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Mirabil modo insegnato della natura a queste astutissime bestie chiamati maccachi de quali ne abbonda il Paese; p[er] passare i fiumi; fanno una longa fila pigliandosi la coda uno con l’altro; il primo si attaca ad un albero; e t[u]tti gli altri si di[s]dena cosi incatenati p[er] la riva del fiume contro però la corrente; poi t[u]tti unitamte si slanciano nel fiume; tenendo però il primo l’albore bem forte; cosi saltati nel fiume la corrente li porta fino che uno di essi puo attacare qualche pianta del altra riva; attaccato che sta il primo lascia l’Albero e l’ultimo che gia attaco li tira tutti a terra; quando p[er] ventura l’ultimo della fila non potessi attacarre; gia quello che tiene l’Albero le tira t[u]tti a terra; e altravolta tornano p[er] la riva contro la corre[nte] e se rilanciano nel fiume &: 1: Albero 2: fiume 3 maccachi

[verso in Portuguese] Maqacos pasao rio

Remarkable way taught by nature to these very clever beasts called macaques of which there are many in the Land; to cross rivers; they make a long line grabbing one another’s tail; the first one attaches itself to a tree; and all the other ones place themselves thus chained on the shore of the river, but against the currents, then all together they jump in the river; but the first one holding the tree very strongly; thus having jumped in the river the current carries them until one of them can grab some plant on the other shore, once attached the first one let go of the tree and the last one that already grabbed brings them all on land; when by chance the last one of the line could not grab on; then the one who holds the tree brings them all on land and they again return to the shore against the current and launch themselves again in the river etc. 1: Tree 2: river 3: macaques

[verso in Portuguese] Macaques cross a river

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