
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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166
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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167
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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168
futility
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| n.无用 | |
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169
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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170
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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171
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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172
simian
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| adj.似猿猴的；n.类人猿，猴 | |
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173
progenitors
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| n.祖先( progenitor的名词复数 )；先驱；前辈；原本 | |
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174
captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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175
unreasonableness
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| 无理性； 横逆 | |
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176
immunity
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| n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权 | |
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177
gambols
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的第三人称单数 ) | |
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178
meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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179
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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180
twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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181
chirping
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| 鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的现在分词 ) | |
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182
derisive
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| adj.嘲弄的 | |
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183
jeering
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| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
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184
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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185
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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