海底兩萬里 第497期 第31章 章魚(4)
There were American triggerfish for which nature has ground only black and white pigments, feather-shaped gobies that were long and plump with yellow fins and jutting jaws, sixteen-decimeter mackerel with short, sharp teeth, covered with small scales, and related to the albacore species. Next came swarms of red mullet corseted in gold stripes from head to tail, their shining fins all aquiver, genuine masterpieces of jewelry, formerly sacred to the goddess Diana, much in demand by rich Romans, and about which the old saying goes: "He who catchesthem doesn't eat them!" Finally, adorned with emerald ribbons and dressed in velvet and silk, golden angelfishpassed before our eyes like courtiers in the paintings of Veronese; spurred gilthead stole by with their swiftthoracic fins; thread herring fifteen inches long were wrapped in their phosphorescent glimmers; gray mullet thrashed the sea with their big fleshy tails; red salmon seemed to mow the waves with their slicing pectorals; and silver moonfish, worthy of their name, rose on the horizon of the waters like the whitish reflections of many moons.
還有一些大自然給它們涂上黑白顏色的美洲箭魚；一些長16公分、鰭部黃色、頜部突出、牙齒尖短、覆蓋著小鱗片的身長肉豐的鯖魚，它們屬于白脂鯖的一種。此外，還出現(xiàn)了成群結(jié)隊(duì)的羊魚，它們從頭部到尾部纏著一條條金帶，搖動(dòng)著閃亮的鰭，真像以前珠寶店奉給狄安娜的精品，羅馬的貴族們對(duì)其尤為熱衷，曾有一句諺語說：“捉到了就別吃了！”最后是披著翠綠色帶紋的金黃色蘋果鰭魚，它們披著絲綢外衣像維羅尼德斯筆下的老爺們一樣從我們眼前掠過；還有迅速擺動(dòng)胸鰭匆匆而過的多刺鯛魚；長15英寸，被自己發(fā)出的磷光包，圍著的磷光魚東魚；用多肉的大尾巴拍打青海水的鰩魚；好像在用尖利的胸，鰭把水波切開的紅色鮭魚；和名副其實(shí)的銀白色月亮魚，它們從海平面上躍出來，宛如一彎射出淡白色月光的月芽。
How many other marvelous new specimens I still could have observed if, little by little, the Nautilus hadn't settled to the lower strata!
如果不是“鸚鵡螺號(hào)”船只慢慢地潛入深海層中，我還能觀察到無數(shù)其他新異的魚類呢！
