安第斯蜂鸟
Agyrtria taczanowskii
Agyrtria taczanowskii
Taczanowski’s Emerald
- 中文名
- 安第斯蜂鸟
- 学名
- Agyrtria taczanowskii
- 合集
- 古尔德蜂鸟图谱
- 绘者
- John Gould(约翰·古尔德)
- 年代
- 1887
- 图版号
- Pl. 412, Suppl. Vol.
- 原书页码
- p.412
- 授权
- CC0 1.0 Universal (Public domain)
十观
- 纵幅 1.35∶1
第一眼
江馆清秋,晨起看竹,烟光日影露气,皆浮动于疏枝密叶之间。
—— 清·郑板桥《题画竹》
郑板桥说他画竹,是先看见“烟光日影露气”在枝叶间浮动,才动手。看画时找这一层空气,比记住花的名字更要紧。这一幅是竖的:眼睛从下往上走,落点在中段那只鸟身上。先别急着看羽毛,让姿态先立起来。第二步凑近一寸:看线与色的交界,色有没有压住线,线有没有断。第三步,把视线放到最深的那一小块:整幅的用色秩序,都是从那里排开的。
名与实
学名 Agyrtria taczanowskii:前一词是属,管它归在哪一类;后一词是种加词,管它在这一类里凭什么与众不同。名字是通行证,也是懒办法——记住两个词,就抓住了一整个物种。中文名“安第斯蜂鸟”是后人据学名回译的通行叫法,与古书里的旧名未必对得上——名与物之间,总隔着一层翻译。
形与色
蜂鸟为美洲最小之鸟,喙细长如针,舌分叉成管,可伸入花心吸蜜;翼小而振频极高,能悬停、能倒飞。此幅未作色相归档,只能就形制论。看羽:先看覆羽的层次,再看飞羽的排列,最后才看颜色——颜色是最后才被注意到的部分。
构图与呼吸
画幅高而窄,鸟栖在枝的中段,上下留白多——十九世纪鸟谱的标准版式,留给它飞走的余地。全幅只画一只,不作解剖附图——这类图更近于“观赏”,而非“鉴定”。老图谱爱把主株摆在偏中线的位置,左右留得不一样多:这一点偏心,正是画面活起来的原因。
一刀一色
十九世纪后半叶,石版与彩色石印渐成主流:颜色可以直接印出,不再依赖手工,线条反倒退居其次。图像的“准确”提高了,手性却淡了。先判断它是“印”的还是“画”的,再谈好不好看——这是看老版画最实用的一条规矩。想动笔临它的人记住一句:先铺大块的形与色,干后再收细部;石印的柔和层次来自薄涂与网点,水彩分两三遍淡铺即可逼近。
诗境
夫列子御风而行,泠然善也,旬有五日而后反。
—— 《庄子·逍遥游》
蜂鸟悬停于空,不落不飞,最近于“御风”。庄子说的是一种自由的姿态,蜂鸟把它做成了生理事实。诗以气行,画以形立;两种“看”叠在一起,才是看画的意思。
花语
阿兹特克以蜂鸟为战神与太阳的化身;欧洲维多利亚时代则以蜂鸟为收藏与装饰的极致,百万只羽毛被做成胸饰。中国旧籍无此鸟,故无象征——这空白本身,就是一部博物学交流史。象征多半来自形状与气味:像杯的、像泪的、香的、臭的——先有形状,后有意义。
时与地
温带种类的蜂鸟则随花北迁,一年往返数千公里。仅产美洲,自阿拉斯加南部至火地岛,以安第斯山最为繁盛。中土无蜂鸟,汉籍不载,晚清海外游记始见其名。图上所记的 1887 年是刊行之年,不是采到那只鸟的年份;真正的观察记录通常比出版早一两年。看叶的老嫩、花与果是否同在枝上,季节便八九不离十;看题名里藏着的地名,来路也猜得出七分。
书与人
《古尔德蜂鸟图谱》只署了约翰·古尔德一个人的名字。图版今属公有领域,可以自由取用;但纸上那层手工上色,仍是两百年前某一个人的手。
带走一双眼睛
下次看鸟,别急着认名:先看它停的姿态,再看羽色在哪一段最深,最后才翻图鉴——顺序一换,看鸟就从“对答案”变成了“看画”。1887 年的那只鸟早已化作尘土,它留在纸上的样子,却比任何一只活着的同类都长寿。
关于本图版
本图选自约翰·古尔德的《古尔德蜂鸟图谱》(Gould's Hummingbirds),原书 1849—1887 年间出版。安第斯蜂鸟(Agyrtria taczanowskii)是本图的主角,在分类体系中列于蜂鸟科(Trochilidae)。
该合集全编共 421 幅图版,此图为其中之一,图版编号 Pl. 412, Suppl. Vol.,对应原书第 412 页,版式为纵幅。扫描件取自公有领域原件,经高分辨率修复与色彩校正,可按原大放大查看线条与设色。
原书文字(英文 / 法文)
This species was described by Dr. Sclater from a specimen procured by Stolzmann at Guajango, in Peru.
It is allied to Agyrtria viridiceps of Gould, but has a much stronger bill and an even tail, and the spots on the throat are much smaller. Mr. Stolzmann met with the species both at Guajango and Calacate. At the latter place, he writes, “it is common, visiting the male flowers of the banana trees. It affects the same places as Cyanomyia cyanicollis. When perching on the dry leaves of the bananas it utters its song, composed of couplets in four tones, three or four times repeated in succession. Often when I have been working in front of my door, one of these Hamming-birds has come to catch the mosquitoes, which are very abundant in that locality. As I stood still, the bird came so close to me that I could feel the wind on my face, produced by the vibration of its wing. I thus had the opportunity of observing the manner in which it seized the mosquitoes, and I am astonished to see that Burmeister denies this habit in the Humming-birds.
“At Guajango, in the valley of the Marañon, this species is rare, but I have seen it several times about the flowers of the Agave.”
Dr. Taczanowski further adds that a specimen is in Dr. Raimondi’s collection from Paucal. Count von Berlepsch believes that the species ought to be separated generically, as its form differs widely from that of the members of the genus Agyrtria.
The following is a translation of Dr. Sclater’s original description:—
More metallic green, with a coppery gloss on the head; the feathers ashy underneath; wings dusky, the coverts like the back; the tail equal, uniform with the back, with a coppery tinge towards the tip, underneath dusky, coppery green towards the tip; the under surface of the body white, washed with pale ashy ou the sides, and especially on the vent; the whole of the throat covered with tiny heart-shaped spots of shining green; the bill strong and slightly curved.
[R. B. S.]
References
- Thaumasius taczanowskii, Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1879, p. 146. —Tacz. tom. cit. p. 239.-—Id. Proce. Zool. Soc. 1880, p. 208.
- Leucolia taczanowskii, Eudes-Deslongchamps, Cat. Deser. Trochil. i. p. 301.
- Thaumatias taczanowskii, Tacz. Orn. Pérou, i. p. 405 (1884).