§2.17.8ἀκανθύόδης δʼ ἐστὶν οὗτος 8 ὁ τόπος· σύγκειται γὰρ ἐκ τῆς συμψαύσεωος τῶν βραγχίων, ὧν ἡ φύσις άκανθύδης ἐστίν.
And this region is thorny; 8 for it is composed of the meeting of the gills, the nature of which is thorny.
τοῖς δὲ κροκοδείλοις συμβάλλεταί τι πρὸς τὴν τού μορίου τούτου ἀναπηρίαν καὶ τὸ τὴν σιαγόνα τὴν κάτω ἀκίνητον ἔχειν.
And in crocodiles, their having the lower jaw immovable also contributes somewhat to the deficiency of this part.
ἔστι μὶν γὰρ ἡ γλὧττα τῇ κάτω συμφυής, οἱ δʼ ἔχουσιν ὡσπερ ἀνάπαλιν τὴν ἄνω κάτω· τοῖς γὰρ ἁλίοις ἡ ἄνω ἀκίνητος.
For the tongue is grown together with the lower jaw, but they have them, as it were, upside down; for in the other animals, the upper jaw is immovable.
πρὸς μὲν οὖν τῇ ἄνω οὐκ ἔχουσι τὴν γλύτταν, ὅτι ἐναντίως ἄν ἔχοι πρὸς τὴν τῆς τροφῆς εῖσοδον, πρὸς δὲ τῇ κάτω, ὅτι ὧσπερ μετακειμένη ἡ ἅνωσ ἐστίν.
Therefore, they do not have the tongue on the upper jaw, because it would be contrary to the entrance of food; nor on the lower jaw, because the upper jaw is, as it were, transposed.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ συμβέβηκεν αὑτῷ πεζῷ ὄντι ζῆν ἐχθύων βίον, ὥστε καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀναγκαῖον ἀδιάρθρωτον αὐτὸν ἔχειν τοῦτο τὸ μὸριον.
Moreover, it happens that, although being a land animal, it lives the life of a fish, so that for this reason also, it is necessary for it to have this part unarticulated.
§2.17.9τὸν δʼ οὐρανὸν σαρκύδη πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων 9 ἔχουσι, καὶ τῶν ποταμίων ἔνιοι σφὸδρα σαρκωόδη καὶ μαλακὸν, οἷον οἱ καλούμενοι κυπρῖνοε, ὥστε δοκεῖν τοῖς μὴ σκοποῦσιν ἀκριβὡς γλῶτταν ἔχειν ταύτην.
And many of the fishes also have a fleshy palate, 9 and some of the river fishes have it very fleshy and soft, such as those called carps, so that to those who do not examine closely, this seems to be a tongue.
οἱ δʼ ἰχθύες διὰ τὴν εἰρημένην αίτίαν ἔχουσι μὲν οὐ σαφῆ δʼ ἔχουσι τὴν διάρθρωσιν τῆς γλώττης.
But fishes, because of the stated cause, do have a tongue, but they do not have a clear articulation of it.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τῆς τροφῆς χέριν τῆς ἐν τοῖς χυμοῖς ἐστὶν ἡ αἴσθησις, τὸ μὲν γλωττοειδὲς ἔχει μόριον, οὐ πάντῃ δʼ ὁμοίως ἀλλὰ τῷ ἄκρῳ μάλιστα.
But since the perception of the food in juices exists for the sake of nourishment, they have a tongue-like part, yet not similarly in every part, but especially at the tip.
διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ἰχθύσι τοῦτʼ ἀφύρισται μόνον.
For this reason, in fishes, only this part is marked off.
§2.17.10ἐπιθυμίαν δʼ ἔχει τροφῆς 10 τὰ ζῷα πάντα ὡς ἔχοντα αἱσθησιν τῆς ἡδονῆς τῆς γινομένης ἐκ τῆς τροφῆςʼ ἡ γὰρ ἐπιθυμία τού ἡδέος ἐστίν.
And all animals have a desire for food, 10 inasmuch as they have a perception of the pleasure arising from food; for desire is for the pleasant.
ἀλλὰ τὸ μὸριον οὐχ ὅμοιον τούτο πἀσιν, ᾧ τὴν αἴσθησιν ποιοῦνται τῆς τροφῆς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ἀπολελυμένον τοῖς δὲ προσπεφυκὸς, ὅσοις μηδὲν ἔργον ὑπάρχει φωνῆς, καὶ τοῖς μὲν σκληρὸν τοῖς δὲ μκλακὸν ἤ σαρκῶδες.
But this part by which they perceive food is not similar in all, but in some it is free, and in others grown fast—in all those that have no function of voice—and in some it is hard, while in others soft or fleshy.
διὸ καὶ τοῖς μαλακοστράκοις, οἷον καράέβοις καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις, ἐντὸς ὑπάρχει τι τοῦ στὸματος τοιοῦτον, §2.17.1111 καὶ τοῖς μαλακίοις, οἷον σηπίαις καὶ πολύποσιν.
Therefore, in the malacostracans (crustaceans), such as lobsters and similar creatures, there exists some such part inside the mouth, and in the 11 mollusks (cephalopods), such as cuttlefishes and octopuses.
τῶν δʼ ἐντὸμων ζῷων ἔνια μὲν ἐντὸς ἔχει τὸ τοιοὺτον μὸριοον, οἷον τὸ τῶν μυρμήκων γένος, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τῶν ὀστρακοδέρμων πολλα· τὰ δʼ ἐκτὸς, οἷον κέντρον, σομφὸν δὲ τὴν φύσιν καὶ κοῖλον, ὥσθ᾿ ἅμα τούτφ καὶ γεύεσθαι καὶ τὴν τροφὴν ἀνασπἀν.
And some of the insect animals have such a part inside, as the genus of ants, and likewise many of the testaceans (shelled animals); others have it outside, like a sting (proboscis), which is spongy in nature and hollow, so as to taste and at the same time draw up food with it.
δῆλον δὲ τούτο ἐπί τε μυιῶν καὶ μελιττῶν καὶ πάντωον τῶν τοιούτων, ἔτι δʼ ἐπʼ ἐνίων τν ὀστρακοδέρμων· ταῖς γὰρ πορφύραις τοσαύτην ἔχει δύναμιν τούτο τὸ μὸριον ὥστε καὶ τῶν κογχυλίων διατρυπὧσι τὸ ὄστρακον, οἷον τῶν στρόμβων οἷς δελεάζουσιν αὐτάς.
And this is clear in the case of flies and bees and all such creatures, and furthermore in some of the testaceans; for in the purple-fish, this part has such great power that they even drill through the shell of other shellfish, such as the trumpet-shells (whelks) with which people bait them.
ἔτι δʼ οἱ τʼ οἱστροι καὶ οἱ μύωπες οἱ μὲν τὰ τῶν §2.17.1212 ἀνθρύόπων οἱ δὲ καὶ τὰ τῶν ἅλλων ζῷόων δέρματα διαιρούσιν.
Furthermore, both gadflies and horseflies pierce—some the skins of humans, others also 12 those of other animals.
ἐν μὲν σὖν τούτοις τοῖς ζῷύοις ἡ γλῶττα τοιαύτη τὴν φύσιν ἐστίν, ὥσπερ ἀντιστρόφως ἔχουσα τῷ μυκτῆρι τῷ τῶν ἐλεφάντων· καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνοις πρὸς βοήθειαν ὁ μυκτὴρ, καὶ τούτοις ἡ γλῶττα ἀντὶ κέντρου ἐστίν.
In these animals, then, the tongue is of such a nature, having as it were an inverse relation to the trunk of elephants; for while in those animals the trunk is for protection, in these the tongue is in place of a sting.
ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ἡ γλῶττα πάντων ἐστὶν οἵανπερ εἴπομεν.
But in all the other animals, the tongue is such as we have described.