Lesson 4 The tailor-bird
第四課 縫葉鶯
The birds in a tropical forest are exposed to many dangers;
熱帶森林的鳥兒時刻處於各種危險之中；
and if they were not gifted with instinct, they would soon fall victims to their enemies.
如果它們沒有天賦本能，很快就會落入天敵的魔爪，丟了性命。
The monkeys are lying in wait for their eggs; and so is the snake, that glides stealthily amongst the bushes.
猴子們暗中伏擊它們的鳥蛋, 躲在灌木叢中悄悄滑動的蛇，也在覬覦它們的鳥蛋。
The mother bird knows very well what she has to expect, if either of these cunning foes should find entrance into her nest;
如果這些狡猾的敵人其中一個找到巢的入口，進入鳥巢，鳥媽媽比誰都清楚可怕的後果是什麼。
and she generally contrives to conceal it so skilfully, that neither snake nor monkey can find it.
所以通常來說，鳥媽媽會把鳥巢的入口，設計地非常巧妙又隱蔽，以至於蛇和猴子都無法找到它。
The tailor-bird of India is no bigger than the hummingbird, and has a long slender bill, which she uses as a needle.
印度的縫葉鶯比蜂鳥還小，它長著細長的鳥喙，可以當針一樣使用。
She is very timid and cautious, and will not hang her nest, as many birds do, to the end of abough.
它很膽小謹慎，不會像許多其他鳥類那樣，在高懸的大樹上築巢。
She fancies that it would not be safe even there.
它甚至想，即使是一根大樹枝也不安全。
She therefore fastens it to the leaf itself;
因此，它把巢和樹葉非常小心地連接緊固住，
and so carefully that no one can see it.
這樣誰也發現不了鳥巢。
First of all she picks up a dead leaf from the ground,
首先，它從地上叼起一片枯葉，
and then, with her needle and thread (her needle being her bill, and her thread the fibres of a plant),
然後，用它的針和線（針就是她的喙，線就是植物纖維），
she sews the dead leaf to the side of a living one, and in the space between she makes her nest.
把枯葉和活的葉子邊緣縫起來，形成一個空間，在裡面它就可以放心築巢了。
Small as the space is, it is quite large enough for the tiny eggs she lays;
裡面空間雖小，但產下的卵非常小，巢裡足夠裝得下它們；
and she lines it with gossamer, that the little tailor-birds may feel themselves quite snug and comfortable.
然後縫葉鶯用蛛絲把這些葉子做的鳥巢排成一排，這樣幼鳥會感到相當溫暖舒適。
The leaf, with the nest sewed into it, swings about in the wind as it did before,
這些被縫補進鳥巢的葉子，像以前還長在樹枝上一樣，隨風搖擺，
for the weight of the bird does not draw it down.
裡面的鳥兒是那麼輕，鳥巢也不會掉下來。
（276單詞）
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