§1.5#2Τὰ δὲ σκληρόδερμα, οἷον κάραβος, τοῖς οὐραίοις νεῖ, τάχιστα δ’ ἐπὶ τὴν κέρκον τοῖς ἐν ἐκείνῃ πτερυγίοις· καὶ ὁ κορδύλος τοῖς ποσὶ καὶ τῷ οὐραίῳ· ἔχει δ’ ὅμοιον γλάνει τὸ οὐραῖον, ὡς μικρὸν εἰκάσαι μεγάλῳ.
The hard-shelled animals, such as the crawfish, swim with their tail parts, and most rapidly in the direction of the tail by means of the fins upon it; and the water-newt swims with its feet and its tail; and it has a tail similar to that of the catfish, to compare a small thing to a great one.
Τῶν δὲ πτηνῶν τὰ μὲν πτερωτά ἐστιν, οἷον ἀετὸς καὶ ἱέραξ, τὰ δὲ πτιλωτά, οἷον μέλιττα καὶ μηλολόνθη, τὰ δὲ δερμόπτερα, οἷον ἀλώπηξ καὶ νυκτερίς.
Of flying creatures, some are feathered, such as the eagle and the hawk, some are membranous-winged, such as the bee and the cockchafer, and others are leather-winged, such as the "flying-fox" and the bat.
Πτερωτὰ μὲν οὖν ἐστὶν ὅσα ἔναιμα, καὶ δερμόπτερα ὡσαύτως· πτιλωτὰ δὲ ὅσα ἄναιμα, οἷον τὰ ἔντομα.
Now feathered creatures are all blooded, and so likewise are the leather-winged ones; whereas the membranous-winged ones are bloodless, such as the insects.
Ἔστι δὲ τὰ μὲν πτερωτὰ καὶ δερμόπτερα δίποδα πάντα ἢ ἄποδα· λέγονται γὰρ εἶναί τινες ὄφεις τοιοῦτοι περὶ Αἰθιοπίαν.
And the feathered and leather-winged creatures are all either two-footed or footless; for it is said that there are certain snakes of this kind around Ethiopia.
Τὸ μὲν οὖν πτερωτὸν γένος τῶν ζῴων ὄρνις καλεῖται, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ δύο ἀνώνυμα ἑνὶ ὀνόματι.
Thus, the feathered class of animals is called "bird", while the remaining two classes have no single collective name.
Τῶν δὲ πτηνῶν μὲν ἀναίμων δὲ τὰ μὲν κολεόπτερά ἐστιν (ἔχει γὰρ ἐν ἐλύτρῳ τὰ πτερά, οἷον αἱ μηλολόνθαι καὶ οἱ κάνθαροι), τὰ δ’ ἀνέλυτρα, καὶ τούτων τὰ μὲν δίπτερα τὰ δὲ τετράπτερα, τετράπτερα μὲν ὅσα μέγεθος ἔχει ἢ ὅσα ὀπισθόκεντρά ἐστι, δίπτερα δὲ ὅσα ἢ μέγεθος μὴ ἔχει ἢ ἐμπροσθόκεντρά ἐστιν.
Of those flying creatures that are bloodless, some are sheath-winged (for they have their wings in a sheath, such as the cockchafers and the beetles), and others are unsheathed; and of these, some are two-winged and others four-winged. The four-winged are those that have large size or have their sting at the rear, and the two-winged are those that either do not have large size or have their sting in front.
Τῶν δὲ κολεοπτέρων οὐδὲν ἔχει κέντρον.
And none of the sheath-winged creatures has a sting.
Τὰ δὲ δίπτερα ἔμπροσθεν ἔχει τὰ κέντρα, οἷον μυῖα καὶ μύωψ καὶ οἶστρος καὶ ἐμπίς.
The two-winged have their stings in front, such as the fly, the horse-fly, the gadfly, and the gnat.
Πάντα δὲ τὰ ἄναιμα ἐλάττω τὰ μέγεθη ἐστὶ τῶν ἐναίμων ζῴων· πλὴν ὀλίγα ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ μείζονα ἄναιμά ἐστιν, οἶον τῶν μαλακίων ἔνια.
And all bloodless animals are smaller in size than the blooded animals; except for a few larger bloodless creatures in the sea, such as some of the molluscs.
Μέγιστα δὲ γίνεται ταῦτα τὰ γένη αὑτῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀλεεινοτάτοις, καὶ ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ ἐν τοῖς γλυκέσιν ὕδασιν.
And these classes become largest relative to their own kind in the warmest regions, and more so in the sea than on land or in fresh waters.
κινεῖται δὲ τὰ κινούμενα πάντα τέτταρσι σημείοις ἢ πλείοσι, τὰ μὲν ἔναιμα τέτταρσι μόνον, οἷον ἄνθρωπος μὲν χερσὶ δυσὶ καὶ ποσὶ δυσίν, ὄρνις δὲ πτέρυξι δυσὶ καὶ ποσὶ δυσί, τὰ δὲ τετράποδα καὶ ἰχθύες τὰ μὲν τέτταρσι ποσίν, οἱ δὲ τέτταρσι πτερυγίοις.
And all moving creatures move by four or more points: the blooded ones by four only, such as man with two hands and two feet, bird with two wings and two feet, and quadrupeds and fish, the former with four feet, the latter with four fins.
Ὅσα δὲ δύο ἔχει πτερύγια ἢ ὅλως μή, οἷον ὄφις, τέτταρσι σημείοις οὐθὲν ἧττον· αἱ γὰρ καμπαὶ τέτταρες, ἢ δύο σὺν τοῖς πτερυγίοις.
And those that have two fins or none at all, like the snake, move by four points nonetheless; for their bends are four, or two together with their fins.
Ὅσα δ’ ἄναιμα ὄντα πλείους πόδας ἔχει, εἴτε πτηνὰ εἴτε πεζά, σημείοις κινεῖται πλείοσιν, οἷον τὸ καλούμενον ζῷον ἐφήμερον τέτταρσι καὶ ποσὶ καὶ πτεροῖς· τούτῳ γὰρ οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸν βίον συμβαίνει τὸ ἴδιον, ὅθεν καὶ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἔχει, ἀλλ’ ὅτι καὶ πτηνόν ἐστι τετράπουν ὄν.
On the other hand, those that are bloodless and have more feet, whether flying or walking, move by more points, for instance, the creature called the "ephemeron" moves by four feet and wings; for to this creature belongs not only the peculiar feature regarding its life, whence also it has its name, but also that it is a flying creature although it is four-footed.
Πάντα δὲ κινεῖται ὁμοίως, τὰ τετράποδα καὶ πολύποδα· κατὰ διάμετρον γὰρ κινεῖται.
And all quadrupeds and multipeds move in a similar manner; for they move diagonally.
Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα ζῷα δύο τοὺς ἡγεμόνας ἔχει πόδας, ὁ δὲ καρκίνος μόνος τῶν ζῴων τέτταρας.
Thus, while other animals have two leading feet, the crab alone of all animals has four.