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A DAY WITH A PARTRIDGE FAMILY
與鷓鴣一家在一起的一天
ERNEST THOMPSON SETON
歐內(nèi)斯特·湯普森·西頓
Perhaps you have thought that the wild creatures of the woods and fields do nothing all day
或許你認為，樹林和田野里的野生動物整天無所事事,
but eat and frisk carelessly about.
只會吃和無憂無慮地四處蹦跶。
But their lives are quite different from that.
但它們的生活與你想得很不同。
When they are still very young, they begin to learn how to find food and how to hide from their enemies.
它們從很小的時候就開始學習怎樣覓食以及怎樣躲避敵人。
This story tells how some baby partridges, toddling after their mother, met with a dangerous adventure.
這個故事講述了鷓鴣寶寶跟著媽媽蹣跚學步時，遇到的一次冒險經(jīng)歷。
HOW MOTHER PARTRIDGE FOOLED THE FOX
鷓鴣媽媽如何愚弄狐貍
Down the side of Taylor's Hill Mother Partridge led her baby chicks toward the meadow and the sparkling brook.
鷓鴣媽媽帶領著她的寶寶沿著泰勒山的一邊向草地和波光粼粼的小溪走去。
The little partridges were only one day old, but they were already quick on foot,
雖然小鷓鴣們剛出生一天，但是它們已經(jīng)能快速地走路了。
and their mother was taking them for the first time to drink.
這是媽媽第一次帶它們?nèi)ズ人?/div>
Mother Partridge walked slowly, for the woods were full of enemies.
鷓鴣媽媽走得很慢，因為這片樹林里到處都是敵人。
From her throat came a soft cluck.
她從喉嚨里發(fā)出溫柔的咯咯聲。
It was a call to the little balls of down who came toddling after heron their tiny pink legs.
那是她在呼喚這些“小絨球”，它們用粉紅色的小腿兒蹣跚地跟在她后面。
They peeped softly if they were left even a few inches behind.
如果它們被落下，哪怕是幾英寸遠，它們都輕聲唧唧叫。
There were twelve of them, but Mother Partridge watched them all.
它們一共有12只，鷓鴣媽媽把它們都看管起來。
She also watched every bush and tree, and the whole woods, and the sky itself.
她還得觀察每一棵灌木和大樹，整個樹林和天空。
Always this mother was looking for enemies,
鷓鴣媽媽一直在尋找敵人，
and an enemy she found when she reached the edge of the wooded slope.
當她到達一個長滿樹木的斜坡邊上時，發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個敵人。
Across the meadow she could see a fox.
在草地的那邊，她看見了一只狐貍。
He was coming toward her and her brood,
他正朝著她和她的寶寶們走來，
and in a few moments would be close enough to catch their scent in the wind.
再過一會兒，他就會聞到它們在風中的氣味。
The mother partridge knew that there was not a minute to lose.
鷓鴣媽媽知道片刻也耽誤不得。
"Krrr! Krrr!" (Hide! Hide!) cried the mother in a low voice;
“哈瑞！哈瑞！”（藏起來！藏起來！）媽媽低聲叫道。
and the tiny partridges, hardly bigger than acorns and only one day old, scattered a few inches apart to hide.
于是，小鷓鴣們分散著藏了起來，它們才出生一天，幾乎沒有橡樹籽大。
One hid under a leaf, another ran between two roots,
一只鷓鴣藏在一片樹葉下，一只跑到兩條樹根之間，
a third crawled into a hole, and so on, until all were hidden but one.
另一只爬進了一個洞里……除了一只，其他的都藏好了。
This one could find no hiding-place;
這一只找不到藏身之地，
so he squatted on a broad, yellowish brown chip of wood and lay very flat and still.
就趴在一塊泛黃的棕色寬木片上，它壓低身子待在那里一動也不動。
Then he closed his eyes tight, feeling sure that now he was safe from being seen.
然后，小鷓鴣緊緊地閉上了眼睛，確信現(xiàn)在自己安全了，不會被發(fā)現(xiàn)。
And he was nearly right; for he looked almost like the chip itself.
因為他看起來幾乎和木片一樣。
One by one the little partridges stopped their frightened peeping, and all was still.
小鷓鴣們相繼停止了害怕的唧唧聲，都一動也不動。
