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TakeThisFishandLookatItSamuelScudder1ItwasmorethanfifteenyearsagothatIenteredthelaboratoryofProfessorAgassiz,andtoldhimIhadenrolledmynameintheScientificSchoolasastudentofnaturalhistory.Heaskedmeafewquestionsaboutmyobjectincoming,myantecedentsgenerally,themodeinwhichIafterwardsproposedtousetheknowledgeImightacquire,and,finally,whetherIwishedtostudyanyspecialbranch.TothelatterIrepliedthatwhileIwishedtobewellgroundedinalldepartmentsofzoology,Ipurposedtodevotemyselfespeciallytoinsects.把这条鱼拿去好好看看塞缪尔·斯卡德我是在15余年前进入阿加西兹教授的实验室的，告诉他我已在科学学院注册读博物学。他略略询问了我来此的目的、我大致的经历、以后准备如何运用所学知识，最后问我是否希望修习某一特别学科。对最后一个问题我回答说，我希望自己在动物学各个领域都具有一定的基础，但特别想研究昆虫。2Whendoyouwishtobegin?heasked.“你想什么时候开始呢？”他问。3Now,Ireplied.“就现在，”我回答说。4Thisseemedtopleasehim,andwithanenergeticVerywell!hereachedfromashelfahugejarofspecimensinyellowalcohol.Takethisfish,hesaid,andlookatit;wecallitahaemulon;byandbyIwillaskwhatyouhaveseen.他听了显然挺高兴，劲头十足地说道“很好”，便从架子上取下一个黄色酒精里浸有标本的大罐。“把这条鱼拿去看看，”他说，“我们叫它石鲈。过一会儿我会问你都看到些什么。”5Withthatheleftme,butinamomentreturnedwithexplicitinstructionsastothecareoftheobjectentrustedtome.说着他走了，但一会儿又回来跟我详细说明如何保管交给我的标本。6Nomanisfittobeanaturalist,saidhe,whodoesnotknowhowtotakecareofspecimens.“一个人如果连怎样保护标本都不知道，”他说，“他就不配当博物学家。”7Iwastokeepthefishbeforemeinatintray,andoccasionallymoistenthesurfacewithalcoholfromthejar,alwaystakingcaretoreplacethestoppertightly.Thosewerenotthedaysofground-glassstoppersandelegantlyshapedexhibitionjars;alltheoldstudentswillrecallthehugenecklessglassbottleswiththeirleaky,wax-besmearedcorks,halfeatenbyinsects,andbegrimedwithcellardust.Entomologywasacleanersciencethanichthyology,buttheexampleoftheProfessor,whohadunhesitatinglyplungedtothebottomofthejartoproducethefish,wasinfectious;andthoughthisalcoholhadaveryancientandfishlikesmell,Ireallydarednotshowanyaversionwithinthesesacredprecincts,andtreatedthealcoholasthoughitwerepurewater.StillIwasconsciousofapassingfeelingofdisappointment,forgazingatafishdidnotcommenditselftoanardententomologist.Myfriendsathome,too,wereannoyedwhentheydiscoveredthatnoamountofeau-de-Colognewoulddrowntheperfumewhichhauntedmelikeashadow.我得把放在一个锡盘里的鱼摆在面前，过一段时间用罐里的酒精润湿它的表面，每次都要记住把瓶塞塞紧。那个时候还没有毛玻璃瓶塞和外形精美的展示用瓶，过去的大学生都会记得那种硕大的无颈玻璃瓶，软木瓶塞全是洞孔，涂过蜡，被虫啃去一半，被地下室的灰尘弄得很脏。昆虫学这门科学比鱼类学干净，可教授没半点犹豫就伸手探入罐底捞出了鱼，他的榜样颇具感染力。尽管酒精散发着一种“陈腐的鱼腥味”，我却不敢在这神圣的场所流露出丝毫厌恶，只能把酒精当作纯净水对待。但我心头还是感到一丝失望，因为盯着看一条鱼实非一位满怀热情的昆虫学家之所爱。回家后我的那些朋友也不怎么高兴，他们发现，用再多的科隆香水也驱不走幽灵般附在我身上的那股异味。8IntenminutesIhadseenallthatcouldbeseeninthatfish,andstartedinsearchoftheProfessor—whohad,however,lefttheMuseum;andwhenIreturned,afterlingeringoversomeoftheoddanimalsstoredintheupperapartment,myspecimenwasdryallover.Idashedthefluidoverthefishasiftoresuscitatethebeastfromafaintingfit,andlookedwithanxietyforareturnofthenormalsloppyappearance.Thislittleexcitementover,nothingwastobedonebuttoreturntoasteadfastgazeatmymutecompanion.Halfanhourpassed—anhour—anotherhour;thefishbegantolookloathsome.Iturneditoverandaround;lookeditintheface—ghastly;frombehind,beneath,above,sideways,atthree-quarters'view—justasghastly.Iwasindespair;atanearlyhourIconcludedthatlunchwasnecessary;so,withinfiniterelief,thefishwascarefullyreplacedinthejar,andforanhourIwasfree.才十分钟，我就把那条鱼能看的全都看了个遍，接着开始找教授，他却已经离开了博物馆。我在楼上存放着奇异动物的房间里转悠了一会儿，等我回去时，我的鱼标本全都干了。我急忙把酒精洒上去，就像是要把它从昏迷中救醒过来似的，急切地等着它回复到平时那湿漉漉的样子。一阵小小的兴奋过后就无事可干了，只好继续凝视着我那一言不发的伙伴。半个小时过去了，一个小时，又是一个小时。看着看着觉得那条鱼讨厌得很。我把鱼翻来翻去，瞧瞧头部——怪可怕的；再从后面看，从下面、上面、侧面看，再从展示面部四分之三的角度看——也是怪可怕的。我都绝望了。时间还早，可我觉得应该去吃午饭了，于是我如释重负地把鱼小心翼翼地放回到罐里，便去逍遥了一个小时。9Onmyreturn,IlearnedthatProfessorAgassizhadbeenattheMuseum,buthadgone,andwouldnotreturnforseveralhours.Myfellow-studentsweretoobusytobedisturbedbycontinuedconversation.SlowlyIdrewforththathideousfish,andwithafeelingofdesperationagainlookedatit.Imightnotuseamagnifying-glass;instrumentsofallkindswereinterdicted.Mytwohands,mytwoeyes,andthefish:itseemedamostlimitedfield.Ipushedmyfingerdownitsthroattofeelhowsharptheteethwere.Ibegantocountthescalesinthedifferentrows,untilIwasconvincedthatwasnonsense.Atlastahappythoughtstruckme—Iwoulddrawthefish;andwithsurpriseIbegantodiscovernewfeaturesinthecreature.JustthentheProfessorreturned.我回来后，得知阿加西兹教授回过博物馆，可又走了，要过几个小时才回来。我的那些同学都在忙着，不能一直跟他们谈话打搅他们。我慢吞吞地取出了那条面目可憎的鱼，怀着绝望心情接着看。我不能用放大镜，任何器材都不许用。一双手，两只眼，还有这条鱼：这个观察场地也未免太狭小了。我把一根手指伸进它的喉部，试试它的牙齿有多锋利。我开始数一排排鱼鳞，一直数到自己也觉得荒唐。最后我想出了一个绝妙的主意——把鱼画下来。我惊讶地发现这家伙身上还真有不少新特征。就在这时教授回来了。10Thatisright,saidhe;apencilisoneofthebestofeyes.Iamgladtonotice,too,thatyoukeepyourspecimenwet,andyourbottlecorked.对了，”他说，“笔的目光也是最敏锐的。而且，令人高兴的是，我还注意到你的标本没有干，瓶子也是塞住的。”11Withtheseencouragingwords,headded:Well,whatisitlike?说了这番鼓励话之后，他接着问：“好了，看得怎么样了？”12Helistenedattentivelytomybriefrehearsalofthestructureofpartswhosenameswerestillunknowntome:thefringedgill-archesandmovableoperculum;theporesofthehead,fleshylipsandlidlesseyes;thelateralline,thespinousfinsandforkedtail;thecompressedandarchedbody.WhenIfinished,hewaitedasifexpectingmore,andthen,withanairofdisappointment:他专注地听我简要叙述鱼体的结构，许多部位我还不知道叫什么：带边缘的鳃弓、活动鳃盖骨、头部细孔、肉质唇部、无睑眼；侧线、刺状鳍、叉状尾；扁曲身体。我讲完了，他仍等着，似乎还想听下去，接着带着失望的神情说：13Youhavenotlookedverycarefully;w