glaucus-第9章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



as　for　scenery；　though　it　can　boast　of　neither　mountain　peak　nor　

dark　fiord；　and　would　seem　tame　enough　in　the　eyes　of　a　western　

Scot　or　Irishman；　yet　Torbay　surely　has　a　soft　beauty　of　its　own。　　

The　rounded　hills　slope　gently　to　the　sea；　spotted　with　squares　of　

emerald　grass；　and　rich　red　fallow　fields；　and　parks　full　of　

stately　timber　trees。　　Long　lines　of　tall　elms　run　down　to　the　very　

water's　edge；　their　boughs　unwarped　by　any　blast；　here　and　there　

apple　orchards　are　bending　under　their　loads　of　fruit；　and　narrow　

strips　of　water…meadow　line　the　glens；　where　the　red　cattle　are　

already　lounging　in　richest　pastures；　within　ten　yards　of　the　rocky　

pebble　beach。　　The　shore　is　silent　now；　the　tide　far　out：　　but　six　

hours　hence　it　will　be　hurling　columns　of　rosy　foam　high　into　the　

sunlight；　and　sprinkling　passengers；　and　cattle；　and　trim　gardens　

which　hardly　know　what　frost　and　snow　may　be；　but　see　the　flowers　

of　autumn　meet　the　flowers　of　spring；　and　the　old　year　linger　

smilingly　to　twine　a　garland　for　the　new。



No　wonder　that　such　a　spot　as　Torquay；　with　its　delicious　Italian　

climate；　and　endless　variety　of　rich　woodland；　flowery　lawn；　

fantastic　rock…cavern；　and　broad　bright　tide…sand；　sheltered　from　

every　wind　of　heaven　except　the　soft　south…east；　should　have　become　

a　favourite　haunt；　not　only　for　invalids；　but　for　naturalists。　　

Indeed；　it　may　well　claim　the　honour　of　being　the　original　home　of　

marine　zoology　and　botany　in　England；　as　the　Firth　of　Forth；　under　

the　auspices　of　Sir　J。　G。　Dalyell；　has　been　for　Scotland。　　For　here　

worked　Montagu；　Turton；　and　Mrs。　Griffith；　to　whose　extraordinary　

powers　of　research　English　marine　botany　almost　owes　its　existence；　

and　who　survived　to　an　age　long　beyond　the　natural　term　of　man；　to　

see；　in　her　cheerful　and　honoured　old　age；　that　knowledge　become　

popular　and　general　which　she　pursued　for　many　a　year　unassisted　

and　alone。　　Here；　too；　the　scientific　succession　is　still　

maintained　by　Mr。　Pengelly　and　Mr。　Gosse；　the　latter　of　whom　by　his　

delightful　and；　happily；　well…known　books　has　done　more　for　the　

study　of　marine　zoology　than　any　other　living　man。　　Torbay；　

moreover；　from　the　variety　of　its　rocks；　aspects；　and　sea…floors；　

where　limestones　alternate　with　traps；　and　traps　with　slates；　while　

at　the　valley…mouth　the　soft　sandstones　and　hard　conglomerates　of　

the　new　red　series　slope　down　into　the　tepid　and　shallow　waves；　

affords　an　abundance　and　variety　of　animal　and　vegetable　life；　

unequalled；　perhaps；　in　any　other　part　of　Great　Britain。　　It　cannot　

boast；　certainly；　of　those　strange　deep…sea　forms　which　Messrs。　　

Alder；　Goodsir；　and　Laskey　dredge　among　the　lochs　of　the　western　

Highlands；　and　the　sub…marine　mountain　glens　of　the　Zetland　sea；　

but　it　has　its　own　varieties；　its　own　ever…fresh　novelties：　　and　in　

spite　of　all　the　research　which　has　been　lavished　on　its　shores；　a　

naturalist　cannot；　I　suspect；　work　there　for　a　winter　without　

discovering　forms　new　to　science；　or　meeting　with　curiosities　which　

have　escaped　all　observers；　since　the　lynx　eye　of　Montagu　espied　

them　full　fifty　years　ago。



Follow　us；　then；　reader；　in　imagination；　out　of　the　gay　watering…

place；　with　its　London　shops　and　London　equipages；　along　the　broad　

road　beneath　the　sunny　limestone　cliff；　tufted　with　golden　furze；　

past　the　huge　oaks　and　green　slopes　of　Tor　Abbey；　and　past　the　

fantastic　rocks　of　Livermead；　scooped　by　the　waves　into　a　labyrinth　

of　double　and　triple　caves；　like　Hindoo　temples；　upborne　on　pillars　

banded　with　yellow　and　white　and　red；　a　week's　study；　in　form　and　

colour　and　chiaro…oscuro；　for　any　artist；　and　a　mile　or　so　further　

along　a　pleasant　road；　with　land…locked　glimpses　of　the　bay；　to　the　

broad　sheet　of　sand　which　lies　between　the　village　of　Paignton　and　

the　sea　…　sands　trodden　a　hundred　times　by　Montagu　and　Turton；　

perhaps；　by　Dillwyn　and　Gaertner；　and　many　another　pioneer　of　

science。　　And　once　there；　before　we　look　at　anything　else；　come　

down　straight　to　the　sea　marge；　for　yonder　lies；　just　left　by　the　

retiring　tide；　a　mass　of　life　such　as　you　will　seldom　see　again。　　

It　is　somewhat　ugly；　perhaps；　at　first　sight；　for　ankle…deep　are　

spread；　for　some　ten　yards　long　by　five　broad；　huge　dirty　bivalve　

shells；　as　large　as　the　hand；　each　with　its　loathly　grey　and　black　

siphons　hanging　out；　a　confused　mass　of　slimy　death。　　Let　us　walk　

on　to　some　cleaner　heap；　and　leave　these；　the　great　Lutraria　

Elliptica；　which　have　been　lying　buried　by　thousands　in　the　sandy　

mud；　each　with　the　point　of　its　long　siphon　above　the　surface；　

sucking　in　and　driving　out　again　the　salt　water　on　which　it　feeds；　

till　last　night's　ground…swell　shifted　the　sea…bottom；　and　drove　

them　up　hither　to　perish　helpless；　but　not　useless；　on　the　beach。



See；　close　by　is　another　shell　bed；　quite　as　large；　but　comely　

enough　to　please　any　eye。　　What　a　variety　of　forms　and　colours　are　

there；　amid　the　purple　and　olive　wreaths　of　wrack；　and　bladder…

weed；　and　tangle　（ore…weed；　as　they　call　it　in　the　south）；　and　the　

delicate　green　ribbons　of　the　Zostera　（the　only　English　flowering　

plant　which　grows　beneath　the　sea）。　　What　are　they　all？　　What　are　

the　long　white　razors？　　What　are　the　delicate　green…grey　scimitars？　　

What　are　the　tapering　brown　spires？　　What　the　tufts　of　delicate　

yellow　plants　like　squirrels'　tails；　and　lobsters'　horns；　and　

tamarisks；　and　fir…trees；　and　all　other　finely　cut　animal　and　

vegetable　forms？　　What　are　the　groups　of　grey　bladders；　with　

something　like　a　little　bud　at　the　tip？　　What　are　the　hundreds　of　

little　pink…striped　pears？　　What　those　tiny　babies'　heads；　covered　

with　grey　prickles　instead　of　hair？　　The　great　red　star…fish；　which　

Ulster　children　call　〃the　bad　man's　hands；〃　and　the　great　whelks；　

which　the　youth　of　Musselburgh　know　as　roaring　buckies；　these　we　

have　seen　before；　but　what；　oh　what；　are　the　red　capsicums？　…



Yes；　what　are　the　red　capsicums？　and　why　are　they　poking；　snapping；　

starting；　crawling；　tumbling　wildly　over　each　other；　rattling　about　

the　huge　mahogany　cockles；　as　big　as　a　child's　two　fists；　out　of　

which　they　are　protruded？　　Mark　them　well；　for　you　will　perhaps　

never　see　them　again。　　They　are　a　Mediterranean　species；　or　rather　

three　species；　left　behind　upon　these　extreme　south…western　coasts；　

probably　at　the　vanishing　of　that　warmer　ancient　epoch；　which　

clothed　the　Lizard　Point　with　the　Cornish　heath；　and　the　Killarney　

mountains　with　Spanish　saxifrages；　and　other　relics　of　a　flora　

whose　home　is　now　the　Iberian　peninsula　and　the　sunny　cliffs　of　the　

Riviera。　　Rare　on　every　other　shore；　even　in　the　west；　it　abounds　

in　Torbay　at　certain；　or　rather　uncertain；　times；　to　so　prodigious　

an　amount；　that　the　dredge；　after　five　minutes'　scrape；　will　

sometimes　come　up　choked　full　of　this　great　cockle　only。　　You　will　

see　hundreds　of　them　in　every　cove　for　miles　this　day；　a　seeming　

waste　of　life；　which　would　be　awful；　in　our　eyes；　were　not　the　

Divine　Ruler；　as　His　custom　is；　making　this　destruction　the　means　

of　fresh　creation；　by　burying　them　in　the　sands；　as　soon　as　washed　

on　shore；　to　fertilize　the　strata　of　some　future　world。　　It　is　but　

a　shell…fish　truly；　but　the　great　Cuvier　thought　it　remarkable　

enough　to　devote　to　its　anatomy　elaborate　descriptions　and　

drawings；　which　have　done　more　perhaps　than　any　others　to　

illustrate　the　curious　economy　of　the　whole　class　of　bivalve；　or　

double…shelled；　mollusca。　　（Plate　II。　Fig。　3。）



That　red　capsicum　is　the　foot　of　the　animal　contained　in　the　

cockleshell。　　By　its　aid　it　crawls；　leaps；　and　burrows　in　the　sand；　

where　it　lies　drinking　in　the　salt　water　through　one　of　its　

siphons；　and　discharging　it　again　through　the　other。　　Put　the　shell　

into　a　rock　pool；　or　a　basin　of　water；　and　you　will　see　the　siphons　

clearly。　　The　valves　gape　apart　some　three…quarters　of　an　inch。　　

The　semi…pellucid　orange　〃mantle〃　fills　the