英國語文第六冊(雙語):熱帶地區(qū)(6)

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For their perpetual wanderings from branch to branch, Nature has bountifully endowed many of them, not only with robust and muscular limbs and large hands, whose moist palms facilitate the seizure of a bough, but in many cases also with a prehensile tail, which may deservedly be called a fifth hand, and is hardly less wonderful in its structure than the proboscis of the elephant covered with short hair, and completely bare underneath towards the end, this admirable organ rolls around the boughs as though it were a supple finger, and is at the same time so muscular that the monkey frequently swings by it from a branch, like the pendulum of a clock. Scarce has he grasped a bough with his long arms, when immediately coiling his fifth hand round the branch, he springs on to the next; and secure from a fall, he hurries so rapidly through the crowns of the highest trees that the sportsman's bullet has scarce time to reach him in his flight.

它們不停地在樹枝間來回游蕩，大自然慷慨地賜予它們許多特長，不僅賜予了它們強健有力的四肢和手掌，那濕潤的手掌還能幫助它們抓住樹枝。它們還有一條能抓能攀的長尾巴，其作用和手相差無異，結(jié)構(gòu)和覆蓋著短毛的大象鼻子幾乎一樣神奇，尾部接近光禿，這條絕妙的尾巴就像一根柔軟的手指在樹枝上打著卷兒。除此之外，猴兒們還被賜予了結(jié)實的肌肉，它們總是可以像鐘擺一樣在樹枝上蕩來蕩去。它們很少用長胳膊去抓樹枝，而是用長尾巴纏住樹枝蕩到另一根枝丫上，為了不摔下來，它們會再次飛快地穿過最高的樹冠，就連運動員的子彈都趕不上它的速度。

Of the beasts of prey that frequent these vast woods, the jaguar is the most formidable, resembling the panther by his spotted skin, but almost equalling the Bengal tiger in size and power. He roams about at all times of the day, swims overbroad rivers, and even in the water proves a most dangerous foe; for when driven to extremities he frequently turns against the boat which contains his assailants, and forces them to seek their safety by jumping overboard. Many an Indian, while wandering through thinly peopled districts, where swampy thickets alternate with open grass plains, has been torn to pieces by the jaguar; and in many a lonely plantation the inhabitants hardly venture to leave their enclosures after sunset, for fear of his attacks.

在經(jīng)常出沒于這片廣袤森林的猛獸里美洲虎是最強大的，它們的毛發(fā)如同黑豹般長著斑點，體型和力量上卻幾乎和孟加拉虎相當(dāng)。它們一整天都在外面游蕩，或者在大河里游泳，即使在水里的它們也會是最危險的敵人；因為它們走投無路的時候常常會轉(zhuǎn)而攻擊那些載著襲擊者的船只并迫使他們跳水尋求安全。有許多印第安人在交雜著沼澤灌叢和開闊草原的人煙稀少之地游蕩時被美洲虎撕成碎片；在許多偏僻的種植園里，居民們也總是不敢在太陽下山后離開圈地，因為害怕被美洲虎襲擊。