§3.12Περὶ δὲ τὰ πτερωτὰ τῶν ζῴων, οἷον τοὺς ὄρνιθας, κατὰ μὲν τὰς ἡλικίας οὐδὲν μεταβάλλει, πλὴν γέρανος· αὕτη δ’ οὖσα τεφρὰ μελάντερα γηράσκουσα τὰ πτερὰ ἴσχει·
Concerning winged animals, such as birds, they do not change at all according to age, except for the crane; this, being grey, gets darker feathers as it grows older.
διὰ δὲ τὰ πάθη τὰ γιγνόμενα κατὰ τὰς ὥρας, οἷον ὅταν ψύχη γίγνηται μᾶλλον, ἐνίοτε γίνεται τῶν μονοχρόων ἐκ μελάνων τε καὶ μελαντέρων λευκά, οἷον κόραξ τε καὶ στρουθὸς καὶ χελιδόνες· ἐκ δὲ τῶν λευκῶν γενῶν οὐκ ὦπται εἰς μέλαν μεταβάλλον.
And due to the affections occurring according to the seasons, as when there is more cold, sometimes among those of a single color, from black and darker ones they become white, such as the raven, the sparrow, and swallows; but from white genera, it has not been seen to change into black.
Καὶ κατὰ τὰς ὥρας δὲ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων μεταβάλλουσι τὰς χρόας, ὥστε λαθεῖν ἂν τὸν μὴ συνήθη.
And according to the seasons, most birds change their colors, so that one who is unfamiliar with them would not notice.
Μεταβάλλουσι δ’ ἔνια τῶν ζῴων τὰς χρόας τῶν τριχῶν κατὰ τὰς τῶν ὑδάτων μεταβολάς· ἔνθα μὲν γὰρ λευκὰ γίγνονται, ἔνθα δὲ μέλανα ταὐτά.
And some animals change the colors of their hair according to changes of the waters; for in some places they become white, and in others the very same become black.
Καὶ περὶ τὰς ὀχείας δ’ ἐστὶν ὕδατα πολλαχοῦ τοιαῦτα, ἃ πιόντα καὶ ὀχεύσαντα μετὰ τὴν πόσιν τὰ πρόβατα μέλανας γεννῶσι τοὺς ἄρνας, οἷον καὶ ἐν τῇ Χαλκιδικῇ τῇ ἐπὶ τῆς Θρᾴκης ἐν τῇ Ἀσσυρίτιδι ἐποίει ὁ καλούμενος ποταμὸς Ψυχρός.
And regarding copulation, there are in many places such waters which sheep, having drunk and copulated after the drinking, produce black lambs, just as also in Chalcidice in Thrace, in Assyritis, the so-called Cold River used to do.
Καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀντανδρίᾳ δὲ δύο ποταμοί εἰσιν, ὧν ὁ μὲν λευκὰ ὁ δὲ μέλανα ποιεῖ τὰ πρόβατα.
And in Antandrus there are two rivers, of which one makes the sheep white, and the other black.
Δοκεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ Σκάμανδρος ποταμὸς ξανθὰ τὰ πρόβατα ποιεῖν· διὸ καὶ τὸν Ὅμηρόν φασιν ἀντὶ Σκαμάνδρου Ξάνθον προσαγορεύειν αὐτόν.
And the river Scamander also seems to make sheep yellow; wherefore they say Homer also calls it Xanthus instead of Scamander.
Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα ζῷα οὔτ’ ἐντὸς ἔχει τρίχας, τῶν τ’ ἀκρωτηρίων ἐν τοῖς πρανέσιν ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ὑπτίοις· ὁ δὲ δασύπους μόνος καὶ ἐντὸς ἔχει τῶν γνάθων τρίχας καὶ ὑπὸ τοῖς ποσίν.
Now other animals have no hair inside, and on their extremities on the upper parts but not on the under parts; but the hare alone has hair both inside its jaws and under its feet.
Ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὁ μῦς τὸ κῆτος ὀδόντας μὲν ἐν τῷ στόματι οὐκ ἔχει, τρίχας δὲ ὁμοίας ὑείαις.
Furthermore, also the whale called "mys" does not have teeth in its mouth, but hairs resembling those of pigs.
Αἱ μὲν οὖν τρίχες αὐξάνονται ἀποτμηθεῖσαι κάτωθεν, ἄνωθεν δ’ οὔ· τὰ δὲ πτερὰ οὔτ’ ἄνωθεν οὔτε κάτωθεν, ἀλλ’ ἐκπίπτει.
Now hairs, when cut off, grow from below, but not from above; but feathers grow neither from above nor from below, but they fall out.
Οὐκ ἀναφύεται δὲ ἐκτιλθὲν οὔτε τῶν μελιττῶν τὸ πτερὸν οὔθ’ ὅσα ἄλλα ἔχει ἄσχιστον τὸ πτερόν· οὐδὲ τὸ κέντρον, ὅταν ἀποβάλλῃ ἡ μέλιττα, ἀλλὰ θνήσκει.
And the wing of bees, when plucked out, does not grow back, nor of any other animals that have undivided wings; nor does the sting, when the bee loses it, but it dies.
§3.13Εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ὑμένες ἐν τοῖς ζῴοις ἅπασι τοῖς ἐναίμοις.
There are also membranes in all red-blooded animals.
Ὅμοιος δ’ ἐστὶν ὁ ὑμὴν δέρματι πυκνῷ καὶ λεπτῷ, ἔστι δὲ τὸ γένος ἕτερον· οὔτε γάρ ἐστι σχιστὸν οὔτε τατόν.
The membrane is similar to thick and thin skin, but its kind is different; for it is neither tearable nor stretchable.
Περὶ ἕκαστον δὲ τῶν ὀστῶν καὶ περὶ ἕκαστον τῶν σπλάγχνων ὁ ὑμήν ἐστι καὶ ἐν τοῖς μείζοσι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐλάττοσι ζῴοις· ἀλλ’ ἄδηλοι ἐν τοῖς ἐλάττοσι διὰ τὸ πάμπαν εἶναι λεπτοὶ καὶ μικροί.
And about each of the bones and about each of the viscera there is a membrane, both in larger and in smaller animals; but they are invisible in the smaller ones because they are altogether thin and small.
Μέγιστοι δὲ τῶν ὑμένων εἰσὶν οἵ τε περὶ τὸν ἐγκέφαλον δύο, ὧν ὁ περὶ τὸ ὀστοῦν ἰσχυρότερος καὶ παχύτερος τοῦ περὶ τὸν ἐγκέφαλον, ἔπειθ’ ὁ περὶ τὴν καρδίαν ὑμήν.
And the largest of the membranes are the two around the brain, of which the one around the bone is stronger and thicker than the one around the brain, and then the membrane around the heart.
Διακοπεὶς δὲ οὐ συμφύεται ψιλὸς ὑμήν, ψιλούμενά τε τὰ ὀστᾶ τῶν ὑμένων σφακελίζει.
And a membrane, when cut through, does not grow together if it is bare, and bones, when stripped of their membranes, become necrosed.
§3.14Ἔστι δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐπίπλουν ὑμήν.
The omentum is also a membrane.
Ἔχει δ’ ἐπίπλουν πάντα τὰ ἔναιμα· ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν πῖον τοῖς δ’ ἀπίμελόν ἐστιν.
And all red-blooded animals have an omentum; but in some it is fatty, while in others it is fatless.
Ἔχει δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν ἐξάρτησιν ἐν τοῖς ζῳοτόκοις καὶ ἀμφώδουσιν ἐκ μέσης τῆς κοιλίας, ᾗ ἐστὶν οἷον ῥαφή τις αὐτῆς· καὶ τοῖς μὴ ἀμφώδουσι δὲ ἐκ τῆς μεγάλης κοιλίας ὡσαύτως.
And in viviparous animals with teeth in both jaws, it has its origin and attachment from the middle of the stomach, where there is a kind of seam of it; and in those that do not have teeth in both jaws, likewise from the great stomach.
§3.15Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ κύστις ὑμενοειδὴς μέν, ἄλλο δὲ γένος ὑμένος· ἔχει δὲ κύστιν οὐ πάντα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ζῳοτόκα πάντα, τῶν δ’ ᾠοτόκων ἡ χελώνη μόνον.
The bladder is also membrane-like, but of another kind of membrane; and not all animals have a bladder, but all viviparous ones do, and of the oviparous ones, only the turtle.
Διακοπεῖσα δὲ οὐδ’ ἡ κύστις συμφύεται ἀλλ’ ἢ παρ’ αὐτὴν τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ οὐρητῆρος, εἰ μή τι πάμπαν σπάνιον· γέγονε γάρ τι ἤδη τοιοῦτον.
And the bladder, when cut through, does not grow together either, except near the very origin of the urethra, unless in some altogether rare case; for something of this sort has indeed happened before.
Τεθνεώτων μὲν οὖν οὐδὲν διίησιν ὑγρόν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ζῶσι καὶ ξηρὰς συστάσεις, ἐξ ὧν οἱ λίθοι γίγνονται τοῖς κάμνουσιν.
Now in the dead it transmits no fluid, but in the living it also contains dry concretions, from which stones are formed in those who are sick.
Ἐνίοις δ’ ἤδη καὶ τοιαῦτα συνέστη ἐν τῇ κύστει ὥστε μηδὲν δοκεῖν διαφέρειν κογχυλίων.
And in some, indeed, such things have already been concreted in the bladder that they seem to differ in no way from seashells.
Περὶ μὲν οὖν φλεβὸς καὶ νεύρου καὶ δέρματος, καὶ περὶ ἰνῶν καὶ ὑμένων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ περὶ τριχῶν καὶ ὀνύχων καὶ χηλῆς καὶ ὁπλῆς καὶ κεράτων καὶ ὀδόντων καὶ ῥύγχους καὶ χόνδρου καὶ ὀστῶν καὶ τῶν ἀνάλογον τούτοις τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον.
Concerning, then, vein and tendon, and skin, and fiber and membrane, and furthermore concerning hair and nail and claw and hoof and horn and tooth and beak and cartilage and bone and their analogues, the matter stands in this way.