（外文电子版资料）Balance Ecology by James Schmitz.docVIP

Next is a farm story, if you likebut this is no ordinary farm. Under the bucolic surface of this tale of another planet, with its consistent and beautifully worked out details, there is a tricky problem, about which I will give you one or two hints; Ecology is something human beings can adapt to suit their own purposes; right? But human beings in an environment are part of its ecology . . . Or: if an experimental animal alters its responses in order to get food from the experimenterwho is conditioning whom? James H. Schmitz BALANCED ECOLOGY The diamondwood tree farm was restless this morning, llf Cholm had been aware of it for about an hour but had said nothing to Auris, thinking he might be getting a summer fever or a stomach upset and imagining things and that Auris would decide they should go back to the house so llfs grandmother could dose him. But the feeling continued to grow, and by now llf knew it was the farm. Outwardly, everyone in the forest appeared to be going about their usual business. There had been a rainfall earlier in the day; and the tumbleweeds had uprooted themselves and were moving about in the bushes, lapping water off the leaves. llf had noticed a small one rolling straight towards a waiting slurp and stopped for a moment to watch the slurp catch it. The slurp was of average size, which gave it a tongue-reach of between twelve and fourteen feet, and the tumbleweed was already within range. The tongue shot out suddenly, a thin, yellow flash. Its tip flicked twice around the tumbleweed, jerked it off the ground and back to the feed opening in the imitation tree stump within which the rest of the slurp was concealed. The tumbleweed said Oof! in the surprised way they always did when something caught them, and went in through the opening. After a moment, the slurps tongue tip appeared in the opening again and waved gently around, ready for somebody else of the right size to come within reach. llf, just turned eleven and rather small for h