介绍:
Walden [ˈwɔldən] (Issue 191)
15. Winter Animals (8)
[11] The hunter who told me this could remember one Sam Nutting, who used to hunt bears on Fair Haven Ledges, and exchange their skins for rum in Concord village; who told him, even, that he had seen a moose[muːs] there. Nutting had a famous foxhound named Burgoyne - he pronounced it Bugine - which my informant[ɪnˈfɔːmənt] used to borrow. In the "Wast[wɒst] Book" of an old trader of this town, who was also a captain, town-clerk, and representative, I find the following entry. Jan. 18th, 1742-3, "John Melven Cr. by 1 Grey Fox 0 - 2 - 3"; they are not now found here; and in his ledger, Feb, 7th, 1743, Hezekiah Stratton has credit "by ½ a Catt skin 0 - 1- 4½"; of course, a wild-cat, for Stratton was a sergeant in the old French war, and would not have got credit for hunting less noble game. Credit is given for deerskins also, and they were daily sold. One man still preserves the horns of the last deer that was killed in this vicinity[vɪˈsɪnɪtɪ], and another has told me the particulars of the hunt in which his uncle was engaged. The hunters were formerly a numerous and merry crew here. I remember well one gaunt[gɔːnt] Nimrod who would catch up a leaf by the roadside and play a strain on it wilder and more melodious[mɪˈləʊdɪəs], if my memory serves me, than any hunting-horn.
[12] At midnight, when there was a moon, I sometimes met with hounds in my path prowling about the woods, which would skulk out of my way, as if afraid, and stand silent amid the bushes till I had passed.
[13] Squirrels and wild mice disputed for my store of nuts. There were scores of pitch pines around my house, from one to four inches in diameter, which had been gnawed by mice the previous winter - a Norwegian winter for them, for the snow lay long and deep, and they were obliged[əˈblaɪdʒd] to mix a large proportion of pine bark with their other diet. These trees were alive and apparently flourishing at midsummer, and many of them had grown a foot, though completely girdled; but after another winter such were without exception dead. It is remarkable that a single mouse[maʊs] should thus be allowed a whole pine tree for its dinner, gnawing round instead of up and down it; but perhaps it is necessary in order to thin these trees, which are wont to grow up densely[dens].
那给我讲这些的猎人还能记起一个叫山姆•纳丁的人，曾常在纽黑文的岩脊猎熊，并用他们的皮在康科德村换取朗姆酒；甚至告诉他在那里见到过一只麋鹿。纳丁有一头叫波尔高尼的著名猎犬——他把那名字发成了伯格尼——我的线人常把那词儿挂在嘴边。在这个镇上的一个老买卖人的“沃斯特书” 里，他还当过上尉、簿记[bù jì]和代表，我发现了如下一则日记。1742到1743年，1月18日，“约翰•马尔文通过一只灰狐交换，零元贰角叁分”；他们在而今这一带是找不到了；在他的账簿，1743年2月7日，海塞吉亚•斯特里顿曾抵押“通过半张猫皮零元一角四分半”；当然那是一张豹子皮，因为斯特里顿在老法国战争中当过中士，不会猎取不体面的猎物作为信托。还有用鹿的，而且是天天买卖。有个人还保存着在这一带被杀的最后一只鹿角；另一个人告诉[gào sù]了我他叔叔参加过的一些猎取特殊野味活动，猎人们先前是这里数量众多乐观开朗的水手。我清楚地记得一个消瘦憔悴的尼姆罗德 ，他会到路边捡一片树叶，用它吹出一种更野性和好听的调子，如果我没有记错，比得过任何猎号。
子夜，当有月亮，我有时会碰到猎犬在我的小路上，在林中潜行，会躲开我，仿佛是害怕，静静地站在灌木丛里，等着我经过。
松鼠和野鼠在为我储藏的那些坚果争执不休。我房子周围是大量的油松，直径从一到四英寸不等，那已经前年冬天被鼠啮[niè]咬过了——对他们来说是一个挪威式的冬天，因为雪下得又厚时间又长，他们不得不给自己的食谱里添加些松树皮。这些松树曾经是活的，显然在仲夏还枝叶繁茂，好多都又长了一英尺，虽被完全环切了；而且在另一个冬天之后无一例外都会死去。值得一提的是一只老鼠就这样允许用一棵松树来做自己的正餐，不是上下着啃，而是环绕着吃；也许是需要弄稀疏这些林木，让他们不要长得过稠。
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