§3.6Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν ὀρνίθων γένεσιν ἔχει.
Likewise also is the case with the generation of birds.
εἰσὶ γάρ τινες οἳ λέγουσι κατὰ τὸ στόμα μίγνυσθαι τούς τε κόρακας καὶ τὴν ἶβιν, καὶ τῶν τετραπόδων τίκτειν κατὰ τὸ στόμα τὴν γαλῆν.
For there are some who say that crows and the ibis copulate through the mouth, and that among quadrupeds the weasel gives birth through the mouth.
ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ Αναξαγόρας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τινὲς φυσικῶν λέγουσι, λίαν ἀπλῶς καὶ ἀσκέπτως λέγοντες, περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ὀρνίθων ἐκ συλλογισμοῦ διαψευδόμενοι τῷ τὴν μὲν ὀχείαν ὀλιγάκις ὁρᾶσθαι τὴν τῶν κοράκων, τὴν δὲ τοῖς ῥύγχεσι πρὸς ἄλληλα κοινωνίαν πολλάκις, ἣν πάντα ποιεῖται τὰ κορακώδη τῶν ὀρνέων· δῆλον δὲ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῶν τιθασευομένων κολοιῶν.
For these things even Anaxagoras and some of the other natural philosophers say, speaking too simplistically and thoughtlessly. On the one hand, regarding the birds, they are deceived in their reasoning because the copulation of crows is seldom seen, but their communication with each other with their beaks is seen often, which all crow-like birds do; and this is clear in the case of tame jackdaws.
τὸ δ᾽ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖ καὶ τὸ τῶν περιστερῶν γένος· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ καὶ ὀχευόμενα φαίνεσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο ταύτης οὐ τετυχήκασι τῆς φήμης.
And this very same thing the class of pigeons also does; but because they are also seen copulating, for this reason they have not met with this rumor.
τὸ δὲ κορακῶδες γένος οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφροδισιαστικόν (ἔστι γὰρ τῶν ὀλιγογόνων), ἐπεὶ ὦπταί γ᾽ ἤδη καὶ τοῦτο ὀχευόμενον.
But the crow-like class is not given to sexual passion (for it is among those that produce few offspring), since indeed even this has already been seen copulating.
τὸ δὲ δὴ μὴ συλλογίζεσθαι πῶς εἰς τὰς ὑστέρας ἀφικνεῖται τὸ σπέρμα διὰ τῆς κοιλίας πεττούσης ἀεὶ τὸ ἐγγινόμενον, καθάπερ τὴν τροφήν, ἄτοπον.
And indeed, not to reason how the seed arrives into the uterus through the stomach, which always digests what enters it just like food, is absurd.
ὑστέρας δ᾽ ἔχουσι καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὄρνεα, καὶ ᾠὰ φαίνεται πρὸς τοῖς ὑποζώμασιν.
And these birds too have a uterus, and eggs are seen near the diaphragms.
καὶ ἡ γαλῆ, καθάπερ τἆλλα τετράποδα, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἔχει ἐκείνοις τὰς ὑστέρας· ἐξ ὧν εἰς τὸ στόμα πῇ βαδιεῖται τὸ ἔμβρυον ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τίκτειν πάμπαν μικρὰ τὴν γαλῆν, καθάπερ καὶ τἆλλα τὰ σχιζόποδα, περὶ ὦν ὕστερον ἐροῦμεν, τῷ δὲ στόματι πολλάκις μεταφέρειν τοὺς νεοττούς, ταύτην πεποίηκε τὴν δόξαν.
And the weasel, just like other quadrupeds, has the uterus in the same manner as they do; from which how will the embryo make its way to the mouth? But because the weasel gives birth to altogether small young, just like the other fissipeds, about which we shall speak later, and often transfers the young with its mouth, this has produced this opinion.
εὐηθικῶς δὲ καὶ λίαν διεψευσμένοι καὶ οἱ περὶ τρόχου καὶ ὑαίνης λέγοντες.
And foolishly and too mistakenly also speak those who talk about the trochus and the hyena.
φασὶ γὰρ τὴν μὲν ὕαιναν πολλοί, τὸν δὲ τρόχον Ἡρόδωρος ὁ Ηρακλεώτης, δύο αἰδοῖα ἔχειν, ἄρρενος καὶ θήλεος, καὶ τὸν μὲν τρόχον αὐτὸν αὐτὸν ὀχεύειν, τὴν δ᾽ ὕαιναν ὀχεύειν καὶ ὀχεύεσθαι παρ᾽ ἕτος.
For many say that the hyena, and Herodorus of Heraclea says that the trochus, has two genital organs, of male and of female, and that the trochus copulates with itself, while the hyena copulates as male and is copulated with as female in alternate years.
ὦπται γὰρ ἡ ὕαινα ἓν ἔχουσα αἰδοῖον· ἐν ἐνίοις γὰρ τόποις οὐ σπάνις τῆς θεωρίας· ἀλλ᾽ ἔχουσιν αἱ ὕαιναι ὑπὸ τὴν κέρκον ὁμοίαν γραμμὴν τῷ τοῦ θήλεος αἰδοίῳ.
For the hyena has been seen having one genital organ; for in some places there is no scarcity of observation; but the hyenas have under the tail a line similar to the female genital organ.
ἔχουσι μὲν οὖν καὶ οἱ ἄρρενες καὶ αἱ θήλειαι τὸ τοιοῦτον σημεῖον, ἀλλ᾽ ἁλίσκονται οἱ ἄρρενες μᾶλλον· διὸ τοῖς ἐκ παρόδου θεωροῦσι ταύτην ἐποίησε τὴν δόξαν.
Indeed, then, both the males and the females have such a mark, but the males are captured more; therefore this has produced this opinion in those who observe in passing.
ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἅλις τὰ εἰρημένα.
But concerning these things, let what has been said suffice.