一位神經(jīng)稍微銳敏一點的貝殼類專家,到了另一些陳列軟體類動物標本的玻璃柜面前,一定要高興得發(fā)昏了。
There I saw a collection of incalculable value that I haven't time to describe completely.
我這里看見的這一套標本,簡直是無價之寶,時間不允許我一一加以描寫。
Among these exhibits I'll mention, just for the record:
在這些珍品中,我僅僅為了備忘起見舉出數(shù)種:
an elegant royal hammer shell from the Indian Ocean, whose evenly spaced white spots stood out sharply against a base of red and brown;
首先是美麗的印度洋的王槌貝,貝身上的規(guī)律白點襯著紅棕色的底子,鮮明突出。
an imperial spiny oyster, brightly colored, bristling with thorns, aspecimen rare to European museums, whose value I estimated at 20,000 francs;
其次,棘皮王風,顏色鮮艷,全身長著棘刺,是歐洲博物館中罕有的品種,我估計它的價值為兩萬法郎。
a common hammer shell from the seas near Queensland, very hard to come by;
其次,新荷蘭島海中的普通糙貝,這種貝很不容易捕獲。
exotic cockles from Senegal, fragile white bivalve shells that a single breath could pop like a soap bubble;
其次,塞內(nèi)加爾島的奇異唇貝,這貝的兩片脆酥白殼好像是肥皂泡,一吹就要消散似的。
several varieties of watering-pot shell from Java, a sort of limestone tube fringed with leafy folds and much fought over by collectors.
其次,幾種爪哇偽噴水壺形貝,這種貝像是邊緣有葉狀皺紋的石灰質(zhì)的管子,最為愛好貝殼的人所歡迎。