第14章

IndefaultofapoisonjarwhichIwouldhaveplacedononesideanddrawnuponatmyconvenience，Idetachthelastsegment，formingthebaseofthesting。Iobtainitfromadeadandalreadywitheredscorpion。Awatchglassservesasabasin。Here，Itearandcrushthepieceinafewdropsofwaterandleaveittosteepforfour—and—twentyhours。TheresultistheliquidwhichI

proposetousefortheinoculation。Ifanypoisonremainedinmyanimal’scaudalgourd，theremustbeatleastsometracesofitintheinfusioninthewatchglass。

Myhypodermicsyringeisofthesimplest。Itconsistsofalittleglasstube，taperingsharplyatoneend。Bydrawinginmybreath，Ifillitwiththeliquidtobetested;Iexpelthecontentsbyblowing。ItspointisalmostasfineasahairandenablesmetoregulatethedosetothedegreewhichIwant。Acubicmillimeteristheusualcharge。Theinjectionhastobemadeatpartsthataregenerallycoveredwithhorn。Soasnottobreakthepointofmyfragileinstrument，Ipreparethewaywithaneedle，withwhichIprickthevictimatthespotrequired。IinsertthetipoftheloadedinjectorintheholethusmadeandIblow。Thethingisdoneinamoment，veryneatlyandinanorthodoxfashion，favorabletodelicateexperiments。Iamdelightedwithmymodestapparatus。

Iamequallydelightedwiththeresults。Thescorpionhimself，whenwoundingwithhissting，inwhichthepoisonisnotdilutedasmineisinthewatchglass，wouldnotproduceeffectslikethoseofmypricks。Hereissomethingmorebrutal，producingmoreconvulsioninthesufferer。Thevirusofmycontrivingexcelsthescorpion’s。

Thetestisseveraltimesrepeated，alwayswiththesamemixture，which，dryingupbyspontaneousevaporation，thenmadetoserveagainbytheadditionofafewdropsofwater，oncemoredrainedandoncemoremoistened，doesdutyforanindefinitelengthoftime。Insteadofabating，thevirulenceincreases。Moreover，thecorpsesoftheinsectsoperateduponundergoacuriouschange，unknowninmyearlierobservations。Thenthesuspicioncomestomethattheactualpoisonofthescorpiondoesnotenterintothematteratall。WhatIobtainwiththeendjointofthetail，withtheglandatthebaseofthesting，Ioughttoobtainwithanyotherpartoftheanimal。

Icrushinafewdropsofwaterajointofthetailtakenfromthefrontportion，farfromthepoisonglands。Aftersoakingitfortwenty—fourhours，Iobtainaliquidwhoseeffectsareabsolutelythesameasthosebefore，whenIusedthejointthatbearsthesting。Itryagainwiththescorpion’sclaws，thecontentsofwhichconsistsolelyofmuscle。Theresultsarejustthesame。

Thewholeoftheanimal’sbody，therefore，nomatterwhichfragmentbesubmittedtothesteepingprocess，yieldsthevirusthatsogreatlypricksmycuriosity。

EverypartoftheSpanishfly[Cantharisorblisteringbeetle]，insideandout，issaturatedwiththeblisteringelement;butthereisnothinglikethisinthescorpion，wholocalizeshisvenominhiscaudalglandandhasnoneofitelsewhere。ThecauseoftheeffectswhichIobserveisthereforeconnectedwithgeneralpropertieswhichIoughttofindinanyinsect，eventhemostharmless。

IconsultOryctesnasicornis，thepeaceablerhinocerosbeetle，onthissubject。Togetattheexactnatureofthematerials，insteadofpulverizingthewholeinsectinamortar，IusemerelythemusculartissueobtainedbyscrapingtheinsideofthedriedOryctes’corselet。OrelseIextractthedrycontentsofthehindlegs。Idothesamewiththedesiccatedcorpsesofthecockchafer，theCapricorn，orCerambyxbeetle，andtheCetonia，orrosechafer。

Eachofmygleanings，withalittlewateradded，islefttosoftenforacoupleofdaysinawatchglassandyieldstotheliquidwhatevercanbeextractedfromitbycrushinganddissolving。

Thistime，wetakeagreatstepforward。Allmypreparations，withoutdistinction，arehorriblyvirulent。Letthereaderjudge。

Iselectasmyfirstpatientthesacredbeetle，Scarabaeussacer，whothankstohissizeandsturdiness，lendshimselfadmirablytoanexperimentofthiskind。Ioperateuponadozen，inthecorselet，onthebreast，onthebellyand，bypreference，ononeofthehindlegs，farremovedfromtheimpressionablenervouscenters。

Nomatterwhatpartmyinjectorattacks，theeffectproducedisthesame，ornearly。Theinsectfallsasthoughstruckbylightning。

Itliesonitsbackandwrigglesitslegs，especiallythehindlegs。IfIsetitonitsfeetagain，IbeholdasortofSt。

Vitus’dance。Scarabaeuslowershishead，archeshisback，drawshimselfuponhistwitchinglegs。Hemarkstimewithhisfeetontheground，movesforwardalittle，movesasmuchbackward，leanstotheright，leanstotheleft，inwilddisorder，incapableofkeepinghisbalanceormakingprogress。Andthishappenswithsuddenjerksandjolts，withavigornowhitinferiortothatoftheanimalinperfecthealth。Itisadisplacementofalltheworks，astormthatuprootsthemutualrelationsofthemuscles。

SeldomhaveIwitnessedsuchsufferings，inmycareerasacross—

examinerofanimalsand，therefore，asatorturer。Ishouldfeelascruple，didInotforeseethatthegrainofsandshiftedtodaymayonedayhelpusbytakingitsplaceintheedificeofknowledge。

Lifeiseverywherethesame，intheDungbeetle’sbodyasinman’s。

Toconsultitintheinsectmeansconsultingitinourselves，meansmovingtowardsvistaswhichwecannotaffordtoneglect。Thathopejustifiesmycruelstudies，which，thoughapparentlysopuerile，areinrealityworthyofseriousconsideration。

Ofmydozensufferers，somerapidlysuccumb，otherslingerforafewhours。Theyarealldeadbytomorrow。Ileavethecorpsesonthetable，exposedtotheair。Insteadofdryingandstiffening，liketheasphyxiatedinsectsintendedforourcollections，mypatients，onthecontrary，turnsoftandslackeninthejoints，notwithstandingthedrynessofthesurroundingair;theybecomedisjointedandseparateintoloosepieces，whichareeasilyremoved。

TheresultsarethesamewiththeCapricorn，thecockchafer，theProcrustes[alargegroundbeetle]，theCarabus[thetruegroundbeetle，includingthegoldbeetle]。Inallofthemthereisasuddenbreak—up，followedbyspeedydeath，aslackeningofthejointsandswiftputrefaction。Inanon—hornyvictim，thequickchemicalchangesofthetissuesareevenmorestriking。ACetoniagrub，whichresiststhescorpion’ssting，eventhoughrepeatedlyadministered，diesinaveryshorttimeifIinjectatinydropofmyterriblefluidintoanypartofitsbody。Moreover，itturnsverybrownand，inacoupleofdays，becomesamassofblackputrescence。

Thegreatpeacock，thatlargemothwhoreckslittleofthescorpion’spoison，isnomoreabletoresistmyinoculationsthanthesacredbeetleandtheothers。Ipricktwointhebelly，amaleandafemale。Atfirst，theyseemtobeartheoperationwithoutdistress。Theygripthetrellisworkofthecageandhangwithoutmoving，asthoughindifferent。Butsoonthediseasehastheminitsgrip。Whatweseeisnotthetumultuousendingofthesacredbeetle;itisthecalmadventofdeath。Withwingsslacklyquivering，softlytheydieanddropfromthewires。Nextday，bothcorpsesareremarkablylax;thesegmentsoftheabdomenseparateandgapeattheleasttouch。Removethehairsandyoushallseethattheskin，whichwaswhite，hasturnedbrownandischangingtoblack。Corruptionisquicklydoingitswork。

Thiswouldbeagoodopportunitytospeakofbacteriaandcultures。

Ishalldonothingofthesort。Onthehazyborderlandofthevisibleandtheinvisible，themicroscopeinspiresmewithsuspicion。Itsoeasilyreplacestheeyeofrealitybytheeyeofimagination;itissoreadytoobligethetheoristswithjustwhattheywanttosee。Besides，supposingthemicrobetobefound，ifthatwerepossible，thequestionwouldbechanged，notsolved。Fortheproblemofthecollapseofthestructurethroughthefactofapricktherewouldbesubstitutedanothernolessobscure:howdoesthesaidmicrobebringaboutthatcollapse？Inwhatwaydoesitgotowork？Whereliesitspower？

ThenwhatexplanationshallIgiveofthefactswhichIhavejustsetforth？Why，none，absolutelynone，seeingthatIdonotknowofany。AsIamunabletodobetter，Iwillconfinemyselftoapairofcomparisonsorimages，whichmayserveasabriefrestingplaceforthemindonthedarkbillowsoftheunknown。

Allofus，aschildren，haveamusedourselveswiththegameof"cardfriars。"Anumberofcards，asmanyaspossible，arebentlengthwiseintoasemi—cylinder。Theyareplacedonatable，onebehindtheother，inawindingrow，thespacesinwhicharesuitablydisposed。Theperformancepleasestheeyebyitscurvedlinesanditsregulararrangement。Itpossessesorder，whichisaconditionofallanimatedmatter。Yougivealittletaptothefirstcard。Itfallsandoverturnsthesecond，which，inthesameway，topsy—turviesthethird;andsoon，righttotheendoftherow。Inlessthannotime，thecapsizingwavespreadsandthehandsomeedificeisshattered。Orderissucceededbydisorder，I

mightalmostsay，bydeath。Whatwasneededthustoupsettheprocessionoffriars？Avery，veryslightfirstpush，outofallproportiontothetoppledmass。

Again，takeaglassballooncontainingasolutionofalumsupersaturatedbyheat。Itisclosed，duringtheprocessofboiling，withacorkandisthenallowedtocool。Thecontentsremainfluidandlimpidforanindefiniteperiod。Mobilityishererepresentedbyafaintsemblanceoflife。Removethecorkanddropinasolidparticleofalum，howeverinfinitesimal。Suddenly，theliquidthickensintoasolidlumpandgivesoffheat。Whathashappened？This:crystallizationhassetinatthefirstcontactoftheparticleofalum，thecenterofattraction;next，ithasspreadbitbybit，eachsolidifiedparticleproducingthesolidificationofthosearound。Theimpulsecomesfromanatom;themassimpelledisboundless。Theverysmallhasrevolutionizedtheimmense。

Ofcourse，inthecomparisonbetweenthesetwoinstancesandtheeffectsofmyinjections，thereadermustseenomorethanafigureofspeech，which，withoutexplaininganything，triestothrowaglimmeroflightuponit。Thelongprocessionofcardfriarsisknockeddownbythemeretouchofthelittlefingertothefirst;

thevoluminoussolutionofalumsuddenlyturnssolidundertheinfluenceofaninvisibleparticle。Inthesameway，thevictimsofmyoperationssuccumb，thrownintoconvulsionsbyatinydropofinsignificantsizeandharmlessappearance。

Thenwhatisthereinthatterribleliquid？Firstofall，thereiswater，inactiveinitselfandsimplyavehicleoftheactiveagent。

Ifaproofwereneededofitsinnocuousness，hereisone:Iinjectintothethighofanyoneofthesacredbeetle’ssixlegsadropofpurewaterlargerthanthatofthefatalinoculations。Assoonasheisreleased，hemakesoffandtrotsaboutasnimblyasusual。

Heisquitefirmonhislegs。Whenputbacktohispellet，herollsitwiththesamezealasbeforetheexperiment。Myinjectionofwatermakesnodifferencetohim。

Whatelseisthereinthemixtureinmywatchglasses？Thereisthedisintegratedmatterofthecorpse，especiallyshredsofdriedmuscles。Dothesesubstancesyieldcertainsolubleelementstowater？Oraretheysimplyreducedtoafinedustinthecrushing？

Iwillnotdecidethisquestion，norisitreallyofimportance。

Thefactremainsthatthepoisonproceedsfromthosesubstancesandfromthemalone。Animalmatter，therefore，whichhasceasedtoliveisanagentofdestructionwithintheorganism。Thedeadcellkillsthelivingcell;inthedelicatestaticsoflife，itisthegrainofsandwhich，refusingitssupport，entailsthecollapseofthewholeedifice。

Inthisconnection，wemayrecallthosedreadfuldissectingroomaccidents。Throughawkwardness，astudentofanatomyprickshimselfwithhisscalpelinthecourseofhiswork;orelse，byinadvertence，hehasaninsignificantscratchonhishand。Acutwhichonewouldhardlynotice，producedbythepointofapocketknife，ascratchofnoaccount，fromathornorotherwise，nowbecomesamortalwound，ifpowerfulantisepticsdonotspeedilyremedytheill。Thescalpelissoiledbyitscontactwiththefleshofthecorpse;soarethehands。Thatisquiteenough。Thevirusofcorruptionisintroduced;and，ifnottreatedintime，thewoundprovesfatal。Thedeadhaskilledtheliving。Thisalsoremindsusoftheso—calledcarbuncleflies，thelancetofwhosemouthparts，contaminatedwiththesaniesofcorpses，producessuchterribleaccidents。

Mydealingsasagainstinsectsare，whenallissaid，nothingbutdissectingroomwoundsandcarbuncleflies’stings。Inadditiontothegangrenethatsoonimpairsandblackensthetissues，Iobtainconvulsionssimilartothoseproducedbythescorpion’ssting。Initsconvulsiveeffects，thevenomousfluidemittedbythestingbearsacloseresemblancetothemuscularinfusionswithwhichI

fillmyinjector。Weareentitled，therefore，toaskourselvesifpoisons，generallyspeaking，arenotthemselvesaproduceofdemolition，acastingoftheorganismperpetuallyrenewed，wastematter，inshort，which，insteadofbeinggraduallyexpelled，isstoredforpurposesofattackanddefense。Theanimal，inthatcase，wouldarmitselfwithitsownrefuseinthesamewayasitsometimesbuildsitselfahomewithitsintestinalrecrement。

Nothingiswasted;life’sdetritusisusedforselfdefense。

Allthingsconsidered，mypreparationsaremeatextracts。IfI

replacethefleshoftheinsectbythatofanotheranimal，theox，forinstance，shallIobtainthesameresults？Logicsaysyes;andlogicisright。IdilutewithafewdropsofwateralittleLiebig’sextract，thatpreciousstandbyofthekitchen。IoperatewiththisfluidonsixCetoniaeorrosechafers，fourinthegrubstage，twointheadultstage。Atfirst，thepatientsmoveaboutasusual。Nextday，thetwoCetoniaearedead。Thelarvaeresistlongeranddonotdieuntilthesecondday。Allshowthesamerelaxedmuscles，thesameblackenedflesh，signsofputrefaction。

Itisprobable，therefore，that，ifinjectedintoourownveins，thesamefluidwouldlikewiseprovefatal。Whatisexcellentinthedigestivetubeswouldbeappallinginthearteries。Whatisfoodinonecaseispoisonintheother。

ALiebig’sextractofadifferentkind，thebrothinwhichtheliquefierpuddles，isofavirulenceequal，ifnotsuperior，tothatofmyproducts。Allthoseoperatedupon，Capricorns，sacredbeetles，groundbeetles，dieinconvulsions。Thisbringsusback，afteralongwayround，toourstartingpoint，themaggotofthefleshfly。Cantheworm，constantlyflounderinginthesaniesofacarcass，beitselfindangerofinoculationbythatwhereonitgrowsfat？Idarenotrelyuponexperimentsconductedbymyself:

myclumsyimplementsandmyshakyhandmakemefearthat，withsubjectssosmallanddelicate，Imightinflictdeepwoundswhichofthemselveswouldbringaboutdeath。

Fortunately，IhaveacollaboratorofincomparableskillintheparasiticChalcidid。Letusapplytoher。Tointroducehergerms，shehasperforatedthemaggot’spaunch，hasevendonesoseveraltimesover。Theholesareextremelysmall，butthepoisonallaroundisexcessivelysubtleandhasthusbeenable，incertaincases，topenetrate。Nowwhathashappened？Thepupae，allfromthesameapparatus，arenumerous。Theycanbedividedintothreenotveryunequalclasses，accordingtotheresultssupplied。Somegivemetheadultfleshfly，otherstheparasite。Therest，nearlyathird，givemenothing，neitherthisyearnornext。

Inthefirsttwocases，thingshavetakentheirnormalcourse:thegrubhasdevelopedintoafly，orelsetheparasitehasdevouredthegrub。Inthethirdcase，anaccidenthasoccurred。Iopenthebarrenpupae。Theyarecoatedinsidewithadarkglaze，theremainsofthedeadmaggotconvertedintoblackrottenness。Thegrub，therefore，hasundergoneinoculationbythevirusthroughthefineopeningseffectedbytheChalcidid。Theskinhashadtimetohardenintoashell;butitwastoolate，thetissuesbeingalreadyinfected。

Thereyouseeit:initsbrothofputrefaction，thewormisexposedtogravedangers。Nowthereisaneedformaggotsinthisworld，formaggotsmanyandvoracious，topurgethesoilasquicklyaspossibleofdeath’simpurities。Linnaeustellsusthat’Tresmuscaeconsumuntcadaverequiaequecitoacleo。"[Threefliesconsumethecarcassofahorseasquicklyasalioncoulddoit。]

Thereisnoexaggerationaboutthestatement。Yes，ofacertainty，theoffspringofthefleshflyandthebluebottleareexpeditiousworkers。Theyswarminaheap，alwaysseeking，alwayssnufflingwiththeirpointedmouths。Inthosetumultuouscrowds，mutualscratcheswouldbeinevitableiftheworms，liketheotherflesheaters，possessedmandibles，jaws，clippersadaptedforcutting，tearingandchopping;andthosescratches，poisonedbythedreadfulgruellappingthem，wouldallbefatal。

Howarethewormsprotectedintheirhorribleworkyard？Theydonoteat:theydrinktheirfill;bymeansofapepsinwhichtheydisgorge，theyfirstturntheirfoodstuffsintosoup;theypracticeastrangeandexceptionalartoffeeding，whereinthosedangerouscarvingimplements，thescalpelswiththeirdissectingroomperils，aresuperfluous。Hereends，forthepresent，thelittlethatI

knoworsuspectofthemaggot，thesanitaryinspectorintheserviceofthepublichealth。

CHAPTERXVIIRECOLLECTIONSOFCHILDHOOD

Almostasmuchasinsectsandbirds——theformersodeartothechild，wholovestorearhiscockchafersandrosebeetlesonabedofhawthorninaboxpiercedwithholes;thelatteranirresistibletemptation，withtheirnestsandtheireggsandtheirlittleonesopeningtinyyellowbeaks——themushroomearlywonmyheartwithitsvariedshapesandcolors。Icanstillseemyselfasaninnocentsmallboysportingmyfirstbracesandbeginningtoknowmywaythroughthecabalisticmazesofmyreadingbook，Iseemyselfinecstasybeforethefirstbird’snestfoundandthefirstmushroomgathered。Letusrelatethesegraveevents。Oldagelovestomeditatethepast。

Ohappydayswhencuriosityawakensandfreesusfromthelimboofunconsciousness，yourdistantmemorymakesmelivemybestyearsoveragain。Disturbedatitssiestabysomewayfarer，thepartridge’syoungbroodhastilydisperses。Eachprettylittleballofdownscurriesoffanddisappearsinthebrushwood;but，whenquietisrestored，atthefirstsummoningnotetheyallreturnunderthemother’swing。Evenso，recalledbymemory，domyrecollectionsofchildhoodreturn，thoseotherfledglingswhichhavelostsomanyoftheirfeathersonthebramblesoflife。Some，whichhavehardlycomeoutofthebushes，haveachingheadsandtotteringsteps;somearemissing，stifledinsomedarkcornerofthethicket;someremainintheirfullfreshness。Nowofthosewhichhaveescapedtheclutchesoftimetheliveliestarethefirst—born。Forthemthesoftwaxofchildishmemoryhasbeenconvertedintoenduringbronze。

Onthatday，wealthyandleisured，withanappleformylunchandallmytimetomyself，Idecidedtovisitthebrowoftheneighboringhill，hithertolookeduponastheboundaryoftheworld。Rightatthetopisarowoftreeswhich，turningtheirbackstothewind，bendandtossaboutasthoughtouprootthemselvesandtaketoflight。Howoften，fromthelittlewindowinmyhome，haveInotseenthembowingtheirheadsinstormyweather;howoftenhaveInotwatchedthemwrithinglikemadmenamidthesnowdustwhichthenorthwind’sbroomraisesandsmoothesalongthehillside！’Whataretheydoingupthere，thosedesolatetrees？Iaminterestedintheirsupplebacks，todaystillanduprightagainsttheblueofthesky，tomorrowshakenwhenthecloudspassoverhead。Iamgladdenedbytheircalmness;Iamdistressedbytheirterrifiedgestures。Theyaremyfriends。I

havethembeforemyeyesateveryhouroftheday。Inthemorning，thesunrisesbehindtheirtransparentscreenandascendsinitsglory。Wheredoesitcomefrom？IamgoingtoclimbupthereandperhapsIshallfindout。

Imounttheslope。Itisaleangrassswardclose—croppedbythesheep。Ithasnobushes，fertileinrentsandtears，forwhichI

shouldhavetoansweronreturninghome，noranyrocks，thescalingofwhichinvolveslikedangers;nothingbutlarge，flatstones，scatteredhereandthere。I。haveonlytogostraighton，oversmoothground。Buttheswardisassteepasaslopingroof。Itislong，eversolong;andmylegsareveryshort。Fromtimetotime，Ilookup。Myfriends，thetreesonthehilltop，seemtobenonearer。Cheerily，sonny！Scrambleaway！

Whatisthisatmyfeet？Alovelybirdhasflownfromitshidingplaceundertheeavesofabigstone。Blessus，here’sanestmadeofhairandfinestraw！It’sthefirstIhaveeverfound，thefirstofthejoyswhichthebirdsaretobringme。Andinthisnestaresixeggs，laidprettilysidebyside;andthoseeggsareamagnificentblue，asthoughsteepedinadyeofcelestialazure。

Overpoweredwithhappiness，Iliedownonthegrassandstare。

Meanwhile，themother，withalittleclapofhergullet——’Tack！

Tack！’——fliesanxiouslyfromstonetostone，notfarfromtheintruder。Myageknowsnopity，isstilltoobarbaroustounderstandmaternalanguish。Aplanisrunninginmyhead，aplanworthyofalittlebeastofprey。Iwillcomebackinafortnightandcollectthenestlingsbeforetheycanflyaway。Inthemeantime，Iwilljusttakeoneofthoseprettyblueeggs，onlyone，asatrophy。Lestitshouldbecrushed，Iplacethefragilethingonalittlemossinthescoopofmyhand。Lethimcastastoneatmethathasnot，inhischildhood，knowntheraptureoffindinghisfirstnest。

Mydelicateburden，whichwouldberuinedbyafalsestep，makesmegiveuptheremainderoftheclimb。SomeotherdayIshallseethetreesonthehilltopoverwhichthesunrises。Igodowntheslopeagain。Atthebottom，Imeettheparishpriest’scuratereadinghisbreviaryashetakeshiswalk。Heseesmecomingsolemnlyalong，likearelicbearer;hecatchessightofmyhandhidingsomethingbehindmyback:’Whathaveyouthere，myboy？’heasks。

Allabashed，Iopenmyhandandshowmyblueeggonitsbedofmoss。

’Ah！’sayshisreverence。’ASaxicola’segg！Wheredidyougetit？

’

’Upthere，father，underastone。’

Questionfollowsquestion;andmypeccadillostandsconfessed。BychanceIfoundanestwhichIwasnotlookingfor。Thereweresixeggsinit。Itookoneofthem——hereitis——andIamwaitingfortheresttohatch。Ishallgobackfortheotherswhentheyoungbirdshavetheirquillfeathers。

’Youmustn’tdothat，mylittlefriend，’repliesthepriest。’Youmustn’trobthemotherofherbrood;youmustrespecttheinnocentlittleones;youmustletGod’sbirdsgrowupandflyfromthenest。Theyarethejoyofthefieldsandtheycleartheearthofitsvermin。Beagoodboy，now，anddon’ttouchthenest。’

Ipromiseandthecuratecontinueshiswalk。Icomehomewithtwogoodseedscastonthefallowsofmychildishbrain。Anauthoritativewordhastaughtmethatspoilingbirds’nestsisabadaction。Ididnotquiteunderstandhowthebirdcomestoouraidbydestroyingvermin，thescourgeofthecrops;butIfelt，atthebottomofmyheart，thatitiswrongtoafflictthemothers。

’Saxicola，’thepriesthadsaid，onseeingmyfind。

’Hullo！’saidItomyself。’Animalshavenames，justlikeourselves。Whonamedthem？Whatareallmydifferentacquaintancesinthewoodsandmeadowscalled？WhatdoesSaxicolamean？’

YearspassedandLatintaughtmethatSaxicolameansaninhabitantoftherocks。Mybird，infact，wasflyingfromonerockypointtotheotherwhileIlayinecstasybeforeitseggs;itshouse，itsnest，hadtherimofalargestoneforaroof。FurtherknowledgegleanedfrombookstaughtmethattheloverofstonyhillsidesisalsocalledtheMotteux，orclodhopper，because，intheplowingseason，shefliesfromclodtoclod，inspectingthefurrowsrichinunearthedgrubworms。Lastly，IcameupontheProvencalexpressionCul—blanc，whichisalsoapicturesqueterm，suggestingthepatchonthebird’srumpwhichspreadsoutlikeawhitebutterflyflittingoverthefields。

Thusdidthevocabularycomeintobeingthatwouldonedayallowmetogreetbytheirrealnamesthethousandactorsonthestageofthefields，thethousandlittleflowersthatsmileatusfromthewayside。Thewordwhichthecuratehadspokenwithoutattachingtheleastimportancetoitrevealedaworldtome，theworldofplantsandanimalsdesignatedbytheirrealnames。Tothefuturemustbelongthetaskofdecipheringsomepagesoftheimmenselexicon;fortodayIwillcontentmyselfwithrememberingtheSaxicola，orstonechat。

Onthewest，myvillagecrumblesintoanavalancheofgardenpatches，inwhichplumsandapplesripen。Lowbulgingwalls，blackenedwiththestainsoflichensandmosses，supporttheterraces。Thebrookrunsatthefootoftheslope。Itcanbeclearedalmosteverywhereatabound。Inthewiderparts，flatstonesstandingoutofthewaterserveasafootbridge。Thereisnosuchthingasawhirlpool，theterrorofmotherswhenthechildrenareaway;itisnowheremorethankneedeep。Dearlittlebrook，sotranquil，coolandclear，Ihaveseenmajesticriverssince，Ihaveseentheboundlesssea;butnothinginmymemoriesequalsyourmodestfalls。Aboutyouclingsallthehallowedpleasureofmyfirstimpressions。

Amillerhasbethoughthimofputtingthebrook，whichusedtoflowsogailythroughthefields，towork。Halfwayuptheslope，awatercourse，economizingthegradient，divertspartofthewaterandconductsitintoalargereservoir，whichsuppliesthemillwheelswithmotorpower。Thisbasinstandsbesideafrequentedpathandiswalledoffattheend。

Oneday，hoistingmyselfonaplayfellow’sshoulders，Ilookedoverthemelancholywall，allbeardedwithferns。Isawbottomlessstagnantwaters，coveredwithslimygreen。Inthegapsinthestickycarpet，asortofdumpy，black—and—yellowreptilewaslazilyswimming。Today，Ishouldcallitasalamander;atthattime，itappearedtometheoffspringoftheserpentandthedragon，ofwhomweweretoldsuchbloodcurdlingtaleswhenwesatupatnight。

Hoo！I’veseenenough:let’sgetdownagain，quick！

Thebrookrunsbelow。Aldersandash，bendingforwardoneitherbank，mingletheirbranchesandformaverdantarch。Attheirfeet，behindaporchofgreattwistedroots，arewaterycavernsprolongedbygloomycorridors。Onthethresholdofthesefastnessesshimmersaglintofsunshine，cutintoovalsbytheleafysieveabove。

Thisisthehauntofthered—necktiedminnows。Comealongverygently，lieflatonthegroundandlook。Whatprettylittlefishtheyare，withtheirscarletthroats！Clusteringsidebyside，withtheirheadsturnedagainstthestream，theypufftheircheeksoutandin，rinsingtheirmouthsincessantly。Tokeeptheirstationarypositionintherunningwater，theyneednaughtbutaslightquiveroftheirtailandofthefinontheirback。Aleaffallsfromthetree。Whoosh！Thewholetroophasdisappeared。

Ontheothersideofthebrookisaspinneyofbeeches，withsmooth，straighttrunks，likepillars。Intheirmajestic，shadybranchessitchatteringcrows，drawingfromtheirwingsoldfeathersreplacedbynew。Thegroundispaddedwithmoss。Atone’sfirststeponthedownycarpet，theeyeiscaughtbyamushroom，notyetfull—spreadandlookinglikeaneggdroppedtherebysomevagranthen。ItisthefirstthatIhavepicked，thefirstthathaveIturnedroundandroundinmyfingers，inquiringintoitsstructurewiththatvaguecuriositywhichisthefirstawakeningofobservation。

Soon，Ifindothers，differinginsize，shapeandcolor。Itisarealtreatformyprenticeeyes。Somearefashionedlikebells，likeextinguishers，likecups;somearedrawnoutintospindles，hollowedintofunnels，roundedintohemispheres。Icomeuponsomethatarebrokenandareweepingmilkytears;Isteponsomethat，instantly，becometingedwithblue;Iseesomebigonesthatarecrumblingintorotandswarmingwithworms。Others，shapedlikepears，aredryandopenatthetopwitharoundhole，asortofchimneywhenceawhiffofsmokeescapeswhenIprodtheirundersidewithmyfinger。Thesearethemostcurious。Ifillmypocketswiththemtomakethemsmokeatmyleisure，untilIexhaustthecontents，whichareatlastreducedtoakindoftinder。

WhatfunIhadinthatdelightfulspinney！Ireturnedtoitmanyatimeaftermyfirstfind;andhere，inthecompanyofthecrows，I

receivedmyfirstlessonsinmushroomlore。Myharvests，Ineedhardlysay，werenotadmittedtothehouse。Themushroom，orthebouturel，aswecalledit，hadabadreputationforpoisoningpeople。Thatwasenoughtomakemotherbanishitfromthefamilytable。Icouldscarcelyunderstandhowthebouturel，soattractiveinappearance，cametobesowicked;however，Iacceptedtheexperienceofmyelders;andnodisastereverensuedfrommyrashfriendshipwiththepoisoner。

Asmyvisitstothebeechclumpwererepeated，Imanagedtodividemyfindsintothreecategories。Inthefirst，whichwasthemostnumerous，themushroomwasfurnishedunderneathwithlittleradiatingleaves。Inthesecond，thelowersurfacewaslinedwithathickpadprickedwithhardlyvisibleholes。Inthethird，itbristledwithtinyspotssimilartothepapillaeonacat’stongue。

Theneedofsomeordertoassistthememorymademeinventaclassificationformyself。

VerymuchlatertherefellintomyhandscertainsmallbooksfromwhichIlearntthatmythreecategorieswerewellknown;theyevenhadLatinnames，whichfactwasfarfromdispleasingtome。

EnnobledbyLatinwhichprovidedmewithmyfirstexercisesandtranslations，glorifiedbytheancientlanguagewhichtherectorusedinsayinghismass，themushroomroseinmyesteem。Todeservesolearnedanappellation，itmustpossessagenuineimportance。

Thesamebookstoldmethenameoftheonethathadamusedmesomuchwithitssmokingchimney。ItiscalledthepuffballinEnglish，butitsFrenchnameisthevesse—de—loup。Idislikedtheexpression，whichtomymindsmackedofbadcompany。Nexttoitwasamoredecentdenomination:Lycoperdon;butthiswasonlysoinappearance，forGreekrootssoonerorlatertaughtmethatLycoperdonmeansvesse—de—loupandnothingelse。Thehistoryofplantsaboundsintermswhichitisnotalwaysdesirabletotranslate。Bequeathedtousbyearlierageslessreticentthanours，botanyhasoftenretainedthebrutalfranknessofwordsthatsetproprietyatdefiance。

Howfaroffarethoseblessedtimeswhenmychildishcuriositysoughtsolitaryexerciseinmakingitselfacquaintedwiththemushroom！’Eheu！Fugaceslabunturanni！’saidHorace。Ah，yes，theyearsglidefleetingby，especiallywhentheyarenearingtheirend！Theywerethemerrybrookthatdalliesamongthewillowsonimperceptibleslopes;today，theyarethetorrentswirlingathousandstrawsalong，asitrushestowardstheabyss。Fleetingthoughtheybe，letusmakethemostofthem。Atnightfall，thewoodcutterhastenstobindhislastfagots。Evenso，inmydecliningdays，I，ahumblewoodcutterintheforestofscience，makehastetoputmybundleofsticksinorder。’Whatwillremainofmyresearchesonthesubjectofinstinct？Notmuch，apparently;