§10.6Φανερὰ δὲ τὰ ζῷά ἐστιν, ὅταν ὀχευθῆναι δέηται.
Animals are manifest when they need to copulate.
Διώκει γὰρ τὰ ἄρρενα, οἷον αἱ ἀλεκτορίδες διώκουσι καὶ ὑφιζάνουσιν αὐταί, ἐὰν μὴ ὀργᾷ ὁ ἄρρην.
For they pursue the males, just as hens pursue them and crouch down under them themselves, if the male is not eager.
Τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ καὶ ἄλλα ζῷα.
Other animals also do this.
Εἰ δὴ ταὐτὰ πάθη πᾶσι τοῖς ζῴοις φαίνεται ὄντα περὶ τὴν συνουσίαν, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τὰ αἴτια συμβαίνοντα.
If, indeed, the same experiences appear to belong to all animals concerning intercourse, it is clear that the causes are also coincident.
Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἥ γε ὄρνις οὐ μόνον τοῦ λαβεῖν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ προέσθαι.
Moreover, the hen has a desire not only to receive, but also to emit.
Σημεῖον δὲ τούτου· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ παρῇ ὁ ἄρρην, πίπτει ὑπ’ αὐτὴν καὶ ἔγκυος γίγνεται καὶ τίκτει ὑπηνέμια, ὡς ἐπιθυμοῦσα καὶ τοῦ ἀφεῖναι τότε, καὶ ἀφεῖσα, ὅταν καὶ τῷ ἄρρενι ἀνὴρ συνῇ.
A sign of this is: if the male is not present, she crouches under herself and becomes pregnant and lays wind-eggs, as desiring to release at that time, and having released, just as when a woman associates with a man, so does she when she associates with the male.
Ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τἆλλα, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τῶν ᾀδουσῶν ἀκρίδων ἤδη τις ἐπειράθη τρέφουσα, ἔτι ἁπαλὰς λαβοῦσα· καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτόματοι ἔγκυοι.
Other animals also do this, since someone has already made trial by rearing singing locusts, taking them while still tender, and they became pregnant spontaneously.
Ἐκ δὴ τούτων δῆλον ὅτι συμβάλλεται εἰς τὸ σπέρμα πᾶν τὸ θῆλυ, εἴ γε καὶ ἐφ’ ἑνὸς γένους φαίνεται τοῦτο γιγνόμενον.
From these things, indeed, it is clear that every female contributes to the semen, since this is seen to happen even in one genus.
Οὐδὲν γὰρ διαφέρει τὸ ζῷον τὸ ὑπηνέμιον τούτου, ἀλλὰ τῷ μὴ γεννᾶν ζῷον.
For the animal from a wind-egg differs in no way from this one, except in not generating a complete animal.
Τοῦτο δ’ ὅτι καὶ παρ’ ἀμφοῖν ἦλθεν.
And this is because it came from both.
Διὸ οὐδὲ τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄρρενος ἅπαντα γόνιμα φαίνεται, ἀλλ’ ἔνια ἄγονα, ὅταν μὴ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ὡς δεῖ συναρμοσθῇ.
Wherefore, not all things from the male appear to be fertile, but some are infertile when they are not fitted together properly from both.
Ἔτι γυναῖκες ἐξονειρώττουσι, καὶ ταύταις γίνεται, ὡς ὅταν συγγένωνται ἀνδρί, ταὐτὰ παθήματα μετὰ τὸν ὀνειρωγμόν, διάλυσις καὶ ἀδυναμία.
Furthermore, women have wet dreams, and the same experiences occur to them after the wet dream as when they associate with a man, namely, relaxation and weakness.
Δῆλον τοίνυν, εἰ ἐν τῷ ἐξονειρωγμῷ φαίνονται προϊέμεναι, καὶ τότε συμβάλλονται, ὅτι μετὰ τοὺς ἐξονειρωγμοὺς ὁ αὐτὸς τόπος ἀφυγραίνεται, καὶ θεραπείας δέονται τῆς αὐτῆς αὐταὶ ὑφ’ αὑτῶν, ὥσπερ ὅταν συγγένωνται ἀνδρί.
It is clear, therefore, if they appear to emit in wet dreams and contribute at that time, that after wet dreams the same place becomes moist, and they require the same care by themselves as when they associate with a man.
Ὥστε φανερὸν ὅτι παρ’ ἀμφοῖν γίνεται πρόεσις τοῦ σπέρματος, εἰ μέλλει γόνιμον ἔσεσθαι.
So that it is manifest that the emission of semen occurs from both, if it is to be fertile.
Προΐενται δ’ οὐκ εἰς αὑτὰς αἱ ὑστέραι, ἀλλ’ ἔξω, οὗ καὶ ὁ ἀνήρ· εἶτ’ ἐκεῖθεν ἕλκει εἰς αὐτάς· ὧν τὰ μὲν γεννᾷ ἀφ’ αὑτῶν τὰ θήλεα, οἷον ὄρνις τὰ ὑπηνέμια, τὰ δ’ οὐθέν, οἷον ἵπποι καὶ πρόβατα.
And the uteri emit not into themselves, but outside, where the man also does; then from there they draw it into themselves; of these, some females generate from themselves, such as the bird laying wind-eggs, while others generate nothing, such as horses and sheep.
Ἢ ὅτι ἡ μὲν ὄρνις εἰς τὴν ὑστέραν προΐεται, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔξω τόπος εἰς ὃν ἀφίησιν, οὐδὲ ὁ ἄρρην· διὸ ἐὰν μὴ τύχῃ ὀχεύων, εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐκχεῖ· τοῖς δὲ τετράποσιν ἔστιν ἔξω τόπος ἄλλος, εἰς ὃν καὶ τὸ θῆλυ προΐεται καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν· ὅπερ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ὑγρῶν συγχεῖται, καὶ οὐ συνίσταται ἐν τῇ ὑστέρᾳ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰσιέναι, ταῖς δ’ ὄρνισι λαβοῦσα ἡ ὑστέρα συμπέττει καὶ σῶμά τι ὄμοιον τἆλλα, πλὴν οὐ ζῷον· διὸ δεῖ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τὸ ζῷον εἶναι.
Or is it because the bird emits into the uterus, and there is no outer place into which she releases, nor is there for the male (wherefore, if he does not happen to copulate, he pours it out onto the ground); but for quadrupeds there is another outer place into which both the female and the male emit; which in other animals is mixed up with the other fluids and does not solidify in the uterus because of not entering, whereas in birds the uterus, having received it, concocts it and produces a body similar in other respects, except that it is not a complete animal; wherefore the animal must come from both.