§6.10#1οἱ δ’ ἰχθύες ὅτι μὲν οὐ πάντες ᾠοτοκοῦσιν, εἴρηται πρότερον.
Concerning fish, it has been said before that not all of them are oviparous.
Τὰ μὲν γὰρ σελάχη ζῳοτοκεῖ, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων γένος ἰχθύων ᾠοτοκεῖ.
For the cartilaginous fish are viviparous, while the other genus of fish is oviparous.
Ζῳοτοκεῖ δὲ τὰ σελάχη πρότερον ᾠοτοκήσαντα ἐν αὑτοῖς, καὶ ἐκτρέφουσιν ἐν αὑτοῖς, πλὴν βατράχου.
The cartilaginous fish bring forth live young after first producing eggs within themselves, and they nurture them within themselves, except for the fishing-frog.
Ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ τὰς ὑστέρας, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς ἄνω ἐλέχθη, διαφόρους οἱ ἰχθύες· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ᾠοτοκοῦντα δικρόας ἔχει καὶ κάτω, τὰ δὲ σελάχη ἀρνιθωδεστέρας.
And fish also have their uteri diverse, as was said in the previous part; for the oviparous ones have them bifurcate and situated low down, while the cartilaginous fish have them more like those of birds.
Διαφέρει δὲ τῆς τῶν ὀρνίθων ὑστέρας, ὅτι οὐ πρὸς τῷ ὑποζώματι ἐνίοις συνίσταται τὰ ᾠά, ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ κατὰ τὴν ῥάχιν, ἐκεῖθεν δ’ αὐξανόμενα μεταβαίνει.
But it differs from the uterus of birds, because in some the eggs are not formed near the diaphragm, but in the middle along the backbone, and from there they move as they grow.
Τὸ δ’ ᾠὸν γίνεται πάντων τῶν ἰχθύων οὐ δίχρων ἀλλὰ μονόχρων, λευκότερον δ’ ἢ ὠχρότερον, καὶ πρότερον καὶ ὅταν ἐνῇ ὁ νεοττός.
The egg of all fish is not of two colors but of a single color, either whitish or yellowish, both in the early stage and when the young is inside.
Διαφέρει δ’ ἡ γένεσις ἡ ἐκ τοῦ ᾠοῦ τοῦ τῶν ἰχθύων καὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων, ᾗ οὐκ ἔχει τὸν ἕτερον ὀμφαλὸν τείνοντα πρὸς τὸν ὑμένα τὸν ὑπὸ τὸ ὄστρακον· τὸν δ’ εἰς τὸ ὠχρὸν τοῖς ὄρνισι τείνοντα πόρον, τοῦτον ἔχει τοῖν δυοῖν μόνον.
And the generation from the egg of fish differs from that of birds in that it does not have the second umbilical cord extending to the membrane under the shell; but of the two, it has only this one, namely the passage extending to the yolk in birds.
Ἡ δ’ ἄλλη γένεσις ἤδη πᾶσα ἡ αὐτὴ ἡ ἐκ τοῦ ᾠοῦ τῶν τε ὀρνίθων καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων· ἐπ’ ἄκρῳ τε γὰρ τούτου γίνεται, καὶ αἱ φλέβες ὁμοίως τείνουσιν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας πρῶτον, καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ καὶ τὰ ὄμματα καὶ τὰ ἄνω μέγιστα ὁμοίως τὸ πρῶτον· αὐξανομένου δ’ ἀεὶ ἔλαττον γίνεται τὸ ᾠόν, καὶ τέλος ἀφανίζεται καὶ εἰσδύεται ἔσω, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς ὄρνισιν ὁ νεοττὸς καλούμενος.
In other respects, the whole generation from the egg is already the same for both birds and fish; for the young is formed at the extremity of it, and the veins likewise extend first from the heart, and the head, eyes, and upper parts are likewise largest at first; and as it grows, the egg always becomes smaller, and finally disappears and is absorbed inside, just as the so-called chick does in birds.
Προσπέφυκε δὲ καὶ ὁ ὀμφαλὸς μικρὸν κατώτερον τοῦ στόματος τῆς γαστρός.
And the umbilical cord is attached a little lower than the mouth of the stomach.
Ἔστι δὲ νέοις μὲν οὖσιν ὁ ὀμφαλὸς μακρός, αὐξανομένοις δ’ ἐλάττων, καὶ τέλος μικρός, ἕως ἂν εἰσέλθῃ, καθάπερ ἐλέχθη ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρνίθων.
And while they are young, the umbilical cord is long, but as they grow it becomes smaller, and finally small, until it enters inside, as was said in the case of birds.
Περιέχεται δὲ τὸ ἔμβρυον καὶ τὸ ᾠὸν ὑμένι κοινῷ· ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦτον ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὑμήν, ὃς περιέχει ἰδίᾳ τὸ ἔμβρυον· μεταξὺ δὲ τῶν ὑμένων ἔνεστιν ὑγρότης.
And the embryo and the egg are surrounded by a common membrane; and under this is another membrane, which surrounds the embryo individually; and between the membranes there is fluid.
Καὶ ἠ τροφὴ δ’ ὁμοία γίνεται τοῖς ἰχθυδίοις ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ ὥσπερ τοῖς τῶν ὀρνίθων νεοττοῖς, ἡ μὲν λευκὴ ἡ δ’ ὠχρά.
And the food inside the belly of the little fish is also similar to that of the chicks of birds, some white and some yellow.
Τὸ μὲν οὖν σχῆμα τῆς ὑστέρας ὡς ἔχει, ἐκ τῶν ἀνατομῶν θεωρείσθω· διαφορὰ δ’ ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς πρὸς αὑτούς, οἷον τοῖς γαλεώδεσι καὶ πρὸς αὑτοὺς καὶ πρὸς τὰ πλατέα.
The shape of the uterus, then, how it is, should be observed from the dissections; but there is a difference among them, as among the shark-like fishes both in comparison with one another and with the flat fishes.
Ἐνίοις μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῆς ὑστέρας περὶ τὴν ῥάχιν προσπέφυκε τὰ ᾠά, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, οἷον τοῖς σκυλίοις· αὐξανόμενα δὲ περιέρχεται.
For in some, as has been said, the eggs are attached in the middle of the uterus near the backbone, as in the dogfish; and as they grow they move around.
Οὔσης δὲ δικρόας τῆς ὑστέρας καὶ προσπεφυκυίας πρὸς τῷ ὑποζώματι, ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων, περιέρχεται εἰς ἑκάτερον τὸ μέρος.
And since the uterus is bifurcate and attached to the diaphragm, as in other such animals, they move around into each of the two parts.
Ἔχει δ’ ἡ ὑστέρα καὶ αὕτη καὶ ἡ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν γαλεοειδῶν μικρὸν προελθόντι ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑποζώματος οἷον μαστοὺς λευκούς, οἳ κυημάτων μὴ ἐνόντων οὐκ ἐγγίνονται.
And this uterus, as well as that of the other shark-like fishes, has, a little way from the diaphragm, white teat-like processes, which do not appear when embryos are not present.