§3.5#1Ὅτι μὲν οὖν αὐξάνεταί τε καὶ δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν ᾠῶν, εἴρηται·
Thus, regarding the growth of such eggs and the cause of it, the matter has been stated.
ὅτι δ᾽ ᾠοτοκοῦσι καὶ οὗτοι οἱ ἰχθύες, σημεῖον τὸ καὶ τοὺς ζῳοτοκοῦντας τῶν ἰχθύων, οἷον τὰ σελάχη, ᾠοτοκεῖν ἐν αὑτοῖς πρῶτον.
That these fishes also are oviparous is shown by the fact that even those fishes which are viviparous, such as the selachia, first produce eggs within themselves.
δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι τὸ γένος ὅλον ἐστὶν ᾠοτόκον τὸ τῶν ἰχθύων, τέλος μέντοι οὐθὲν λαμβάνει τῶν τοιούτων ᾠῶν, ὅσων ἐστὶ τὸ μὲν θῆλυ τὸ δ᾽ ἄρρεν καὶ γίγνονται ἐξ ὀχείας, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιρράνῃ ὁ ἄρρην τὸν θορόν.
For it is clear that the whole class of fishes is oviparous, though none of such eggs, in species where there is male and female and they are generated from copulation, reaches its final development unless the male sprinkles his milt upon them.
εἰσὶ δέ τινες οἵ φασι πάντας εἶναι τοὺς ἰχθῦς θήλεις ἔξω τῶν σελαχῶν, οὐκ ὀρθῶς λέγοντες.
But there are some who say that all fishes are female except the selachia, speaking incorrectly.
οἴονται γὰρ διαφέρειν τῶν νομιζομένων ἀρρένων τοὺς θήλεις αὐτῶν ὥσπερ τῶν φυτῶν, ἐν ὅσοις τὸ μὲν καρποφορεῖ τὸ δ᾽ ἄκαρπόν ἐστιν, οἷον ἐλάα καὶ κότινος καὶ συκῆ καὶ ἐρινεός.
For they think that the females of them differ from those considered males just as in plants, where one bears fruit and the other is barren, such as the olive and the wild olive, the fig and the wild fig.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἰχθῦς πλὴν τῶν σελαχῶν· τούτοις γὰρ οὐκ ἀμφισβητοῦσιν.
And they think it is likewise with fishes except the selachia; for they do not dispute about these.
καίτοι ὡσαύτως τε διάκεινται οἱ ἄρρενες περὶ τὰ θορικὰ οἵ τε σελαχώδεις καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ γένει τῷ τῶν ᾠοτόκων, καὶ σπέρμα κατὰ τὴν ὥραν φαίνεται ἀμφοῖν ἐκθλιβόμενον.
Yet the males both of the selachia and of the oviparous class are similarly situated with regard to their milt-organs, and in the season milt is seen to be squeezed out of both.
ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ ὑστέρας αἱ θήλειαι.
Moreover, the females also have uteri.
ἔδει δ᾽ οὐ μόνον τοὺς ᾠοτοκοῦντας ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἔχειν μέν, ἀλλὰ διαφερούσας τῶν ᾠοτοκούντων, ὥσπερ αἱ ἡμίονοι ἐν τῷ γένει τῶν λοφούρων, εἴπερ ἦν θῆλυ τὸ γένος πᾶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἄτεκνοί τινες αὐτῶν.
And if the whole class were female, not only the oviparous but also the others ought to have uteri, though differing from those of the oviparous, just as mules among the bushy-tailed animals, but some of them being barren.
νῦν δ᾽ οἱ μὲν ἔχουσι θορικὰ οἱ δ᾽ ὑστέρας, καὶ ἐν ἄπασιν ἔξω δυοῖν, ἐρυθρίνου καὶ χάννης, αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ διαφορά· οἱ μὲν γὰρ θορικὰ ἔχουσιν, οἱ δ᾽ ὑστέρας.
In fact, however, some have milt-organs and others have uteri, and in all except two, the erythrinus and the channa, this difference exists: some have milt-organs, others have uteri.
ἡ δ᾽ ἀπορία δ᾽ ἣν οὕτως ὑπολαμβάνουσιν, εὔλυτος τὸ συμβαῖνον ἀκούσασιν.
But the difficulty because of which they suppose so is easily solved when they hear what actually happens.
οὐθὲν γὰρ τῶν ὀχευομένων πολλά φασι τίκτειν, λέγοντες ὀρθῶς· ὅσα γὰρ ἐξ αὑτῶν γεννᾷ τέλεια ἢ ζῷα ἢ ᾠά, οὐ πολυτοκεῖ οὕτως ὥσπερ οἱ ᾠοτοκοῦντες τῶν ἰχθύων· ἄπλετον γάρ τι τούτων πλῆθος τῶν ᾠῶν ἐστίν.
For they say, speaking correctly, that none of the animals that copulate produces many offspring; for those that generate perfect animals or perfect eggs within themselves are not so prolific as the oviparous fishes, since the multitude of these eggs is immense.
ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐχὶ συνεωράκεσαν, ὅτι οὐχ ὁμοιοτρόπως τοῖς τῶν ὀρνίθων ἔχει τὰ περὶ τὰ ᾠὰ τῶν ἰχθύων.
But they had not perceived this, that the case of the eggs of fishes is not the same as that of birds.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὄρνιθες καὶ τῶν τετραπόδων ὅσα ᾠοτοκεῖ, καὶ εἴ τινα τῶν σελαχωδῶν, τέλειον ᾠὸν γεννῶσι, καὶ οὐ λαμβάνει ἐξελθὸν αὔξησιν· οἱ δ᾽ ἰχθύες ἀτελῆ, καὶ λαμβάνει θύραζε τὰ ᾠὰ τὴν αὔξησιν.
For birds, and such of the quadrupeds as are oviparous, and some of the selachia, produce a perfect egg, and it does not receive growth after coming out; but fishes produce imperfect eggs, and the eggs receive their growth externally.
ἔτι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μαλακίων τὸν αὐτὸν ἔχει τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μαλακοστράκων, ἃ καὶ συνδυαζόμενα ὁρᾶται διὰ τὸ χρόνιον εἶναι τὸν συνδασμὸν αὐτῶν· καὶ τούτων φανερόν ἐστι τὸ μὲν ἄρρεν ὄν, τὸ δ᾽ ἔχον ὑστέραν.
Furthermore, it is the same with the mollusks and the malacostracans, which are even seen copulating because their union is of long duration; and in these it is obvious that one is male and the other has a uterus.
ἄτοπον δὲ καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐν παντὶ γένει ταύτην εἶναι τὴν δύναμιν, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ζῳοτόκοις τὸ μὲν ἄρρεν τὸ δὲ θῆλυ.
It is also absurd that this power should not exist in every class, just as among the viviparous animals one is male and the other female.
αἴτιον δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνως λέγουσι τῆς ἀγνοίας τὸ τὰς διαφορὰς μὴ δήλας εἶναι παντοδαπὰς οὔσας περί τε τὰς ὀχείας τῶν ζῴων καὶ τὰς γενέσεις, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ὀλίγου θεωροῦντας οἴεσθαι δεῖν ἔχειν ὁμοίως ἐπὶ πάντων.
The cause of the ignorance of those who speak in that way is that the differences, being of all kinds, regarding the copulation and generation of animals are not obvious, but they, observing from a few instances, think it must be the same in all cases.