老托93篇 No.37 鸟类标本

We've just seen two contemporary large birds that cannot fly: the emu and the ostrich. 

我们刚刚看过了不能飞的两种现代的大型鸟类：鸸鹋和鸵鸟

Over here is an interesting specimen from the past. 

在这边还有来自过去的一种有趣的标本。

This stuffed animal is not the giant penguin it appears to be, but an auk.

这个填充玩具动物并不是它看上去那样的巨型企鹅，而是一只海雀。

This particular kind of auk is very rare, only 78 skins are known to exist and most are not preserved as well as this one. 

这种特殊种类的海雀非常稀有，据了解只有78具皮囊存在，而且大多数没有被保存的像这一个一样好。

The great auk, as you can see, was a rather large bird, and it couldn't fly either. 

这个大海雀，正如你所看到的，是一只相当巨大的鸟，而且它也不能飞。

However, evidence suggests that the auk was an excellent swimmer and diver. 

不管怎样，证据表明海雀是一个优秀的游泳者和潜水者。

Unfortunately, those abilities did not protect it from being easy prey for hungry sailors who years ago sailed the very cold and often icy waters of Greenland, Iceland, and Scotland. 

不幸的是，这些能力并没有防止它成为多年前航行在非常寒冷而且经常结冰的Greenland, Iceland, 和 Scotland的水域的饥饿的水手们容易捕获的猎物。

In fact, records indicate that the auk was rather tasty and that its eggs.

事实上，记录指出海雀相当的美味可口并且它的蛋，

Excuse me . . . that its eggs and feathers were useful as well. 

对不起……它的蛋和羽毛也同样有用。

Still, it isn't clear what other factors led to the big bird's demise around 1844, the last time anyone reported seeing one. 

仍然，尚不清楚其他什么原因导致这种大鸟（在大约1844年）消亡，最后一次有人报告见到一只（是在大约1844年）。

Of course, we believe it's important to take extra precautions to preserve the remaining great auk skins. 

当然，我们相信采取额外的措施来保护剩余的大海雀的皮囊是非常重要的。

After all, these specimens should prove invaluable for future scientific research. 

毕竟，对未来的科学研究而言这些标本应该是无价的。

Does anyone have any questions before we move on to our next bird exhibit?

在我们转移到我们接下来的鸟类展览之前，任何人有任何问题吗？