2020 的每一天，讀一個與自然相關的故事
美國爬蟲學者Marty Crump年前出版了日曆形式的《自然的祕密絮語》，講述了366個和自然相關的故事。書中涉獵範圍廣闊，由動物、昆蟲物種行為，音樂、英國浪漫主義詩歌到生態運動，甚至一些越南、埃及等地的古老傳說。Marty 結合紮實的學術知識、社會的現況、自然美學和民俗傳說，寫成了三百多篇小文章，讓讀者讀起來毫無負擔，此書可說上是博物學的入門書籍。
專門研究兩棲動物和爬行動物的她，亦是首個對熱帶兩棲類動物進行長期生態研究的專家。擁有學術背景卻沒有令她的文字如同論文般枯燥，反之她活用日常細節來作起始，比如以埃及人如何祟拜貓、貓女神的習俗，尼斯湖水怪的傳說來講保育運動，透過釀蘑菇的食物講蘑菇的生殖故事。
縱然文章大都以知識普及為主，但有些篇幅亦顯出了作者熱愛自然，想要捍衛物種的稜角。比如寫美國每年7月的第二個星期五的「感謝牛日」，作者寫牛如何被歌頌，製成的產品如何被廣泛運用，最後則諷刺人類卻選擇吃牛扒慶祝當日；或是英國BBC選出刺蝟作為國家象徵動物時，人們卻怕被要求其棲地成為保護區。被尊為「長江女神」的白鰭豚，又如何在2006年的中國繁忙的河道交通中「被絕種」。
這本書非常適合放在床邊，在失眠或賴床的時候閱讀一兩個增長知識。
A Nature Story A Day in 2020
Marty Crump, an American herpetologist published an almanac that tells 366 different stories about nature – “A Year with Nature: An Almanac”. The book combines science, aesthetics and history, from species behaviours, music, Romanticism poetry to environmental movements, and even ancient sayings from places like Vietnam and Egypt. Although the book covers many topics, by providing 366 shorter essays, Crump writes in a way that makes the topics and stories engaging and effortless to read. The book is a must-read for those who are new to natural history.
As an expert in amphibians and reptiles, Crump is also the first to conduct long-term research on tropical amphibians. Crump engages readers with stories that are relatable and filled with details about everyday living, such as how the Egyptians worshipped cats and cat goddesses, and unique stories such as the legends of the Loch Ness Monster to talk about the conservation movement, or the reproduction of mushrooms through making stuffed mushrooms to eat.
Some book chapters demonstrate Marty’s passion about nature and provide ways to protect animal species while shedding light on some human hypocrisies. For example, every second Friday in July is Cow Appreciation Day in the U.S. and the book describes how people express their thankfulness to cows but ironically will have steak for dinner to celebrate the day. When the BBC announced the hedgehog as the national animal of the UK, people only cared that their own living habitat would become protected areas and cause inconvenience to their lives. Another example is how “the Goddess of Yangtze”, the Baiji, is driven to extinction in one of the world’s busiest waterways in 2016.
This bedside book is perfect for sleepless nights or lazy mornings when you feel like gaining more knowledge in bed.