在已探知的星球中，唯地球有人類。人類社會和自然界構成了這顆星球的整個世界。人類來源于自然，依賴于自然，不斷地探索自然，了解自己從何而來，向何而去？為什么在這萬物共生的自然界脫穎而出，成為這個世界的主宰？又怎樣與這個世界大家庭和睦相處，適應客觀發(fā)展？……只有了解過去，才能更好地認識現(xiàn)在；懂得了過去和現(xiàn)在，才能主動地面對未來。歷史是最好的教科書，在《地球簡史》《人類簡史》《時間簡史》等紛紛面世的當代，人們不由地把目光又投向260多年前就誕生了的《自然史》，這部洋洋數百萬字的曠世巨著，開辟了科學史作的先河，它從行星到地球，從空氣到海洋，從動物到人類，……天、地、生、人，無所不包，海、陸、空，面面俱到，是一部記述自然的百科全書。
書中全面論述了地球理論和地球歷史，展現(xiàn)了風、火、水、潮、雷、震（地震）、光、熱等各種自然現(xiàn)象；對人和生物的論述更是生動形象，豐富多彩。從生命的起源、器官的發(fā)育、青春期的特點，到機能的退化，直至死亡，把人類生息繁衍的過程講得有聲有色。對生物，特別是動物的描繪投下了重重筆墨，占據了大量篇幅，天上飛的，地上長的，野生的，馴養(yǎng)的，食肉的，食草的，大到熊、馬，小至鼠、兔，畜、禽，鳥、獸，花、草、樹、木，樣樣俱全，活靈活現(xiàn)，既有理性，又有情趣，好像無論哪種野性的動物都可以成為人類的寵物和朋友。法國著名思想家盧梭是這樣評價的：“布封以異常平靜而又悠然自得的語言歌頌了自然界中所有的重要物品，呈現(xiàn)出造物者的尊嚴與靈性。他具有那個世紀最美的文筆�！�
萬物皆有道，自然最奇妙。幾乎所有涉及自然的事物都可以從《自然史》汲取營養(yǎng)，得到啟示。讀這類名著，既能增長知識，豐富閱歷，又能賞心悅目，閑情逸致。即使歷史已過去了幾百年，社會發(fā)生了巨變，也未失去這部歷史巨著的價值和魅力。這就是一部不朽之作的歷史地位。布封在書中提出“物種可變”和“進化”的思想，被生物進化論創(chuàng)始人達爾文稱為“以現(xiàn)代科學眼光對待這個問題的第一人”。
哲語說，文如其人�！蹲匀皇贰返淖髡卟挤�，全名喬治，路易．勒克萊爾．布封（Georges-Louis Leclerc，Comte de Buffon， 1707-1788），如同他的不朽著作一樣，也有一部不尋常的經歷。他生于法國，自幼喜好自然科學，特別是數學。1728年法律專業(yè)畢業(yè)后，又學了兩年醫(yī)學。20歲時就先于牛頓發(fā)現(xiàn)了二項式定理；26歲成為法蘭西科學院機械部的助理研究員，翻譯并出版了英國博物學者海爾斯的著作《植物生理與空氣分析》和牛頓的《微積分術》；1739年，32歲的他轉為法蘭西科學院數學部的副研究員，并被任命為“巴黎皇家植物園及御書房”的總管；1753年成為法蘭西科學院院士。他用40年的時間寫出了長達36卷的《自然史》，后又由他的學生整理出版了8卷，共44卷。此書一出版，就轟動了歐洲的學術界，各國很快有了譯本。1777年，法國政府給布封建了一座銅像，上面寫著：“獻給和大自然一樣偉大的天才�！边@是對布封的崇高評價。
《自然史》原著為法文，這里出版的是英國學者James Smith Barr在1797-1807年翻譯的英文版10卷冊，選取的是原著中最精華的部分。發(fā)行這樣的英文版高級作品、高級讀物，就像外文書籍、外文刊物一樣，自然面對的也是高水平的讀者和館藏者，希望他們既可以接近原汁原味地欣賞原著，感受自然的魅力，受到自然科學和文學藝術的熏陶，同時又能自然而然地提高英文素養(yǎng)和寫作水平。在廣大知識分子外語水平普遍提高的今天，這樣的科學傳播形式也許會受到越來越多讀者的青睞。
布封是18世紀法國著名的博物學家和作家。他堅持以唯物主義的思想看待地球與生物的起源和發(fā)展，被譽為“和大自然一樣偉大的天才”�！蹲匀皇贰肥且徊坎┪镏荆瑫幸源罅康目茖W觀察為基礎，從唯物主義的角度對自然界的各種現(xiàn)象做了詳細的描述。書中提到的“物種可變”和“進化”的思想對當時的社會具有積極的啟蒙作用，也對后來達爾文提出“物種起源”與“進化論”產生了深遠影響。
《自然史》原著為法文，共44卷。本版為英國學者James Smith Barr在1797-1807年翻譯出版的10卷冊，是原著中*精華的部分，主要包括地球的理論、動物史、人類史、家畜馴養(yǎng)史，并簡單介紹了礦物和植物等內容�！禢atural History（10 自然史 第10卷）》可供生物學、生態(tài)學、地質學等專業(yè)的高校師生和相關科研人員以及博物愛好者閱讀。
Of the Degeneration of Animals
Nature and Properties of Minerals， Vegetables， &c．
Light， Heat， and Fire
Of Air， Water， and Earth
Experiments on the Progress of Heat in Mineral Substances
A Table of the Relations of different Mineral Substances
Observations on the Nature of Platina
Experiments on Light， and on the Heat it can produce
Invention of Mirrors to burn at great distances
Observations and Experiments on Trees and other Vegetables
On the Temperature of the Planets
General Views of Nature
First View
Second View
《Natural History（10 自然史 第10卷）》：
Having shewn that impulsion depends on attraction； that the expansive force， like the attractive， becomes negative； that light， heat， and fire， are only modes of the common existing matter； in one word， that there exists but one sole force， and one sole matter， ever ready to attract or repel， according to circumstances； let us see how， with this single spring， and this single subject，Nature can vary her works， ad infinitum. In a general point of view， light， heat，and fire， only make one object， but in a particular point of view they are three distinct objects， which， although resembling in a great number of properties，differ nevertheless in a few others， sufficiently essential for us to consider them as three distinct things.
Light， and elementary fire， compose， it is said， only one and the same thing.This may be， but as we have not yet a clear idea of elementary fire we shall desist from pronouncing on this first point. Light and fire， such as we are acquainted with， are two distinct substances， differently composed. Fire is， in fact， very often luminous， but it sometimes also exists without any appearance of light. Fire， whether luminous or obscure， never exists without a great heat， whereas light often burns with a noise without the least sensible heat. Light appears to be the work of nature while fire is only the produce of the industry of man. Light subsists of itself， and is found diffused in the immense space of the whole universe. Fire cannot subsist without food， and is only found in some parts of this space where man preserves it， and in some parts of the profundity of the earth， where it is also supported by suitable food. Light when condensed and united by the art of man， may produce fire， but it is only as much as it lets fall on combustible matters. Light is therefore no more， and in this single instance， only the principle of fire and not the fire itself： even this principle is not immediate， for it supposes the intermediate one of heat， and which appears to appertain more than light to the essence of fire. Now heat exists as often without light as light exists without heat： these two principles might， therefore， appear not to bind them necessarily together； their effects are not contemporary， since in certain circumstances we feel heat long before light appears， and in others we see light long before we feel any heat. Hence is not heat a mode of being， a modification of matter， which， in fact， differs less than all the rest from that of light， but which can be considered apart， and still more easily conceived? It is， nevertheless， certain， that much fewer discoveries have been made on the nature of heat than on that of light； whether man better catches what he sees than what he feels； whether light， presenting itself generally as a distinct and different substance from all the rest， has appeared worthy of a particular consideration； whereas heat， the effect of which is the most obscure， and presents itself as a less detached and less simple object， has not been regarded as a distinct substance but as an attribute of light and fire.
The first thing worthy of remark， is， that the seat of heat is quite different from that of light： the latter occupies and runs through the void space of the universe； heat， on the contrary， is diffused through all solid matter. The globe of the earth， and the whole matter of which it is composed， have a considerable degree of heat. Water has its degree of heat which it does not lose but by losing its fluidity. The air has also heat， which we call its temperature， and which varies much， but is never entirely lost， since its springs subsist even in the greatest cold. Fire has also its different degrees of heat， which appear to depend less on its own nature， than on that of the aliments which feed it. Thus all known matter possesses warmth； and， hence， heat is a much more general affection than that of light.
Heat penetrates every body without exception which is exposed to it， while light passes through transparent bodies only， and is stopped and in part repelled， by every opaque one. Heat， therefore acts in a much more general and palpable manner than light， and although the molecules of heat are excessively minute， since they penetrate the most compact bodies， it seems， however， demonstrable， that they are much more gross than those of light； for we make heat with light， by collecting it in a great quantity. Besides， heat acting on the sense of feeling， it is nececssary that its action be proportionate to the grossness of this sense， the same as the delicacy of the organs of sight appears to be to the extreme fineness of the parts of light； these parts move with the greatest velocity， and act in the instant at immense distances， whereas those of heat have but a slow progressive motion， and only extend to small intervals from the bodies whence they emanate.
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