§2.8.18 Περὶ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων μορίων τῶν ὁμοιομερῶν σκεπτέον, καὶ πρῶτον περὶ σαρκὸς ἐν τοῖς ἔχουσι σάρκας, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις τὸ ἀνάλογον· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀρχὴ καὶ σωμα καθʼ αὑτὸ τῶν ζῴων ἐστίν.
8 Next we must consider the other homoeomerous parts, and first concerning flesh in those that have flesh, and in the others the analogue; for this is the principle and the body by itself of animals.
δῆλον δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν λόγον· τὸ γὰρ ζῷον ὁριζόμεθα τῷ ἔχειν αἴσθησιν, πρῶτον δὲ τὴν πρώτην· αὕτη δʼ ἐστὶν ἀρή, ταύτης δʼ αἰσθητήριον τὸ τοιοντον μόριόν ἐστιν, ἤτοι τὸ πρῶτον, ὡσπερ ἡ κόρη τῆς ὅψεως, ἢ τὸ διʼ σὺ συνειλημμένον, ὧσπερ ἄν εἴ τις προσλάβοι τῇ κόρῃ τὸ διαφανὲς πἀν.
And this is clear also according to the definition (logos); for we define the animal by its having sensation, and first by the first sensation; and this is touch, and the sensory organ of this is such a part, either the first organ itself, just as the pupil is of sight, or that which is combined through which it is enclosed, just as if one were to add to the pupil the whole transparent medium.
ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἅλλων αέσθήσεων ἀδύνατόν τε καὶ οὐδὲν προὺργου τοῦτʼ ἦν ποιήσαι τῇ φύσει, τὸ δʼ ἁπτικὸν ἐξ ἀνάγκης· μόνον γὰρ ἤ μάλιστα τούτʼ ἐστὶ σωματῶδες τῶν αἰσθητηρίων.
Therefore, in the case of the other sensations, it was both impossible and of no use for nature to do this, but in the case of the tactile organ it was of necessity; for this alone or most of all of the sensory organs is bodily (solid).
§2.8.2κατὰ δὲ τὴν αἴσθησιν φανερὸν πάντα τἆλλα 2 τούτου χάριν ὄντα, λέγω δʼ οἷον ὀστᾶ καὶ δέρμα καὶ νεύρα καὶ φλέβες, ἔτι δὲ τρίχες καὶ τὸ τῶν ὀνύχων γένος, καὶ εἴ τι τοιοῦτον ἕτερόν ἐστιν.
And according to observation it is clear that all the other parts exist for the sake of this; I mean, for instance, bones, skin, sinews, and veins, and further hairs and the class of nails, and if there is any other such part.
ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ὀστῶν φύσις σωτηρίας ἕνεκεν μεμ ηχάνηται μαλακοῦ, σκληρὰ τὴν φύσιν ούσα, ἐν τοῖς ἔχουσιν ὀστᾶ· ἐν δὲ τοῖς μὴ ἕχουσι τὸ ἀνάλογον, οἷον ἐν τοῖς ἰχθύσι τοῖς μὲν ἄκανθα τοῖς δὲ χόνδρος.
For the nature of bones, being hard by nature, has been devised for the sake of the preservation of the soft part, in those that have bones; and in those that do not, the analogue, for instance in fish, in some the spine, and in others cartilage.
§2.8.3τὰ μὲν 3 οὗν ἔχει τῶν ζῴων ἐντὸς τὴν τοιαύτην βοήθειαν, ἔυια δὲ τῶν ἀναίμων ἐκτός, ὥσπερ τῶν τε μαλακοαστράκων ἕκαστον, οἷον καρκίνοι καὶ τὸ τῶν καράβων γένος, καὶ τὸ τῶν ὀστρακοδέρμων ὡσαύτως, οἷον τὰ καλούμενα ὄστρεα· πᾶσι γὰρ τούτοις τὸ μὲν σαρκῶδες ἐντὸς, τὸ δὲ συνέχον καὶ φουλάττον ἐκτὸς τὸ γεῶδές ἐστιν·
3 Some of the animals, then, have such assistance inside, while some of the bloodless animals have it outside, just as each of the crustacea (such as crabs and the class of lobsters), and the testacea likewise (such as the so-called oysters); for in all of these the fleshy part is inside, and that which encloses and guards it is the earthy part outside.
πρὸς γὰρ τῇ φυλακῇ τῆς συνεχείας, τῷ ἔχειν ὀλίγον αὐτῶν τὴν φύσιν θερμὸν ἀναίμων ὄντων, σἷον πνιγεύς τις περικείμενον τὸ ὅσύῶρακον φυλάττει τὸ ἐμπεπυρευμένον θερμόν.
For in addition to guarding their continuity, because they are bloodless and have little heat by nature, the shell, surrounding them like a damper, guards the kindled heat within.
§2.8.4ἡ δὲ χελνη 4 καὶ τὸ τῶν ἑμύδων γένος ὁμοίως ἔχειν δοκεῖ τούτοις, ἕτερον ὄν γένος τούτων.
4 And the tortoise and the class of freshwater turtles seem to have a similar structure to these, although they are a different class from them.
τὰ δʼ ἕντομα τῶν ζῷόων καὶ τὰ μαλάκια τούτοις τ’ ἐναντίως καὶ αὐτοῖς ἀντικειμένως συνέστηκεν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὀστῶδες ἔχειν ἔοικεν οὐδὲ γεηρὸν ἀποκεκριμένον, ὅ τι καὶ ἄξιον εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν μαλάέκια σχεδὸν ὅλα σαρκώδη καὶ μαλακά, πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ εὔφθαρτον εἶναι τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν, καθάπερ τὰ σαρκώδη, μεταξὺ σαρκὸς καὶ νεύρου τὴν φύσπιν ἔχει.
But the insects and the cephalopods are constituted in the opposite way to these and contrariwise to each other; for they seem to have nothing bony or earthy separated, that is even worth mentioning, but the cephalopods are almost entirely fleshy and soft, and so that their body may not be easily destroyed like fleshy parts, they have a nature between flesh and sinew.
μαλακὸν μὲν γὰρ ὧσπερ σάρξ ἐστιν, ἔχει δὲ τάσιν ὧσπερ νεῦρον· τὴν δὲ σχίσιν ἔχει τῆς σαρκὸς οὐ κατʼ εὐθυωρίαν ἀλλὰ κατὰ κύκλους διαιρετήν· οὕτωος γὰρ ἄν ἔχον χρηιμώτατον ἂν εἴη πρὸς τὴν ἰσχύν.
For it is soft like flesh, but has tension like a sinew; and it has the division of its flesh not in a straight line but divisible in circles; for being so structured it would be most useful for strength.
§2.8.55 ὑπάέρχει δʼ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸ ἀνάλογον ταῖς τῶν ἰχθύων ἀκάνθαις, οἷον ἐν μὲν ταῖς σηπίαις τὸ καλούμενον σηπίον, ἐν δὲ ταῖς τευθίσι τὸ καλούμενον ξίφος.
5 And there exists in them also the analogue to the spines of fish, as in cuttlefish the so-called sepium, and in squids the so-called gladius.
τὰ δʼ οὐ τῶν πολυπόὅωον τοιοὺτον οὐδὲν ἔχει διὰ τὸ μικρὸν ἔχειν τὸ κύτος τὴν καλουμένην κεφαλὴν, θατερα δʼ εὐμήκη.
But the octopus-like creatures have nothing of the sort because they have a small cavity of the so-called head, while the others are long.
διὸ πρὸς τὴν ὀρθὸτητα αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἀκαμψίαν ὑπέγραψε ταύτα ἡ φύσις, ὥσπερ τῶν ἐναίμιων τοῖς μὲν ὀστοῦν τοῖς δʼ ἄκανθαν.
Wherefore, for their uprightness and rigidity, nature sketched these out, just as in blooded animals she gave to some bone, and to others a spine.
§2.8.66 τὰ δʼ ἕντομα τούτοις τ ἐυαντίως ἔχει καὶ τοῖς ἐναίμοις, καθάπερ εἴπομεν.
6 But insects are constituted in the opposite way to these and to blooded animals, as we said.
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀφωρισμένον ἔχει σκληρόν, τὸ δὲ μαλκκόν, ἀλλʼ ὅλον τὸ σὤμα σκληρόν, σκληρὸτητα δὲ τοιαύτην,ὸστοῦ μὲν σαρκωδεστέραν, σαρκὸς δʼ ὀστωδεστέραν καὶ γεωδεστέραν, πρὸς τὸ μὴ εὺδιαίρετον εἶναι τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν.
For they have no distinct hard part and soft part, but the whole body is hard, with a hardness that is more fleshy than bone, and more bony and earthy than flesh, so that their body may not be easily divided.