草丛中有蛇不一定是坏事

Asa boy, I had the privilege of growing up in small towns, where forests andfields were not too far from our back door. A sense of wonder and respect fornature came from climbing trees and building hideouts.

我小时候曾生活在小镇，离家不远处就是森林。登高爬梯让我知道要尊敬自然。

Withthat came curiosity about other creatures. My stepdad grew up on a farm, and mygrandmother used to bring me small snakes she caught such as rat snakes or cornsnakes.

我对动物也充满好奇。我的继父在农场长大，我的奶奶曾经把抓到的蛇送给我。

Iwould keep the snakes in a cage for a few weeks before releasing them, feedingthem bits of meat and letting them curl around my arm. They felt like smooth, coolleather, not unpleasant at all.

我会把蛇养在笼子里，喂它们肉，让它们爬到我的胳膊上。蛇的触感好像光滑凉爽的毛皮，并没有不适感。几周以后我会让它们回归大自然。

Asa young man, I had a few encounters with some of the venomous snakes of NorthAmerica, including a big rattlesnake in Texas, a copperhead in Arkansas and abrightly colored but deadly coral snake in Florida.

小时候我曾碰到过北美洲的一些毒蛇，包括德克萨斯州的响尾蛇、阿肯色州的铜斑蛇和佛罗里达州的彩色珊瑚毒蛇。

InChina, I have spent more time in cities than in the countryside, and have neverseen a snake here. I do know that snakes play an important role in Chineseculture, such as in mythology and traditional medicine. Some snakes are bottledwith wine.

不过我在中国主要生活在城市里，也从来没见过蛇。我知道蛇在神话和中药等中国文化中的重要地位，一些蛇还可以做酒。

Oneof the zodiac signs of the lunar calendar, snakes represent many qualities inChinese culture, including evil, craftiness and luck. In the famous “Tale ofthe White Snake”, Bai Suzhen, a snake spirit in the form of a woman, marriesand has a son with a human. A magical monk bent on revenge reveals the woman'strue form to the man, Xu Xian, who is shocked. Eventually, the monk is defeatedand true love wins.

蛇是十二生肖之一，代表邪恶、狡诈和幸运。著名的《白蛇传》就讲了蛇精嫁给凡人的故事。白蛇被法海现了原形，吓到许仙。不过最终法海被打败，真爱获胜。

Chinais home to many snakes, including the beautiful but deadly king cobra, whichcan reach over 5 meters -- the longest venomous snake in the world -- and caninject a large amount of a powerful neurotoxin, enough to kill an elephant.

中国盛产很多蛇，包括身长可达五米的眼镜王蛇。这种世界最长的毒蛇的毒液可以杀死一头大象。

I'velearned that snakes vary widely depending on which country or even which partof a country you're in. Since we have travel to Central America to visitfamily, I have joined several snake identification and education groups onlineto learn more about snakes in Panama and Costa Rica.

不同国家甚至地区的蛇都不一样。我们曾去中美洲探亲，在那里我加入了多个蛇类在线教育团体，学习了巴拿马和哥斯达黎加境内蛇类的知识。

Amongthe most feared is the “terciopelo”, or velvet snake, a large viper with an"X" pattern on its body and part of the fer-de-lance, or lance head,group. Aside from its venom, a strong hemotoxin that destroys blood and flesh,it is dangerous because it doesn't mind living close to people.

其中天鹅绒蛇最为可怕。这种大蟒蛇的身上有X型的花纹。它的毒液可以摧毁血液和肌肉，而且不怕人。

Butone of the remarkable things I've found online is how many fans snakes have. Oneof the recurring themes in the groups is that people should not automaticallykill snakes out of misunderstanding or ignorance.

不过网络告诉我，蛇有很多人类粉丝。我参加的教育团体里，反复宣讲人类不要出于误解和无知主动杀蛇。

Theypoint out that snakes are important in nature's balance and help to controlpests like rodents.

他们指出蛇类是自然平衡的重要一员，可以控制啮齿类动物的数量。

Theysay many nonvenomous snakes eat venomous ones. But they also advocateretreating from venomous snakes or moving them -- preferably from a distance,as with a water hose -- rather than killing them. They admiringly refer topictured snakes as "cute" and "a beauty". One site has a"baby snake of the day" feature.

他们说很多无毒蛇吃有毒蛇。建议人们远离毒蛇，或者在保持一定距离的情况下，把它们挪走，而不要杀了它们。它们把图中的蛇叫“小可爱”和“美人”。一个蛇类网站有“今日蛇宝宝”专栏。

Whilemy enthusiasm may not have reached quite the same heights, I have gained moreappreciation for these magnificent creatures. I plan to try to stay away fromthe venomous ones and, as much as possible, live and let live.

虽然我对蛇的兴趣没这么高涨，但我学会更加认同这种生物。我会远离毒蛇，尽量井水不犯河水。