glaucus-第18章

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the　earliest　tenants　of　the　abyss；　yet　as　early　as　their　time；　

perhaps　even　before　them；　had　been　conceived　and　actualized；　in　the　

sharks；　and　in　Mr。　Hugh　Miller's　pets　the　old　red　sandstone　fishes；　

that　very　true　vertebrate　skull　and　brain；　of　which　this　is　a　mere　

mockery。　（14）　　Here　the　whole　animal；　with　his　extraordinary　

feeding　mill；　（for　neither　teeth　nor　jaws　is　a　fit　word　for　it；）　is　

enclosed　within　an　ever…growing　limestone　castle；　to　the　

architecture　of　which　the　Eddystone　and　the　Crystal　Palace　are　

bungling　heaps；　without　arms　or　legs；　eyes　or　ears；　and　yet　

capable；　in　spite　of　his　perpetual　imprisonment；　of　walking；　

feeding；　and　breeding；　doubt　it　not；　merrily　enough。　　But　this　

result　has　been　attained　at　the　expense　of　a　complication　of　

structure；　which　has　baffled　all　human　analysis　and　research　into　

final　causes。　　As　much　concerning　this　most　miraculous　of　families　

as　is　needful　to　be　known；　and　ten　times　more　than　you　are　likely　

to　understand；　may　be　read　in　Harvey's　〃Sea…Side　Book；〃　pp。　142…

148；　…　pages　from　which　you　will　probably　arise　with　a　sense　of　the　

infinity　and　complexity　of　Nature；　even　in　what　we　are　pleased　to　

call　her　〃lower〃　forms；　and　the　simplest　and；　as　it　were；　easiest　

forms　of　life。　　Conceive　a　Crystal　Palace；　（for　mere　difference　in　

size；　as　both　the　naturalist　and　the　metaphysician　know；　has　

nothing　to　do　with　the　wonder；）　whereof　each　separate　joist；　

girder；　and　pane　grows　continually　without　altering　the　shape　of　

the　whole；　and　you　have　conceived　only　one　of　the　miracles　embodied　

in　that　little　sea…egg；　which　the　Creator　has；　as　it　were；　to　

justify　to　man　His　own　immutability；　furnished　with　a　shell　capable　

of　enduring　fossil　for　countless　ages；　that　we　may　confess　Him　to　

have　been　as　great　when　first　His　Spirit　brooded　on　the　deep；　as　He　

is　now　and　will　be　through　all　worlds　to　come。



But　we　must　make　haste；　for　the　tide　is　rising　fast；　and　our　stone　

will　be　restored　to　its　eleven　hours'　bath；　long　before　we　have　

talked　over　half　the　wonders　which　it　holds。　　Look　though；　ere　you　

retreat；　at　one　or　two　more。



What　is　that　little　brown　thing　whom　you　have　just　taken　off　the　

rock　to　which　it　adhered　so　stoutly　by　his　sucking…foot？　　A　limpet？　　

Not　at　all：　　he　is　of　quite　a　different　family　and　structure；　but；　

on　the　whole；　a　limpet…like　shell　would　suit　him　well　enough；　so　he　

had　one　given　him：　　nevertheless；　owing　to　certain　anatomical　

peculiarities；　he　needed　one　aperture　more　than　a　limpet；　so　one；　

if　you　will　examine；　has　been　given　him　at　the　top　of　his　shell。　

（15）　　This　is　one　instance　among　a　thousand　of　the　way　in　which　a　

scientific　knowledge　of　objects　must　not　obey；　but　run　counter　to；　

the　impressions　of　sense；　and　of　a　custom　in　nature　which　makes　

this　caution　so　necessary；　namely；　the　repetition　of　the　same　form；　

slightly　modified；　in　totally　different　animals；　sometimes　as　if　to　

avoid　waste；　（for　why　should　not　the　same　conception　be　used　in　two　

different　cases；　if　it　will　suit　in　both？）　and　sometimes　（more　

marvellous　by　far）　when　an　organ；　fully　developed　and　useful　in　one　

species；　appears　in　a　cognate　species　but　feeble；　useless；　and；　as　

it　were；　abortive；　and　gradually；　in　species　still　farther　removed；　

dies　out　altogether；　placed　there；　it　would　seem；　at　first　sight；　

merely　to　keep　up　the　family　likeness。　　I　am　half　jesting；　that　

cannot　be　the　only　reason；　perhaps　not　the　reason　at　all；　but　the　

fact　is　one　of　the　most　curious；　and　notorious　also；　in　comparative　

anatomy。



Look；　again；　at　those　sea…slugs。　　One；　some　three　inches　long；　of　a　

bright　lemon…yellow；　clouded　with　purple；　another　of　a　dingy　grey；　

（16）　another　exquisite　little　creature　of　a　pearly　French　White；　

（17）　furred　all　over　the　back　with　what　seem　arms；　but　are　really　

gills；　of　ringed　white　and　grey　and　black。　　Put　that　yellow　one　

into　water；　and　from　his　head；　above　the　eyes；　arise　two　serrated　

horns；　while　from　the　after…part　of　his　back　springs　a　circular　

Prince…of…Wales's…feather　of　gills；　…　they　are　almost　exactly　like　

those　which　we　saw　just　now　in　the　white　Cucumaria。　　Yes；　here　is　

another　instance　of　the　same　custom　of　repetition。　　The　Cucumaria　

is　a　low　radiate　animal　…　the　sea…slug　a　far　higher　mollusc；　and　

every　organ　within　him　is　formed　on　a　different　type；　as　indeed　are　

those　seemingly　identical　gills；　if　you　come　to　examine　them　under　

the　microscope；　having　to　oxygenate　fluids　of　a　very　different　and　

more　complicated　kind；　and；　moreover；　the　Cucumaria's　gills　were　

put　round　his　mouth；　the　Doris's　feathers　round　the　other　

extremity；　that　grey　Eolis's；　again；　are　simple　clubs；　scattered　

over　his　whole　back；　and　in　each　of　his　nudibranch　congeners　these　

same　gills　take　some　new　and　fantastic　form；　in　Melibaea　those　

clubs　are　covered　with　warts；　in　Scyllaea；　with　tufted　bouquets；　in　

the　beautiful　Antiopa　they　are　transparent　bags；　and　in　many　other　

English　species　they　take　every　conceivable　form　of　leaf；　tree；　

flower；　and　branch；　bedecked　with　every　colour　of　the　rainbow；　as　

you　may　see　them　depicted　in　Messrs。　Alder　and　Hancock's　unrivalled　

Monograph　on　the　Nudibranch　Mollusca。



And　now；　worshipper　of　final　causes　and　the　mere　useful　in　nature；　

answer　but　one　question；　…　Why　this　prodigal　variety？　　All　these　

Nudibranchs　live　in　much　the　same　way：　　why　would　not　the　same　

mould　have　done　for　them　all？　　And　why；　again；　（for　we　must　push　

the　argument　a　little　further；）　why　have　not　all　the　butterflies；　

at　least　all　who　feed　on　the　same　plant；　the　same　markings？　　Of　all　

unfathomable　triumphs　of　design；　（we　can　only　express　ourselves　

thus；　for　honest　induction；　as　Paley　so　well　teaches；　allows　us　to　

ascribe　such　results　only　to　the　design　of　some　personal　will　and　

mind；）　what　surpasses　that　by　which　the　scales　on　a　butterfly's　

wing　are　arranged　to　produce　a　certain　pattern　of　artistic　beauty　

beyond　all　painter's　skill？　　What　a　waste　of　power；　on　any　

utilitarian　theory　of　nature！　　And　once　more；　why　are　those　strange　

microscopic　atomies；　the　Diatomaceae　and　Infusoria；　which　fill　

every　stagnant　pool；　which　fringe　every　branch　of　sea…weed；　which　

form　banks　hundreds　of　miles　long　on　the　Arctic　sea…floor；　and　the　

strata　of　whole　moorlands；　which　pervade　in　millions　the　mass　of　

every　iceberg；　and　float　aloft　in　countless　swarms　amid　the　clouds　

of　the　volcanic　dust；　…　why　are　their　tiny　shells　of　flint　as　

fantastically　various　in　their　quaint　mathematical　symmetry；　as　

they　are　countless　beyond　the　wildest　dreams　of　the　Poet？　　Mystery　

inexplicable　on　the　conceited　notion　which；　making　man　forsooth　the　

centre　of　the　universe；　dares　to　believe　that　this　variety　of　forms　

has　existed　for　countless　ages　in　abysmal　sea…depths　and　untrodden　

forests；　only　that　some　few　individuals　of　the　Western　races　might；　

in　these　latter　days；　at　last　discover　and　admire　a　corner　here　and　

there　of　the　boundless　realms　of　beauty。　　Inexplicable；　truly；　if　

man　be　the　centre　and　the　object　of　their　existence；　explicable　

enough　to　him　who　believes　that　God　has　created　all　things　for　

Himself；　and　rejoices　in　His　own　handiwork；　and　that　the　material　

universe　is；　as　the　wise　man　says；　〃A　platform　whereon　His　Eternal　

Spirit　sports　and　makes　melody。〃　　Of　all　the　blessings　which　the　

study　of　nature　brings　to　the　patient　observer；　let　none；　perhaps；　

be　classed　higher　than　this：　　that　the　further　he　enters　into　those　

fairy　gardens　of　life　and　birth；　which　Spenser　saw　and　described　in　

his　great　poem；　the　more　he　learns　the　awful　and　yet　most　

comfortable　truth；　that　they　do　not　belong　to　him；　but　to　One　

greater；　wiser；　lovelier　than　he；　and　as　he　stands；　silent　with　

awe；　amid　the　pomp　of　Nature's　ever…busy　rest；　hears；　as　of　old；　

〃The　Word　of　the　Lord　God　walking　among　the　trees　of　the　garden　in　

the　cool　of　the　day。〃



One　sight　more；　and　we　have　done。　　I　had　something