寂靜的夏夜,郊外小溪的水石間有螢火蟲忽上忽下明滅;
初醒的早晨,農(nóng)家屋山頭的絲瓜蔓葉上爬著蟈蟈和螞蚱;
不見人跡的中午,野水埠頭的高柳上,蟬鳴傳得老遠(yuǎn)、老遠(yuǎn)……
今年大熱天,浙江農(nóng)林大學(xué)植物保護(hù)專業(yè)二年級的同學(xué)接到“捕捉昆蟲、制作標(biāo)本”的暑假作業(yè),我以為這是極有趣的事,應(yīng)當(dāng)是正確的學(xué)習(xí)義務(wù)和責(zé)任,培育的是一種情懷、一種精神。
法國人讓·亨利·卡西米爾·法布爾《昆蟲學(xué)回憶錄》的中文節(jié)譯本《昆蟲記》,令人異常向往大自然中的生物世界,至今難忘——那時的暑期,和伙伴常常找一個背陰的去處,久久地聽斷磚下油蛉兒(絕非蛐蛐兒)的吟聲。
法布爾是失意的中學(xué)教員,但他把自己的不甘心,轉(zhuǎn)化為對昆蟲的細(xì)致入微的觀察,一天天的記錄,留下了一部科學(xué)的、文學(xué)的巨著?!独ハx記》問世后,19世紀(jì)文學(xué)界的巨擘無不稱譽(yù),科學(xué)界的達(dá)爾文在其進(jìn)化論中引用其中材料;20世紀(jì)中國文壇的周氏兄弟也極力推薦。我想,學(xué)植保的同學(xué)必然是知道它的,也猜想,他們讀了之后一定會有深深的感觸的。
有興趣,就有熱愛,才能產(chǎn)生科學(xué)鉆研的動力。這些同學(xué)在田野實(shí)踐時興奮不已:
“以前我們看到奇怪的昆蟲,因?yàn)楹ε露鴩樀猛弁壑苯?;現(xiàn)在看到罕見的昆蟲,開心興奮得哈哈笑?!?/p>
“以前看到毛毛蟲,我都會心里發(fā)毛,現(xiàn)在將竹節(jié)蟲啊、獨(dú)角仙啊制成標(biāo)本擺放在一起,都成了藝術(shù)品么,怎么看怎么漂亮?!?/p>
“你們寢室里有蟑螂沒啊,其他蟲子也行,我的數(shù)量還不夠呢,沒想到平時最討厭的小蟲子,現(xiàn)在成了寶貝,都被同學(xué)們抓光了。”
……
同學(xué)們是根據(jù)基礎(chǔ)昆蟲學(xué)的要求去完成這份實(shí)踐性作業(yè)的。任課老師徐志宏、實(shí)踐指導(dǎo)老師潘程遠(yuǎn)表示,野外抓蟲子、制作標(biāo)本其實(shí)是植物保護(hù)專業(yè)教學(xué)環(huán)節(jié)之一,學(xué)校希望通過學(xué)生真正走出課堂,開辟新的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境,在動手過程中培養(yǎng)興趣、了解知識、熱愛專業(yè),這在每一屆學(xué)生中都收到了良好的效果。潘程遠(yuǎn)說:“前幾年,我們指導(dǎo)學(xué)生捕捉并制作昆蟲標(biāo)本,主要是在數(shù)量上要求比較高,當(dāng)時每個組要抓2000只左右;現(xiàn)在我們強(qiáng)調(diào)的是昆蟲的質(zhì)量和豐富性,比如要確保昆蟲標(biāo)本的完整,不能缺翅膀斷腿,而且要確保130個科的昆蟲都要有,并且要制作成完整的標(biāo)本,這對于學(xué)生的專業(yè)性要求更高了?!?img alt="" src="https://cimg.fx361.com/images/2017/10/18/whjl201710whjl20171014-2-l.jpg" style=""/>
在接到這份讓人興奮的作業(yè)的那一刻,同學(xué)們當(dāng)然也覺得壓力特別大。陳勝偉說,大家學(xué)的是植物保護(hù)專業(yè),認(rèn)識很多昆蟲,但現(xiàn)在要大家去抓昆蟲,很多人還是覺得心里很發(fā)虛,因?yàn)橛胁簧倮ハx并不常見,其習(xí)性也并不完全了解。
在半個月的實(shí)踐課程中,兩個班60名學(xué)生以5個人為一組,每組分別到野外捕捉1200只以上的昆蟲,并按照規(guī)定制作成昆蟲標(biāo)本。潘程遠(yuǎn)要求,所有學(xué)生捕捉到的昆蟲,必須涉及昆蟲綱的16個目的130個科。
我以為,捉昆蟲、制標(biāo)本,完全是一份嚴(yán)肅的專業(yè)作業(yè),也是一次開心的勞作活動,更是一種新穎的社會實(shí)踐——在大自然中作科學(xué)探索,目標(biāo)和意義非常明確。而過去,青年學(xué)生的社會實(shí)踐大都也就是搞一些宣傳或者公益之類的活動罷了,這也許和他們漂浮不定甚或于無的人生觀有關(guān)聯(lián):從什么專業(yè)畢業(yè)不要緊,踏入社會再重新尋找自己所追求的生活價(jià)值。
有人把當(dāng)下的大學(xué)生形容為一群驕傲的小公雞和一群驕傲的小母雞,昂首挺胸,走來走去,很自以為是,其實(shí)只是庭院之內(nèi)的稚嫩。好了,現(xiàn)在從一放暑假開始,這幫子驕子便分別前往學(xué)校周邊的草叢、農(nóng)民的菜地,以及天目山自然保護(hù)區(qū)等山區(qū)抓捕各種昆蟲,在清晨、大中午、傍晚。
過去說勞動和工作要“一不怕苦、二不怕死”,那說的只是過程中的態(tài)度。為了保護(hù)好自己,必要的防護(hù)還應(yīng)當(dāng)采取。為防被有毒昆蟲傷害,同學(xué)們外出捕捉干活時,都穿上長褲和長袖襯衫,但要想抓到罕見的昆蟲,不得不深入草叢。
我采訪了幾名同學(xué)。廖志洪同學(xué)伸出被蟲子叮咬得滿是腫塊的手臂說:“抓昆蟲而被咬,是常見的事情。不少昆蟲具有一定的攻擊性,有的能分泌毒液,像有的同學(xué)在抓野蜂時,就被蟄了很多個包。所以對于這樣的昆蟲,我們一般先用網(wǎng)兜,然后用廣口瓶里的乙酸乙脂將之迷暈,再進(jìn)行處理。即使這樣,我們很多同學(xué)還是被昆蟲咬得遍體鱗傷?!?/p>
為了盡快完成作業(yè),不少女生早上起床的第一件事情,就是去花園尋找有沒有什么昆蟲。以往一些令人討厭的蟲子,一旦抓獲,幾乎都讓她們覺得特別可愛親切。
一開始,同學(xué)們抓的大都是常見的知了、蜻蜓等,數(shù)量多了之后,大家相互比起誰抓的蟲子罕見、誰抓的蟲子漂亮:體大而愚笨的獨(dú)角仙、20多厘米長的竹節(jié)蟲、碩大的鳳蝶……各種奇異、美麗的昆蟲漸漸豐富起來。
“其實(shí)我們抓到的遠(yuǎn)不止這些,由于很多種類的昆蟲都一樣,重復(fù)的不能太多,我們就送給其他同學(xué)或者放歸大自然?!睆埿佬劳瑢W(xué)說,“我們做這次作業(yè),花了大概半個月時間,雖然辛苦,但也很有成就感,尤其讓其他專業(yè)的同學(xué)好奇?!?/p>
“一只漂亮的蝴蝶或者一只帥氣的獨(dú)角仙,都成為同學(xué)間相互炫耀的寶貝?!备翟娡┩瑢W(xué)表示,以前自己最怕蟲子,如今看到蟲子就覺得興奮;現(xiàn)在即使走在校園的路上也特別仔細(xì),希望能在路邊抓到一只罕見的昆蟲,或者發(fā)現(xiàn)幾只還沒抓到過的甲殼蟲。
“很多昆蟲是有意思的。”傅詩桐說,昆蟲也是生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的重要組成部分,通過專業(yè)實(shí)習(xí)和捕捉昆蟲,大家不僅更加了解每種昆蟲的習(xí)性,而且增強(qiáng)了對專業(yè)的了解,對于今后從事本專業(yè)的學(xué)習(xí)增添了信心。endprint
學(xué)校15號樓標(biāo)本室里的標(biāo)本除了收集的之外,大多數(shù)是各屆同學(xué)捕捉積累的,鳳蝶、蜻蜓、獨(dú)角仙、金龜子、竹節(jié)蟲、蠟蟬、蟑螂、蚊子……琳瑯滿目,五彩繽紛。同學(xué)們根據(jù)不同昆蟲所屬的目、科、屬、種,按照標(biāo)本制作的要求,將它們分類制作、擺放,顯得特別有藝術(shù)感。
幾十年前,中國郵政發(fā)行過特種郵票“蝴蝶”,一套20枚,花花綠綠的,讓人懷想久遠(yuǎn)。今天,我忽然很期待同學(xué)們的標(biāo)本能印刷成冊,也許有意義。
(除署名外,本文照片由作者提供)
Gathering Insects in Summer
By Sheng Wei
At the end of the first semester this year, the sophomore students majoring in crop protection at Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University were given an assignment to collect insects and make specimens in the upcoming summer vacation. All the students of this major with the university do this at the end of their second year study. It is fun for most of these youths. It is not merely about insects. It is about knowledge and spirit of science.
All the sophomores of crop protection of this year knew the importance of collecting insects. They had read Jean-Henri Fabres . In China, it was first recommended to Chinese readers by Zhou Zhuren in 1923 and has stayed popular in China. The first translation was published in 1932 and the latest translation came out in 2015.
The students had great curiosity about the insects. “We got scared by strange-looking insects. But now we feel happy and thrilled at the sight of rare insects,” one student commented. “In the past, a caterpillar made me nervous. Now I make specimens and think they are beautiful artworks,” commented another student. “Do you have cockroaches or other insects in your collection? My collection is not big enough,” one student asked around.
Xu Zhihong and Pan Chengyuan, two teachers with the university, were in charge of the field study. “It is a must for students who major in crop protection. They need to go outdoors and develop their interest and acquire knowledge and gain hands-on experience,” said the two teachers. “In the past few years, student groups were instructed to catch about 2,000 insects and make specimens. This summer we emphasize quality and variety. All the specimens must be complete. Broken legs or broken wings will be disqualified. All the 130 insect families in 16 orders shall be covered,” explained Pan Chengyuan.
The 60 sophomores were divided into 12 groups. In 15 days, each five-person group was to collect insects and make 1,200 specimens. The students collected insects around the campus and farmlands. They also went to Tianmu Mountain Nature Reserve and other mountains. The best time to catch insects was in the early morning, the noon and the sunset moments.endprint
For the students, the first thing to do was to learn how to protect themselves from being bitten by snakes and insects. Even though they wore trousers and long-sleeved shirts, most of they got insect bites on their forearms.
At the beginning, the students caught a lot of cicadas and dragonflies, the commonest species. When the numbers of insects in group collections began to grow, the students compared competitively: whose inset was prettier, who got better specimens. In gathering insects, they let go some if the same species had been collected, or they gave away some insects to other groups if the other groups didnt happen to have them. If a group caught a very beautiful butterfly or a handsome Hercules beetle, the specimen would be proudly shown around.
Insects are a key part of an ecological system. By gathering insects and studying them, the students learned a lot about their major and were ready for further professional training.
Building Number 15 on the campus has a large showroom where insect specimens are on display. The insects are arranged scientifically in the taxonomic system. Examining them, one can learn about information on the class, order, family, genus and species of the insects in the collection.endprint