“Some day ere I grow too old to think I trust to be
able to throw away all pursuits, save natural history,
and to die with my mind full of God’s facts instead
of men’s lies.”— CHARLES KINGSLEY.
August 2, 1909.
A lanky1 grasshopper2 with keeled back and pointed3 prow4 flew before me, settling on a leaf of blady grass, at once became fidgety and restless; flew to another blade and was similarly uneasy. It was bluff5 in colour with a narrow longitudinal streak6 of fawn7, while the blades of grass whereon it rested momentarily were green. Each time it settled it adjusted itself to the blade of grass, became conscious of discomfort8 or apprehensive9 of danger, and sought another. Presently it settled on a yellowing leaf, the tints10 of which exactly corresponded with its own. The longitudinal streak became absorbed in the midrib of the blade, and the insect rested secure in its invisibility. The event demonstrated the purpose of its previous restlessness.
CARNIVOROUS WASPS12
October 6, 1909.
This morning the soda13 siphon (which had not been used for a couple of days) refused duty, owing to a plug of terra-cotta-coloured clay. Upon the spout14 being probed the gush15 of gas expelled a quantity of clay and thirty-five small spiders, representative of about six different species. The spout had been converted into a nursery and larder16 by a carnivorous wasp11, for in addition to the moribund17 spiders stored for the sustenance18 of future grubs were several unhatched eggs. Such wasps are exceedingly common, some building “nests” as large as a tea-cup, the last compartment19 being fitted with an elegantly fashioned funnel20, the purpose of which is not obvious. If these nests are broken up, after the hatching out, the grubs are found-several in each compartment — feasting on the comatose21 spiders or caterpillars22 stored for their refreshment23. Others of the species build a series of nests, detached or semi-detached, and shaped in resemblance to Greek amphora. Another species selects hollows in wood in which the eggs and insects are scaled. The larger wasps are not fearful of attacking so-called tarantulas, one sting rendering24 them paralytic25.
November 10 1909.
Blue has a decided26 fascination27 for the bloodsucking “March” flies. In the “blue” tub of the laundry hundreds are lured28 to suicide, while the other tubs alongside count no voluntary victims. Blue clothing attracts scores, whereas the effect of any other colour is normal upon the appreciative29 sense of the flies. I am not well assured whether an attack of the “humph”—“the humph which is black and blue”— is not also diagnosed by the contemplative insects and forthwith attended to. Certainly if one has the misfortune to have become associated for the time being with devils of cerulean hue31, the company of the flies seems all the more persistent32 and provocative33 of vexation. Imagination reels before the consequences of a blue costume, “all’s blue,” and the thrice intensified34 attacks of the indolent but persevering35 blood-suckers.
November 16, 1909.
Found a flat hairy spider, about 1 in. in diameter of body, mottled pale brown and grey, brooding over a flat egg capsule almost of the same tints as itself. It was on the trunk of the jack36 fruit tree, and so closely resembles the egg-capsule produced by contiguous fungi37 as to be absolutely invisible unless the gaze happened to be concentrated on the spot. No doubt in my mind that the similitude of the spider, together with its egg-capsule, to the adjacent discs of fungi enabled it to escape detection. When disturbed the spider whisked into absolute invisibility. I inspected the trunk of the tree for several minutes before I found it, within six inches of its original resting-place, perfectly38 still, acting39 the part of an obscure vegetable.
TARANTULAS AND TARANTISMUS
A few months ago I read in a text-book a dogmatic assertion to the effect that the so-called tarantulas were perfectly innocent of venom40, and formidable only to the insects on which they prey41. The great, good-tempered fellow, as uncouth42 in its hairiness as Nebuchadnezzar during his lamentable43 but salutary attack of boanthropy, is regarded with a good deal of suspicion, if not dread44, though it pays for its lodging45 by reason of its large appetite, which latter statement seems self-contradictory. To satisfy its pangs46 of hunger it captures numbers of small insects which, willy nilly, tenant47 our homes.
In well-ordered establishments the aid of a tarantula or two in the suppression of insignificant48 undesirable49 creatures should, it might be argued, be unnecessary. Indeed, does not the presence of a fat, flat fellow lurking50 behind a rafter or in some gloomy corner, ever ready to seize cockroach51 or beetle52, imply lack of order? Yet I have known homes where the tarantula was an honoured, if not a petted, lodger53. When it had cleared one room it was coaxed54 on to a card and thereon transported to the next, and so it went the rounds. The children were wont55 to say that it knew its carriage, and would sidle on it whenever it was presented. To those of us who live in the bush, and who suffer fresh incursions almost every hour of the day, the help of a long-limbed, obese-bodied spider whose docility56 is beyond question, whose non-poisonous character is vouched57 for by high authorities, is by no means unwelcome.
But in spite of negative knowledge I have had my suspicions that the tarantula was not altogether wholesome58 in his anger, and now I have proof in support of my doubts. In a cool, dark cavity under a log in the bush were two huge representatives of the race. Each had its own compartment, a smooth, worn gallery, and they appear to have been on good terms until the moment of disturbance59, for which each seemed to blame the other. They fought. It was a very brief, casual, and unentertaining encounter; but in less than half a minute one was dead, shrivelled and shrunk as though fire had passed over it. As no dismemberment or wound was apparent, I was fairly well satisfied that poison, very rapid in its effect, was at the service of the tarantula when its anger was aroused.
The next fact settled the point. Tom, the black boy, felt a nip on the arm as he put on a clean shirt an evening or two ago, and, reversing the sleeve, found a tarantula. Blood was oozing60 from two tiny incisions61, the space between which was slightly raised. For two days Tom suffered pain in the arm, which became slightly swollen62, headache, and great uneasiness.
Reading my text-book, I found that the original tarantula spider (from which the Australian species are misnamed) is so called from the town of Tarentum, in Italy. Among the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood it was a deeply-rooted belief that if any one was bitten by a tarantula he would be instantly inflicted63 with a singular disease known as tarantismus, which exhibited itself in two extremes, the one being a profound and silent melancholy64 and the other a continual convulsive movement of the whole body. It was thought that this disease could only be cured by music, and that a certain tune30 was needful in each particular case. This was the legend.
It will be remembered that among the tales told by “a great traveller” to Pepys was one on the subject of the tarantula. He says that all the harvest long (about which time they are most busy) there are fiddlers go up and down the fields everywhere in expectation of being hired by those who are stung.
Of the disease there is no doubt, and that it could be cured by dancing stimulated65 by music is a natural conclusion. Each patient indulged in long and violent exercise, which produced profuse66 perspiration67; he then fell exhausted68, slept calmly, and awoke cured.
For the best part of a day Tom lay stretched on his face in the sun. Like David the psalmist, he refused to be comforted. A profound and silent melancholy subdued69 the wandering spirit which invariably manifests itself on Sunday. He just “sweated out” the day he usually devotes to hunting, and on Monday was himself again, save for a greyish blue tinge70 encircling each of the little wounds on his arm.
Though it is certain that the tarantula of Italy and the spider which robbed Tom of his Sunday are of different species, yet one is struck by the similarity of the toxic71 effects of the bite with that of the manifestations72 of the disease of tarantismus. The fact that after a good sweating — hot sand and unshaded sun are fairly active sudorifics — all untoward73 effects (physical and mental) passed away seems to suggest close intimacy74 between the symptoms of the poison of tarantula and the disease.
I do not apologise for thus gravely recording75 an incident of the bush which has neither humour nor romance to recommend it, because I think, friendly as I am to the “tarantula,” the truth — the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth — should be told about him. Like the pet pussy-cat, “if you don’t hurt him he’ll do you no harm”; but put him in a tight corner and offer him violence and he will heroically defend himself and be very nasty about it. Having studied Tom’s demeanour while under the effects of the poison, I am satisfied that if one desires a visit from “divinest melancholy” without any of the thrills of poetry, let him provoke an angry tarantula to assault him. All “vain, deluding76 joys” will pass away, and for twenty-four hours he will be as dull as a log, and as sweatful as a fat Southerner in a canefield.
The local name of the house-haunting “tarantula,” though befitting and unique, imposes a singularly slight strain upon the resources of the alphabet. What combination of eight letters could be softer and more coaxing77? And yet the startled Eves of Dunk Island were wont not only to specialise the spider but to shriek78 out affright at its unexpected presence by the exclamation79 “Oo-boo-boo!”
To prove that the “Oo-boo-boo” is not always victorious80 in the fights which take place in the dark, let me tell of a combat between a giant and a slim-waisted orange and black wasp. The latter buzzed about angrily, and, following up a feint, stung the “Oo-boo-boo,” which became nerveless on the instant and fell. As it was all too heavy to fly away with, the wasp dragged it along the ground with much labour and incessant81 fuss. The terra-cotta larder was in a hollow log, and only after immense exertions82 and many failures was the limp carcass tugged83 to the spot. Then there was more buzzing than ever, for the wasp discovered that its prey was many sizes too large for the clay compartment prepared for it. No amount of trampling84 and shoving of the limp tarantula was of any avail. Several minutes elapsed before the obvious fact dawned upon the baffled insect. Then it abandoned its efforts at compression, and with many loads of moist clay moulded a special compartment in which the tarantula, still in a state of suspended animation85, was snugly86 stowed.
Just one more. A wasp dropped on the bench a few inches from my nose — a tiny wasp with a rollicking gait. Closer inspection87 showed half a wasp only. It had been neatly88 severed89 at the delicate waist and on the thatch90 above was an Oo-boo-boo — a big Oo-boo-boo — and it seemed to me to be beaming with that broad, self-satisfied expression that the cat wears when it has eaten the canary.
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1
lanky
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| adj.瘦长的 | |
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grasshopper
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| n.蚱蜢，蝗虫，蚂蚱 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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fawn
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| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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wasp
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| n.黄蜂，蚂蜂 | |
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wasps
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| 黄蜂( wasp的名词复数 )； 胡蜂； 易动怒的人； 刻毒的人 | |
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soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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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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gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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moribund
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| adj.即将结束的，垂死的 | |
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sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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funnel
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| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
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comatose
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| adj.昏睡的，昏迷不醒的 | |
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caterpillars
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| n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带 | |
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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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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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paralytic
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| adj. 瘫痪的 n. 瘫痪病人 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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provocative
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| adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的 | |
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intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persevering
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| a.坚忍不拔的 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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fungi
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| n.真菌，霉菌 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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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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uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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lamentable
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| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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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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undesirable
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| adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子 | |
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lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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cockroach
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| n.蟑螂 | |
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beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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lodger
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| n.寄宿人，房客 | |
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coaxed
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的过去式和过去分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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docility
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| n.容易教，易驾驶，驯服 | |
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vouched
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| v.保证( vouch的过去式和过去分词 )；担保；确定；确定地说 | |
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wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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oozing
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的现在分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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incisions
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| n.切开，切口( incision的名词复数 ) | |
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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profuse
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| adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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toxic
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| adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的 | |
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manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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deluding
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的现在分词 ) | |
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coaxing
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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82
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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83
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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86
snugly
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| adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地 | |
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87
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
参考例句： |
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88
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
参考例句： |
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89
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
参考例句： |
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90
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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