§3.1#1Περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς τῶν ἡμιόνων ἀτεκνίας εἴρηται, καὶ περὶ τῶν ζῳοτοκούντων καὶ θύραζε καὶ ἐν αὑτοῖς·
So the sterility of mules has been discussed, as well as those animals that are viviparous both externally and internally.
ἐν δὲ τοῖς ᾠοτοκοῦσι τῶν ἐναίμων τῇ μὲν παραπλησίως ἔχει τὰ περὶ τὰς γενέσεις αὐτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς πεζοῖς καὶ ταὐτόν τι λαβεῖν ἔστι περὶ πάντων, τῇ δ’ ἔχει διαφορὰς καὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα καὶ πρὸς τὰ πεζὰ τῶν ζῴων.
But among the blooded oviparous animals, on the one hand, the circumstances of generation are similar both for them and for land animals, and some identical feature can be grasped for all of them; on the other hand, they have differences both among themselves and in relation to land animals.
γίνεται μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ συνδυασμοῦ πάντα ὅλως, καὶ προϊεμένου γονὴν εἰς τὸ θῆλυ τοῦ ἄρρενος·
Generally speaking, then, all are produced from copulation, and by the male emitting semen into the female.
τῶν δ’ ᾠοτοκούντων αἱ μὲν ὄρνιθες προΐενται τέλειον ᾠὸν καὶ σκληρόδερμον, ἐὰν μή τι πηρωθῇ διὰ νόσον, καὶ πάντα δίχροα τὰ τῶν ὀρνίθων ἐστίν, τῶν δ’ ἰχθύων οἱ μὲν σελαχώδεις, ὥσπερ εἴρηται πολλάκις, ἐν αὑτοῖς ᾠοτοκήσαντες ζῳοτοκοῦσι, μεταστάντος τοῦ ᾠοῦ ἐξ ἄλλου τόπου τῆς ὑστέρας εἰς ἄλλον, μαλακόδερμον δὲ τὸ ᾠὸν καὶ ὁμόχρων ἐστὶν αὐτῶν.
And among the oviparous animals, birds emit a complete and hard-shelled egg, unless it is deformed in some way by disease, and all eggs of birds are two-colored. Of fish, the cartilaginous ones, as has often been said, are viviparous after first producing eggs internally, the egg having moved from one part of the uterus to another, and their egg is soft-shelled and single-colored.
εἶς δὲ μόνος οὐ ζῳοτοκεῖ τῶν τοιούτων ἐν αὑτῷ, ὁ καλούμενος βάτραχος· περὶ οὗ τὴν αἰτίαν ὕστερον λεκτέον.
But only one of such animals, the so-called fishing-frog, is not viviparous within itself; the cause of this must be discussed later.
οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ὅσοιπερ ᾠοτοκοῦσι τῶν ἰχθύων, μονόχρων μὲν προΐενται τὸ ᾠόν, ἀτελὲς δὲ τοῦτο· λαμβάνει γὰρ ἔξω τὴν αὔξησιν, διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν δι’ ἥνπερ καὶ τὰ ἔσω τελειούμενα τῶν ᾠῶν.
But all the other fish that are oviparous emit a single-colored egg, but this is incomplete; for it receives its growth outside, for the very same cause for which the eggs completed inside also do.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ὑστερῶν, τίνας ἔχουσι διαφορὰς καὶ διὰ τίνας αἰτίας, εἴρηται πρότερον.
Now, concerning the uteri, what differences they have and for what causes, has been said before.
καὶ γὰρ τῶν ζῳοτοκούντων τὰ μὲν ἄνω πρὸς τῷ ὑπόζώματι ἔχει τὰς ὑστέρας, τὰ δὲ κάτω πρὸς τοῖς ἄρθροις, ἄνω μὲν τὰ σελαχώδη, κάτω δὲ τὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς ζῳοτοκοῦντα καὶ θύραζε, οἷον ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἵππος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστον τῶν τοιούτων·
For indeed, among the viviparous animals, some have their uteri upper, near the diaphragm, while others have them lower, near the joints; the cartilaginous ones have them upper, while those that are viviparous both internally and externally, such as man, horse, and each of the other such animals, have them lower.
καὶ τῶν ᾠοτοκούντων τὰ μὲν κάτω, καθάπερ τῶν ἰχθύων οἱ ᾠοτοκοῦντες, τὰ δ’ ἄνω, καθάπερ οἱ ὄρνιθες.
And among the oviparous animals, some have them lower, like the oviparous fish, while others have them upper, like the birds.
συνίσταται μὲν οὖν κυήματα τοῖς ὄρνισι καὶ αὐτόματα, ἃ καλοῦσιν ὑπηνέμια καὶ ζεφύριά τινες, γίνεται δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς μὴ πτητικοῖς μηδὲ γαμψώνυξι τῶν ὀρνίθων, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πολυγόνοις, διὰ τὸ πολὺ περίττωμα ταῦτ’ ἔχειν, τοῖς δὲ γαμψώνυξιν εἰς τὰς πτέρυγας καὶ τὰ πτερὰ τρέπεσθαι τὴν τοιαύτην ἀπόκρισιν, τὸ δὲ σῶμα μικρὸν ἔχειν καὶ ξηρόν τε καὶ θερμόν, τὴν δ’ ἀπόκρισιν τὴν καταμηνιώδη καὶ τὴν γονὴν περίττωμα εἶναι·
Now, embryos are also formed spontaneously in birds, which some call wind-eggs and others zephyr-eggs. These occur in those birds that are neither good flyers nor have crooked talons, but rather in the prolific ones, because they have a large amount of residue. Whereas in those with crooked talons, such secretion is diverted into the wings and feathers, and they have a small body, dry and warm; and both the menstrual discharge and the semen are residue.
ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ἡ τῶν πτερῶν φύσις καὶ ἡ τοῦ σπέρματος γίνεται ἐκ περιττώσεως, οὐ δύναται ἡ φύσις ἐπ’ ἀμφότερα πολυχοεῖν.
Since, therefore, both the nature of feathers and that of semen come from residue, nature cannot flow abundantly in both directions.
διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ ταύτην αἰτίαν καὶ τὰ μὲν γαμψώνυχα οὔτ’ ὀχευτικά ἐστιν οὔτε πολύγονα, τὰ δὲ βαρέα καὶ τῶν πτητικῶν ὅσων τὰ σώματα ὀγκώδη, καθάπερ περιστερᾶς καὶ τῶν τοιούτων.
And for this very same cause, those with crooked talons are neither prone to mating nor prolific, whereas the heavy birds and those of the flyers whose bodies are bulky, such as the pigeon and the like, are prone to mating and prolific.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ βαρέσι καὶ μὴ πτητικοῖς, οἷον ἀλεκτορίσι καὶ πέρδιξι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς τοιούτοις, πολὺ γίνεται περίττωμα τοιοῦτον·
For in heavy and non-flying birds, such as fowls and partridges and others of the kind, much of such residue is produced.
διὸ τά τε ἄρρενα αὐτῶν ὀχευτικὰ καὶ τὰ θήλεα προΐεται πολλὴν ὕλην, καὶ τίκτει τῶν τοιούτων τὰ μὲν πολλὰ τὰ δὲ πολλάκις, πολλὰ μὲν οἷον ἀλεκτορὶς καὶ πέρδιξ καὶ στρουθὸς ὁ Λιβυκός, τὰ δὲ περιστερώδη πολλὰ μὲν οὔ, πολλάκις δέ μεταξὺ γάρ ἐστι ταῦτα τῶν γαμψωνύχων καὶ τῶν βαρέων·
Wherefore their males are prone to mating and the females emit much matter, and of such birds, some lay many eggs and others lay often: many, for instance, the fowl, the partridge, and the Libyan ostrich; while the pigeon-like birds lay not many, but often, for these are intermediate between those with crooked talons and the heavy birds.
πτητικὰ μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὥσπερ τὰ γαμψώνυχα, πλήθη δ’ ἔχει τοῦ σώματος ὥσπερ τὰ Βαρέα, ὣστε διὰ μὲν τὸ πτητικὰ εἶναι καὶ ἐνταῦθα τρέπεσθαι τὸ περίττωμα ὀλίγα τίκτουσι, διὰ δὲ τὸ λῆθος τοῦ σώματος καὶ διὰ τὸ θερμὴν ἔχειν τὴν κοιλίαν καὶ πεπτικωτάτην, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις καὶ διὰ τὸ ῥᾳδίως πορίζεσθαι τὴν τροφήν, τὰ δὲ γαμψώνυχα χαλεπῶς, πολλάκις.
For they are flying birds like those with crooked talons, but they have body bulk like the heavy ones. So that because they are flying birds and the residue is diverted there, they lay few eggs, but because of the bulk of the body and because they have a warm and highly digestive stomach, and additionally because they easily procure food whereas those with crooked talons do so with difficulty, they lay often.
ὀχευτικὰ δὲ καὶ πολύγονα καὶ τὰ μικρὰ τῶν ὀρνέων ἐστί, καθάπερ ἐνίοτε καὶ τῶν φυτῶν· ἡ γὰρ εἰς τὸ σῶμα αὔξησις γίνεται περίττωμα σπερματικόν.
Small birds are also prone to mating and prolific, just as plants sometimes are; for the growth towards the body becomes seminal residue.
διὸ καὶ τῶν ἀλεκτορίδων αἱ Ἀδριανικαὶ πολυτοκώταταί εἰσιν· διὰ γὰρ μικρότητα τοῦ σώματος εἰς τὴν τέκνωσιν καταναλίσκεται ἡ τροφή.
Therefore, among fowls, the Adrianic ones are the most prolific; for because of the smallness of their body, the nourishment is consumed for child-bearing.
καὶ αἱ ἀγεννεῖς τῶν γενναίων πολυτοκώτεραι· ὑγρότερα γὰρ τὰ σώματα τῶνδε καὶ ὀγκωδέστερα, τῶν δὲ ἰσχνότερα καὶ ξηρότερα· ὁ γὰρ θυμὸς ὁ γενναῖος ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις γίνεται σώμασι μᾶλλον.
And the common breeds are more prolific than the noble ones; for the bodies of the former are wetter and bulkier, while those of the latter are leaner and drier; for the noble spirit is produced more in such bodies.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν σκελῶν λεπτότης καὶ ἀσθένεια συμβάλλεται πρὸς τὸ τὴν φύσιν τῶν τοιούτων ὀχευτικὴν εἶναι καὶ πολύγονον, καθάπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων·
Furthermore, the thinness and weakness of the legs contributes to making the nature of such animals prone to mating and prolific, just as is also the case in men.
ἡ γὰρ εἰς τὰ κῶλα τροφὴ τρέπεται τοῖς τοιούτοις εἰς περίττωμα σπερματικόν· ὃ γὰρ ἐκεῖθεν ἀφαιρεῖ ἡ φύσις, προστίθησιν ἐνταῦθα.
For in such individuals, the nourishment that would go to the limbs is diverted into seminal residue; for what nature takes away from there, it adds here.
τὰ δὲ γαμψώνυχα τὴν βάσιν ἰσχυρὰν ἔχει καὶ τὰ σκέλη πάχος ἔχοντα διὰ τὸν βίον, ὥστε διὰ πάσας ταύτας τὰς αἰτίας οὔτ᾽ ὀχευτικά ἐστιν οὔτε πολύγονα.
On the other hand, those with crooked talons have a strong footing and thick legs because of their way of life, so that for all these causes they are neither prone to mating nor prolific.
μάλιστα δὲ ἡ κεγχρὶς πολύγονον· μόνον γὰρ σχεδὸν τοῦτο καὶ πίνει τῶν γαμψωνύχων, ἡ δ᾽ ὑγρότης καὶ ἡ σύμφυτος καὶ ἡ ἐπακτὸς σπερματικὸν μετὰ τῆς ὑπαρχούσης αὐτῇ θερμότητος.
But among those with crooked talons, the kestrel is the most prolific; for this is almost the only one that drinks, and both the innate and the acquired moisture, together with its inherent warmth, becomes seminal.