§5.6Τῶν δὲ ζῴων τὰ μέν ἐστι μονόχροα (λέγω δὲ μονό. β χροα ὧν τὸ γένος ὅλον ἓν χρῶμα ἔχει, οἷον λέοντες πυροὶ πάντες· καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπ᾽ ὀρίθων καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἰχθύων ἐστὶ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ὁμοίως), τὰ δὲ πολύχροα μέν, ὁλόχροα δέ λλέγωον δὲ ὧν τὸ σῶμα ὅλον τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει χρόαν, οἷον βοῦς ἐστὶν ὅλος λευκὸς καὶ ὅλος μέλας), τὰ δὲ ποικίλα.
Of animals, some are of a single color (by single-colored I mean those of which the whole genus has one color, as lions are all tawny; and this is likewise the case with birds, fish, and other animals), others are multi-colored as a genus but whole-colored as individuals (by whole-colored I mean those of which the entire body has the same color, as a bull is entirely white or entirely black), and others are variegated.
τοῦτο δὲ διχῶς, τὰ μὲν τῷ γένει, ὥσπερ πάρδαλις καὶ ταώς, καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων ἔνιοι, οἷον αἱ καλούμεναι θρᾶτται· τῶν δὲ τὸ μὲν γένος ἅπαν οὐ ποικίλον, γίνονται δὲ ποικίλοι, οἷον βόες καὶ αἶγες, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὄρνισιν, οἷον αἱ περιστεραί· καὶ ἄλλα δὲ γένη τὸ αὐτὸ πάσχει τῶν ὀρνίθων, κεταβάλλει δὲ τὰ ὁλόχροα πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῶν μονοχρόων, καὶ εἰτὴν ἀλλήλων χρόαν τὴν ἁπλῆν, οἷον ἐκ λευκῶν μέλανα καὶ ἐκ μελάνων λευκά, καὶ μεμιγμένα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων, διὰ τὸ ὅλω τῷ γένει ὑπάρχειν ἐν τῇ φύσει τὸ μὴ μίαν ἔχειν χρόαν· εὐκίνητον γὰρ ὑπάρχει ἐπ᾽ ἀμφότερα τὸ γένος, ὥστε καὶ εἰς ἄλληλα μεταβάλλειν καὶ ποικίλλεσθαι μᾶλλον.
This latter case is twofold: some are so by genus, like the leopard, the peacock, and some fish, such as the so-called thrattas; in others, the genus as a whole is not variegated, but variegated individuals occur, as bulls and goats, and among birds, pigeons; and other genera of birds undergo the same. Whole-colored animals change much more than single-colored ones, both into each other’s simple color (as from white to black and from black to white) and into colors mixed from both, because the nature of their whole genus admits of not having a single color; for the genus is easily moved in both directions, so that they change into one another and become variegated more readily.
τὰ δὲ μονόχροα τοὐναντίον· οὐ γὰρ μεταβάλλει, ἂν μὴ διὰ πάθος, καὶ τοῦτο σπάνιον· ἤδη γὰρ ὦπται καὶ πέρδιξ λευκὴ καὶ κόραξ καὶ στρουθὸς καὶ ἄρκτος.
Single-colored animals, on the contrary, do not change unless by disease or abnormal affection, and this is rare; for indeed, a white partridge, raven, sparrow, and bear have already been seen.
συμβαίνει δὲ ταῦτα, ὅταν ἐν τῇ γενέσει διαστραφῇ· εὔφθαρτον γὰρ καὶ εὐκίνητον τὸ μιπρόν, τὸ δὲ γιγνόμενον τοιοῦτον· ἐν μικρῶ γὰρ ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῖς γιγνομένοις.
These things happen when there is a distortion in their generation; for what is small is easily destroyed and easily moved, and that which is coming into being is of this kind; for the starting point for things coming into being is in what is small.
μάλιστα δὲ μεταβάλλουσι καὶ τὰ φύσει μονόχροα μὲν ὄντα, τῷ γένει δὲ πολούχροα, διὰ τὰ ὕδατα· τὰ μὲν γὰρ θερμὰ λευκὴν ποιεῖ τὴν τρίχα, τὰ δὲ ψυχρὰ μέλαιναν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν φυτῶν.
But those which are by nature single-colored, yet belong to a genus of many colors, change most of all due to waters; for warm waters make the hair white, and cold ones make it black, just as in the case of plants.
αἴτιον δ᾽ ὅτι τὰ θερμὰ πνεύματος πλέον ἔχει ἢ ὕδατος, ὁ δ᾽ ἀὴρ διαφαινόμενος λευκότητα ποιεῖ, καθάπερ καὶ τὸν ἀφρόν.
The cause is that warm things contain more wind than water, and the air showing through produces whiteness, just as it does in foam.
διαφέρει μὲν οὖν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ δέρματα τὰ διὰ πάθος λευκὰ τῶν διὰ τὴν φύσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν ταῖς θριξὶν ἥ τε διὰ νόσον ἢ καὶ ἡλικίαν καὶ ἡ διὰ φύσιν λευκότης τῶν τριχῶν τῷ τὸ αἴτιον ἕτερον εἶναι· τὰς μὲν γὰρ ἡ φυσικὴ θερμότης ποιεῖ λευκάς, τὰς δ᾽ ἡ ἀλλοτρία.
Therefore, just as skins that are white through disease differ from those that are so by nature, so also in hairs, the whiteness of hairs due to disease or age differs from that due to nature, in that the cause is different; for natural heat makes the former white, while alien heat makes the latter so.
τὸ δὲ λευκὸν ὁ ἀτμιδώδης ἀὴρ παρέχεται ἐγκατακλειόμενος ἐν πᾶσιν, διὸ καὶ ὅσα μὴ μονόχροά ἐστι, τὰ ὑπὸ τὴν γαστέρα πάντα λευκότερά ἐστιν.
Whiteness is provided by the vaporous air enclosed within all things, which is why all those that are not of a single color are whiter under the belly.
καὶ γὰρ θερμότερα καὶ ἡδυκρεώτερα πάντα τὰ λευκὰ ὡς εἰπεῖν ἐστὶ διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν· ἡ μὲν γὰρ πέψις γλυκέα ποιεῖ, τὴν δὲ πέψιν τὸ θερμόν.
Indeed, all white things are, so to speak, warmer and sweeter-fleshed for the same cause; for concoction makes things sweet, and heat performs concoction.
ἡ δ᾽ αὐτὴ αἰτία καὶ τῶν μονοχρόων μέν, μελάνων δ᾽ ἢ λευκῶν· θερμότης γὰρ καὶ ψυχρότης αἰτία τῆς φύσεως τοῦ δέρματος καὶ τῶν τριχῶν· ἔχει γὰρ ἕκαστον τῶν μορίων θερμότητα οἰκείαν, ἔτι δ᾽ αἱ γλῶτται διαφέρουσι.
The same cause also applies to those that are single-colored, whether black or white; for heat and cold are the cause of the nature of the skin and hairs, since each of the parts has its own proper heat.
τῶν ἁπλῶν τε καὶ ποικίλων καὶ τῶν ἁπλῶν μὲν διαφερόντων δέ, οἷον λευκῶν καὶ μελάνων.
Furthermore, tongues differ, both between simple-colored and variegated animals, and between simple-colored ones that differ, such as white and black.
αἴτιον δὲ τὸ εἰρημένον πρότερον, ὅτι τὰ δέρματα ποικίλα τῶν ποικίλων, καὶ τῶν λευκοτρίχων καὶ τῶν μελανοτρίχων τῶν μὲν λευκὰ τῶν δὲ μέλανα.
The cause is what was said before: that the skins of variegated animals are variegated, and of the white-haired and black-haired, the skin of some is white and of others black.
τὴν δὲ γλῶτταν δεῖ ὑπολαβεῖν ὥσπερ ἓν μόριον τῶν ἐξωτερικῶν εἶναι, μὴ ὅτι ἐν τῷ στόματι σκεπάζεται, ἀλλ᾽ οἷον χεῖρα ἢ πόδδα· ὥστ᾽ ἐπεὶ τῶν ποικίλων τὸ δέρμα οὐ μονόχρων, καὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ γλώττη δέρματος τοῦτ᾽ αἴτιον.
We must conceive of the tongue as being like one of the external parts, not because it is covered in the mouth, but like a hand or a foot; so since the skin of variegated animals is not of a single color, this is also the cause of the skin on the tongue being so.
μεταβάλλουσι δὲ τὰ χρώματα καὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων τινὲς καὶ τῶν τετραπόδων τῶν ἀγρίων ἔνια κατὰ τὰς ὥρας.
Some birds and some wild quadrupeds also change their colors according to the seasons.
αἴτιον δ᾽ ὅτι ὥσπερ οἱ ἄνθρωποι κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν μεταβάλλουσι, τοῦτ᾽ ἐκείνοις συμβαίνει κατὰ τὰς ὥρας· μείζων γὰρ διαφορὰ αὕτη τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν τροπῆς.
The cause is that, just as humans change according to age, this happens to those animals according to the seasons; for this seasonal transition is a greater change than that according to age.
εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ τὰ παμφαγώτερα ποικιλώτερα ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλῆθος εἰπεῖν εὐλόγως, οἷον αἱ μέλιτται μονόχροα μάλλον ἢ αἱ ἀνθρῆναι καὶ σφῆκες· εἰ γὰρ αἱ τροφαὶ αἴτιαι τῆς μεταβολῆς, εὐλόγως αἱ ποικίλαι. τροφαὶ παντοδαπωτέρας ποιοῦσι τὰς κινήσεις καὶ τὰ περιττώματα τῆς τροφῆς, ἐξ ὧν καὶ τρίχες καὶ πτίλα καὶ δέρματα γίν ἔται.
Also, those that are more omnivorous are, generally speaking, more variegated with good reason—as bees are of a single color more than hornets and wasps; for if food is the cause of change, variegated foods naturally produce more varied movements and residues of food, from which hairs, feathers, and skins are formed.
καὶ περὶ μὲν χρωμάτων καὶ τριχῶν διωρίσθω τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον,
Let this be our account concerning colors and hairs.