I Am Not a Naturalist

Baiqi Town is located in the mountains of Liaodong， where the writer Xue Tao is stationed. Based on his daily work and life experience， Xue Tao observed the ecological environment and natural creatures around the town， recording the living habits of many birds， insects， other animals and plants. The book is also a biography of the residents of Baiqi Town， as he integrated both himself and the residents into the book. During the two years here， Xue Tao spent 730 days and travelled 20，000 kilometers， discovering 1，118 kinds of creatures and finally finishing this natural dictionary of Baiqi Town. From the perspective of both nature and humanity， this work is a philosophical essay on the theme of nature with the author’s unique life experience.

I Am Not a Naturalist

Xue Tao

Anhui Children’s Publishing House

June 2023

32.00 (CNY)

Xue Tao

Xue Tao is a brain worker who advocates physical labor. He is also a “reckless” birdwatcher. He is currently living in the mountainous area of Liaodong with a charming puppy， working on rural revitalization. He reads and writes in his spare time. He has published more than sixty books and won more than thirty awards， among which， September Is Frozen， Footprint， Across the River， The Small Fortress， The Little Goat Walks Across the Field， The Sand and the Stardust， Birchbark Boat， etc.， have been translated into more than a dozen languages and published overseas.

White Wagtail

Passeriformes order， Wagtail family

The white wagtail first appeared in early spring though I couldn’t find the exact date in my diary. It hovered in the middle of Xuefen’s field for a few minutes， and then flew up the south hill with a chirping call.

When I saw it again， there were three of them. They were skimming over Mr. Liu’s house and Mr. Yu’s house like waves， landing on the top of my plum tree and the shoveller’s ginkgo， staying for a few seconds， and flying hurriedly off to the back street.

They are always rushing from here to there and back again. This repetitive journey， different from that of the pheasants， certainly has nothing to do with the autumn harvest. What are they up to?

Moving from here to there， from there back to here， from one second to the next， and from the next second to the next day， that’s the task. It’s the task that needs to be done urgently. Is it worth the hustle? Well， if the white wagtail thinks it’s worth it， it is the way.

A life of inaction is also a life. When it keeps running， the lustre of life is not to be despised.

White wagtail is also known as “the white shake，” the white-faced bird， and “the lark touching the water.” Among all of them， my favourite name is “Zhang Fei Bird”， which has a powerful charisma.

Most of the birds are in a hurry and seem to be on an important mission. Yes! Its demeanor is not exaggerated. It may carry a seed or a number of seeds somewhere， from the forest area to the field， from the field to the desert. I would be very chagrined when a pile of bird droppings hit me on the head. Yet， for a seed， the hit is a strike of luck.

Congratulations! You have just arrived at White Flag Town， where all creatures are fit to grow.

Crested Mynah

Sturnidae order， Passeriformes family

The mynah is the only caged bird in this book. I have tried several times to help it break out of its cage by secretly consulting with Mr. Yu. But so far， I haven’t carried out any of those well-thought-out plans.

It is a bird raised by my neighbour， Mr. Liu. His wife works outside of the town and rarely comes home. The mynah is Liu’s companion. Ms. Guan has been holding a grudge， hoping that Liu will release it back into the wild. But she doesn’t understand how lonely Liu is. Only someone who lives alone can understand his loneliness， and that person is me.

In the spring， the mynah chirps ceaselessly， eagerly communicating with the free-flying birds outside the cage. It either talks to a bird of its own kind or argues with other birds. Sometimes， it also talks to itself in boredom. Compared to the birds outside the cage that are free and loose， its chirping is more deliberate and aggressive. When Yingjun and I were chatting in the yard， it interjected. I have to admit that it is good at creating an atmosphere of banter. I often wonder if it would be cheered up when we were getting happy.

When it loses its freedom to fly， it cherishes the freedom to sing. If there is still the freedom to sing， then the birdcage is not a cage， but a safety barrier. Stray cats are always stepping around and staring at the mynah in the cage， but the mynah is never alarmed， talking and singing as usual. Its “freedom” is so powerful that you can do nothing about it.

As summer comes， the mynah falls silent. It might be tired， as its talking and singing never get a warm response. The birds outside the cage fly around， seldom noticing the cage.

Occasionally I could hear it chirping a few times， with no other meaning than indirect proof of still being alive and the strength to make itself heard. It just got tired and wasn’t keen anymore.

After a long time in the cage， the obsession of freedom eventually faded away.

The inevitable result of thinking about life is to doubt it.

Cicadas

Insects of Cicadidae order， Hemiptera family

Every child in White Flag town knows that a cicada is a Zhi Liao.

As the temperature rises， there is less bird song and more insect song. Birds prefer to sing about spring. Who wants to sing the praises of a scorching summer? A lunar halo appeared on the night of the 11th of July， putting a huge collar over the South Mountain. The puppy let out a few growls towards it， offering a serious warning. The insects continue to chirp， regardless of this mountain idleness.

Summer is the stage for the bugs， and it is the cicadas who are the lead singers. The cicada sings loudly， but their sound is just too monotonous to convey any warmth and emotion. Anyway， it’s like a product of the collision of metal objects. As a result， cicadas’ songs can be seen as mass-produced in moulds rather than being artefacts like birdsong. However， there is no bird that could hold a cicada’s tongue. Instead， it must be the cicadas that shut up the birds.

The cicada sings incessantly， entirely to other cicadas. It cannot hear its own song. Then， it does not know how mind-numbing its own song is. This is the physiological basis for the cicada’s obsessive confidence and incessant singing.

Cicadas also fly in the sky， but their ability to fly barely supports their weight. They may fall mid-flight. One cicada fell on a table， and then its struggle resulted in its falling to the floor. The puppy rushed over and ate it. Another cicada was lucky enough to be picked up by Mr. Yu and thrown to a high place. It resumed its flight without incident and disappeared when it reached the roof， too shy to express any thanks.

The armour is thick， but the skin is thin.

Spiders

Araneae order， Arachnida

Most of the stories we learn about spiders have something to do with webs.

The cherry-apple tree in the south-east corner of the yard is not very tall， with only three or five flowers blossoming in the spring. It has been struggling. On the 16th of August， this tree became important as it provided a place for a spider to make its web. I wanted to tell the tree that the spider was called “Nephila clavata.” What a strange name! Yet， maybe it’s not worth mentioning to a tree.

The web of this so-called “new bride” is a little messy and not very well formed， but it glitters with gold. Isn’t it too fancy， just like its fancy appearance? Well， it’s expensive in the eyes of mankind but I have never seen the fruits of its hunt. Since the spider never starved to death， it looks like its golden web was not built in vain.

The date， 1st September 2022， marked the first anniversary of my arrival in White Flag Town. However， I kept it quiet and held no celebration. A big-bellied garden spider weaved a large web in the yard that I happily mistook for a congratulatory gift. The web is built under the solar lights where there are lamp posts， shades， and sunshades， all of which facilitate the stretch of radials. This project started at around 17:30. The smart spider took advantage of the breeze to send those radiation lines， sticking them firmly to the edge of the umbrella. By 20:00， all of the spiral lines were completed. Hundreds of mosquitoes were already glued to the web. However， having no time to enjoy the meal， the garden spider hurried to finish its meticulous work.

It weaves a big web of standard， which inspires deep respect.

This web is not a congratulatory gift to me. It is the hunting tool of the big-bellied garden spider.

Fox

Canidae order， Carnivora family

There are wild foxes in White Flag Town， but I’ve never seen one. The people who have seen foxes are no more than the actual foxes here， as they are cunning and will not come easily into the view of humans. They would rather forget each other than brush shoulders. Those foxes that are willing to tangle with humans are mostly the group that has come into being. This group is very small and usually staying in folklore.

Humans don’t care about the foxes’ thoughts. They just want to skin them and stubbornly build fox farms. I have to pass a fox farm on my way to Big Fork Gulch to collect medicine. Every time， I had to hold my breath and run through it， with a 20-second anaerobic exercise that tested my lungs. I went to Big Fork Gully on 26th April to dig for sand ginseng， and again I passed it. This time I failed to hold my breath for twenty seconds because I was coughing. After choking， I felt a cloudy air invade all my senses， and then I was disorientated.

The fox marks its territory with this odour， which also keeps it away from attack. However， all these abilities are nothing but small tricks in front of humans， and they are all kept inside the farm.

The foxes are kept in farms， where their “slyness” is severely criticised.