About the author

Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre was born on December 22, 1823, in the home of a poor farmer in the village of Saint-Léon, Aveyron Province, southern France.

When Fabre was about 4 years old, his parents sent him to live with his grandmother to reduce the family's burden of food and clothing. The innocent child fell in love with the white geese, calves and sheep of his grandmother's house, and was fascinated by the flowers, plants, insects and birds in nature.

When Fabre was 7 years old, his parents took him home and sent him to the village primary school. Before finishing elementary school, Fabre moved with his family to Rodez, a city in this province. Fabre was 10 years old at this time, and his parents arranged for him to go to Rodez Middle School. However, throughout Fabre's middle school years, Fabre's family was forced to make a living and moved several times, which made it impossible for their studies to proceed normally.

However, Fabre, who is diligent and studious, seizes all the time to study by himself. At the age of 15, he was admitted to the normal school in Avignon, Vaucluse. After graduation, he found a teaching position, thus beginning a career of more than 20 years as a middle school teacher. Since then, while working hard to teach, he also used his spare time to tirelessly observe and record animals and plants, determined to be a person who writes the history of insects.

At the age of 30, Fabre obtained a bachelor's degree in natural sciences through self-study. Another year later, the 31-year-old Fabre obtained a doctorate in natural sciences with two excellent academic papers. In the same year, he published his long-term accumulation of results - "Observations on the Customs of the Arthroplasty" in the "Annals of Natural Science". Winning widespread praise, it was recognized that he not only corrected the mistakes of previous authoritative scholars, but also elaborated unique insights, which began to attract the attention of people in the scientific community. British biologist Darwin paid special attention to this young French man; he called him "an observer that is difficult to imitate."

In 1870, Fabre resigned from his job as a teacher. In the next five years, Fabre mainly made a living by writing readings on natural science knowledge, and his outstanding talent became more and more obvious.

In 1875, after long-term thinking, Fabre decided to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city and concentrate on realizing his entomology work plan. He took his family and moved to the rural town of Serignan. Here, after four years of hard work and more than twenty years of data collection, the first volume of "Insects" was published in 1879.

In 1880, Fabre used a small sum of money he had saved to buy an old house on wasteland near a small town. He gave this residence an interesting nickname in the local Proven?al language - Wild Stone Garden. From then on, Fabre guarded his beloved "Barren Stone Garden" and worked hard on entomological research year after year at full power, and compiled the fruits of his labor into volumes of "Insects".

In 1910, the tenth volume of "Insects" came out, when Fabre was already 86 years old. In the name of "fiftieth anniversary of writing "Insects"", the family invited Fabre's close friends and academic friends to the "Barren Stone Garden" to hold a small celebration for him. When the news came out, public opinion was shocked. "Amazing", "most outstanding". Praises arose one after another, and laurels of honor flew to the old man one by one. The French literary circle calls him the "Virgil of the Insect World" and recommends him as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Unfortunately, before the Nobel Prize committee members had time to make the final decision, news of Fabre's death came.

On the first day of November 1915, 91-year-old Fabre was lying on the bed, as calm as a warrior who defied death. Slept quietly. A "giant who used insects as his piano to play the trills of human destiny" has since passed away.

Content of the work

"Insects" is a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation by Fabre, an outstanding French entomologist and writer in the 19th century. It combines the research results and life insights, takes care of the nature of insects with human nature, and turns the insect world into a beautiful article for humans to gain knowledge, interest, beauty and ideas. The original version of "Insects" has ten volumes, each volume has several chapters, and each chapter describes the life of one or several insects in detail and profoundly.

From the whole book, it seems that the author aims to let readers know and understand the rich and complex world of insects, and is not eager to establish a complete scientific theoretical system. We recommend this selected translation for everyone (translated by Mr. Wang Guang and published by Writers Press). The total text is about 250,000 words and is divided into ten volumes. Each volume has selected and translated articles. In order to facilitate the introduction, according to the content of each chapter, We classify them into three categories: (1) Directly depict the living habits of one or several insects and show charming life scenes. Such as "Scarab" (Volume 1), "Three Types of Fortress-Building Bees" (Volume 3), "Corpse-eating Insects" (Volume 5), etc.; (2) Relying on a specific natural environment, it shows us the The colorful and dazzling world of insects. Such as "The Wild Stone Garden" (Volume 2), "Reflections on Holding a Lamp" (Volume 7), etc.; (3) Articles of a commentary or argumentative nature, in which the author either comments on a certain theory, such as "Poke the Theory of Metamorphosis" (Volume 3) ), or a sigh based on reflection on a certain phenomenon, such as "Feelings of Holding a Lamp" (Volume 7). Below we will give a general introduction to various articles through specific titles.

(1) Directly depict the living habits of one or several insects, showing us lifelike pictures of the life of insects.

Building nests and protecting families are the highest expression of insects’ survival instinct. Fabre shows us the diverse abilities of insects in this regard. In terms of the relationship between motherhood and instinct, the most noteworthy ones are the insects of the order Hymenoptera, which embody deep maternal love. All their unique instincts and talents are used to provide food and shelter for their descendants. It is precisely because they have their own family in their hearts that they have become experts with unique skills; some have become experts in weaving baskets with fine leaves. This one became a mason, building cement houses and gravel roofs; the other set up a ceramics workshop in Yujian, using cultivated soil to shape exquisite pointed-bottomed urns, jars and pot-bellied bottles... In terms of the richness and delicacy of maternal love, Comparable to the flower-eating bees, there are also various coprophagous insects that exploit garbage and purify grasslands polluted by livestock. Even though they work with feces for a living, they have a great reputation. A good figure, a simple but glossy coat. Exotic costumes are enough to make them shine. As soon as the scent of livestock dung dissipates, the coprophagous insects will smell the smell and all rush to the dung pile to collect and store food. The long limbs and claws made stiff and explosive movements, as if they were walking driven by a machine in the belly. A pair of small orange-red tentacles opened like a folding fan, revealing a salivating and anxious state of mind. look! Knocking over the guests at the banquet as soon as it arrives, it is the scarab beetle (also known as the scarab beetle), the largest and most famous of the coprophagous insects. There are six fine-pointed teeth lined up on the front edge of the crescent-shaped top shell. They are not only digging tools, cutting tools, but also forks for lifting and throwing away the non-nutritious plant fibers in the manure. The rake can also be used as a rake to remove delicious food. All the things were hugged. The first step in storing food for future generations or yourself is to select materials, remove impurities, gather them into piles, and then clear a place to make dung balls for storage. Next, what it has to do is transport the stored food to a safe place. Place. In this action, the scarab beetle's amazing skills are fully demonstrated. What is even more amazing is the scarab beetle's extraordinary digestive ability - as long as it keeps food in its shelter day and night, it will continue to eat until all the food reserves are consumed. (Volume 1 "Scarab")

For the hymenoptera insect with the highest skill attainment, the larvae rely on the adults for many things, but this does not promote the father to develop a superb skill, and the ability is low. Gotta be like a butterfly. But Sisyphus is an exception. Sisyphus is the smallest and most enthusiastic of the Coccidioides. It has nimble hands and feet, can do thrilling somersaults, and rolls downhill even more rapidly. After falling from the road that is difficult to walk, it often falls. Always try to climb up no matter what.

No one can match these unique skills. In life, both father and mother contribute equally, participating in the work of collecting and molding food for a larvae; he participates in transportation, although the role is only auxiliary; when mother goes to find a burrowing site, , he guarded the bread; he assisted in the excavation project, and he cleaned up the waste material pushed out of the ground to the outside of the cave entrance. Finally, he combined these qualities and was faithful to his spouse to a large extent. This is reflected in Insect societies are even rarer. Perhaps it is precisely because both sexes share the responsibility for family affairs that they can maintain a high fertility rate. (Volume 6 "The Insect of Sisyphus and the Paternal Instinct")

The most beautiful marriage, love and family among humans are even more unique in insect society. The taciturn Languedoc scorpion is boring to interact with, and its customs are shrouded in a thick veil of mystery. "Languedoc Scorpion's Marriage, Love and Family Volume 9" has unveiled this mysterious veil for us. The Languedoc scorpion has a long tail (actually the abdomen); a large-curved stinger, and a pair of pincers protruding from the mouth. In April, the cuckoo tried its mellow singing voice for the first time, while the scorpion, which had always kept its peace, had a revolution at this moment - they began to fall in love. They sang and danced and got to know each other. Look at the pair: the one with a big belly and dark color is the female scorpion, The relatively thin and pale ones are the male scorpions. They all twist their tails into beautiful spiral flowers and move with measured steps. They are walking along the base of the wall. After a few days of getting along like this, the couple got engaged and mated in a secluded and quiet place. It was a pure idyll, but tragedy was inevitable after all: the thin male scorpion paid the price of his life for love and turned into a dead soul - -The female scorpion cannibalized her lover. After a relatively long gestation period, the female scorpion lays eggs and the young are born. The female scorpion works hard to feed her children alone until the age of marriage, when the children go their separate ways.

Compared with the Languedoc scorpion, the carabid beetle handles love affairs very easily and quickly. In front of everyone, and without any need for emotion, a passing male pounces on a passing female. The female insect was held down by him and raised her head slightly, indicating that she was willing to accept it; then the knight waved his tentacles and slapped the opponent's nape with his fingers. As soon as the matter was over, the two immediately separated and ran to the dining table to have a light meal. Then, they each formed a good relationship. The same goes for newly formed couples. Afterwards, you and I find new love. After a big meal, there's a rough copulation; after a copulation, there's another big meal. After love has passed, cannibalism begins. The carabid beetle with a defective carapace is cannibalized by its brothers, and the male is also at the mercy of the female. The operation was done neatly, and no part of the limbs was removed, but the belly was hollowed out. In one respect, the golden beetle is similar to the Languedoc scorpion and the mantis. (Volume 10 "The Marriage Customs of Jinbujia")

Pretending to be dead is a common habit in insect society, but the author's observation tells us: there is no scheming at all when you are frozen and motionless, and even more so It's not pretending, it's a real state. The complex nervous reaction makes them temporarily fall into a state of immobility. Any emergency situation will make it extremely nervous, but another situation can relieve this state, especially when it is exposed to sunlight. The brutal and unscrupulous mutilation executioner - the large-headed black carabid beetle and the swarthy smoky black beetle is happy to pretend to be dead, while elytra insects, such as weevil beetles, goldsmith beetles, ladybugs, etc., will kill them for a few minutes or even seconds. The bells come back to life, and many insects, like Glitter Gidding, flatly refuse to play dead. Changing the topic, is the legendary white scorpion committing suicide true? However, the author's actual observation tells us: In fact, those who fabricated the scorpion's suicide were confused by its sudden loss of vitality. The scorpion was trapped in the high temperature surrounded by fires, became so angry that it convulsed and fell down. The scene deceived them. If they were not so gullible and had taken the scorpion out of the fire ring earlier, they would have seen that the "dead" scorpion has regained its vitality. It has no idea what suicide is.

When it comes to hunting, we have to mention the executioner mantis in a praying posture and the anesthesia master firefly. The praying mantis is wearing a wide green membrane, with its front paws raised to the sky, in a praying posture.

The contrasting scenery here always makes people feel fresh, and the rich and colorful plants breed a variety of animals, including insects. This may be the reason why the author has climbed Wangdu Peak more than twenty times and still enjoys it. Bar. (Volume 1 "Dengwang Dufeng")

(3) For articles of debate or discussion nature, the author either comments on a certain theory, or thinks about and laments a certain phenomenon.

With the lantern, there is just a circle of weak light. No matter how you move it, you can only see a small square tile spread out by the natural mosaic, the surroundings are blurred, and further away it is pitch black. Isn't this true of science? What it does is also illuminated by a lantern; it explores the endless mosaic layers by looking at the small square tiles bit by bit. The light supply was always low, and the transparency of the glass shade was so poor. But it doesn't matter. The man holding the lantern did not do anything in vain. After all, he walked ahead of others, discovered a point in the huge unknown system, and pointed out this discovery to others. We are surrounded by abyssal black holes of the unknown, but we should feel comfortable knowing that what we are destined to do is to expand the scope of the trivial realm of the known. (Volume 7 "Lamp Holding Thoughts")

Let’s talk about anomalies, which are exceptions that form a general rule for the whole. For example, insects have six legs. This is a general rule. As for the reason for its existence, we can take it calmly. Abnormality is not the case. It makes people anxious. Why is this? The larvae of the dung beetle have deformed and atrophied hind claws, and the front claws of the scarab beetle and its congeners, the broad-necked beetle, the broad-necked beetle and the smallpox beetle have no joints, which is a disability. The swamp grass weevil has only one claw at the end of its tarsus (normally there are two scale hook-like claws side by side). There is an Alpine grasshopper whose adult appearance is the same as that of the larvae, but it has no wings for flight. The female of Gram is even more bizarre. It is an insect of the order Lepidoptera, but even its basic characteristics - scales and wings are missing. It is unable to shed its skin and only stays in the form of a flesh insect... Abnormalities are numerous in the world of insects. Despite the abnormality of the five sepals of the rose plant - five brothers, two have beards, two have no beards, and the other half has a beard (note: the beard refers to the burrs on the surface of the piece), and suffers from neck sprains We can get some inspiration from Inka Lily, but there are far from convincing answers to the various anomalies in the insect world. (Volume 10 "On Abnormality")

Self-guided reading

1. The historical background of the work

"Insects" was published in the 1930s. At the end of the 19th century, natural science made great achievements. Among them, the theory of evolution, cell theory, and conservation of energy were called the three major discoveries of natural science in the 19th century. The theory of evolution has a particularly great influence. Darwin's theory of deformation and adaptation once became a "fashion" among scientific researchers in the biological world. At the same time, the philosophy of philosopher Bergson, who emphasized intuition, gradually became popular. The ideological content of Fabre's "Insects" is mainly influenced by these two trends of thought. He opposed Darwin's theory of transformation and adaptation, and emphasized instinct and intuition. His most famous view of "instinct is genius" is the best proof.

In addition to the scientific ideas of the work, Fabre's "Insects" is also a work with beautiful writing and unique style. This is not unrelated to the tradition of writing scientific research results into literary works that was prevalent in France in the 18th and 19th centuries. France 18. In the 19th century, there were countless biologists who were keen to write their scientific research results into literary works. The most typical founder among them was Buffon. The famous saying "Style is man" came from Buffon's writing. His intention was that if the style of the work is unique, even if his work is surpassed by later researchers in terms of scientific thought, his work will still be passed down to future generations. Fabre was undoubtedly influenced by Buffon, and he made a lot of contributions to the style of the article, resulting in today's "Insects", which is simple and unique in style. 2. The status and influence of the work

"Insects" is a work handed down from generation to generation by Fabre, an outstanding French entomologist and litterateur in the 19th century. It is also an immortal world famous work. Whether in the history of French natural science or literature, "Insects" occupies a high position. 'The situation it records is authentic, reliable, detailed and profound; the writing is concise and clear, so it is very popular among readers.

Its writing style is simple, interesting and unique, so it can become a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation. Once each volume of "Insects" was published, it won the favor of many readers not only in France, but also in European countries and around the world. The author's name is already well known to readers, and the literary community calls him the "Virgil of the Insect World" and selects him as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Unfortunately, before the Nobel Prize Committee decided on the final result, this great poet who praised insects and the "Virgil of the Insect World" passed away in peace. But until this century, "Insects" still has a wide influence, and selected volumes of "Insects" are also published from time to time. The book "Insects" selected and translated by Wang Guang that we introduce to readers quickly won the favor of readers for its faithfulness to the original style and expressive features once it was published. It once occupied the top of the bestseller list in major bookstores across the country, and even more It is the first choice gift for many parents for their children. A Collection of Wonderful Languages

No matter how far our lighting lamps can project light, the surrounding areas of the lighting garden are still blocking the darkness.

No matter who you are, as long as you regard science itself as a daily need, then you are destined to obey this law of balance.

For humans, discovering a new dish is more important than discovering a new planet.

Tools do not determine the type of skill, and the quality of the tool does not determine the quality of the worker. Recommended highlights

"A thousand theories are not as good as one fact", the author starts from the Peloponnese bees who are willing to frequently break into people's houses, and points out that science requires a lot of observation. Observation is not enough for us; Experiments must be done--that is, personally involved in them, artificially creating certain conditions that force the animal to reveal to us things that it would not tell us in its normal course. In the article, the arguments are substantial and the discussion is incisive. The author uses concise language to explain the role of experiments in scientific research.

"Feelings of Holding a Lamp" is also a discussion article, but this time the author starts from looking at the night scene with a lantern. The lantern can only illuminate a square tile in the natural mosaic pavement and connects it to scientific exploration. : The man holding the lantern did not do anything in vain. After all, he walked ahead of others, discovered a point in the huge unknown system, and pointed this discovery to others. We are surrounded by an abyss of the unknown, and what we are destined to do is to expand the realm of the insignificant known.

In "Firefly Meal Preparation", unlike the mantis hunting, the firefly uses anesthesia to deal with the snail. To be more precise, it is a quick-acting anesthesia. As soon as the firefly "takes action", the snail immediately falls into a state of numbness. The next step is to start quietly and quietly. Its attacking movements are quick and gentle, leaving no chance for the snail to contract. Version introduction