§4.13.1#2οἱ δὲ βάτοι καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀντὶ τῶν πτερυγίων τῷ ἐσχάτῳ πλάτει νέουσιν.
But rays and suchlike swim with the extreme margin of their flat body instead of fins.
τὰ δʼ ἧττον ἔχοντα πλάτος πτερύγια ἔχουσιν, οἷον ἡ νάρκη καὶ ὁ βάτραχος, τὰ μὲν ἐν τῷ πρανεῖ κάτω διὰ τὸ πλάτος τῶν ἄνω, τὰ δʼ ἐν τοῖς ὑπτίοις πρὸς τῇ κεφαλῇ· (οὐ γὰρ κωλύει κινεῖσθαι τὸ πλάτος· ) ἀλλʼ ἀντὶ τοῦ ἄνω ἔλαττω ταῦτα τῶν ἐν τῷ πρανεῖ.
And those that are less flat have fins, such as the torpedo and the frog-fish, those on the upper side lower down because of the width of the upper parts, and those on the lower side near the head; (for the width does not prevent movement;) but instead of being situated above, these are smaller than those on the upper side.
ἔχει δʼ ἡ νάρκη πρὸς τῇ οὐρᾷ τὰ δύο πτερύγια· ἀντὶ δὲ τῶν δύο τῷ πλάτει χρῆται ὡς δυσὶ πτερυγίοις ἑκατέρῳ τῷ ἡμικυκλίῳ.
And the torpedo has its two fins near the tail; and instead of the other two fins, it uses its flat body—each of the two semicircles—as two fins.
περὶ δὲ τῶν ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ μορίων καὶ αἰσθητηρίων εἴρηται πρότερον.
Concerning the parts and sensory organs in the head, it has been stated before.
ἴδιον δʼ ἔχατ τὸ τῶν ἰχθύων γένος πρὸς τἆλλα τὰ ἔναιμα ζῴα τὴν τῶν βραγχίων φύσιν· διʼ ἣν δʼ αἰτίαν, εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς περὶ ἀναπνοῆς.
And the class of fish has, as a unique feature compared to other red-blooded animals, the nature of gills; and for what cause has been stated in the treatise on respiration.
καὶ ἔχει δὲ τὰ ἔχοντα βράγχια τὰ μὲν ἐπικαλύμματα τοῖς βραγχίοις, τὰ δὲ σελάχη πάντα (χονδράκανθα γάρ) ἀκάλυπτα.
And of those that have gills, some have opercula for their gills, while all the cartilaginous fish (for they are cartilaginous) have them uncovered.
αἴτιον δʼ ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἀκανθώδεις εἰσί, τὸ δʼ ἐπικάλυμμα ἀκανθῶδες, τὰ δὲ σελάχη πάντα χονδράκανθα.
The cause is that the former are bony, and the operculum is bony, whereas the cartilaginous fish are all cartilaginous.
ἔτι δʼ αἱ κινήσεις τῶν μὲν νωθραὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀκανθώδη εἶναι μηδὲ νευρώδη, τῶν δʼ ἀκανθωδῶν ταχεῖα· τσῦ δʼ ἐπικαλύμματος ταχεῖαν δεῖ γίνεσθαι τὴν κίνησιν· ὥσπερ γὰρ πρὸς ἐκπνοὴν ἡ τῶν βραγχίων ἐστὶ φύσις.
Furthermore, the movements of the former are sluggish because they are neither bony nor sinewy, whereas those of the bony fish are rapid; and the movement of the operculum must be rapid; for the nature of gills is, as it were, for exhalation.
διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς σελαχύδεσι καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν πόρων ἡ συναγωγὴ γίνεται τῶν βραγχίων, καὶ οὐ δεῖ ἐπικαλύμματος, ὅπως γίνηται ταχεῖα.
Therefore, in cartilaginous fish, the contraction of the gill-passages themselves takes place, and they do not need an operculum, so that the movement may be rapid.
οἱ μὲν οὖν αὐτῶν ἔχουσι πολλὰ βράγχια οἱ δʼ ὀλίγα, καὶ οἱ μὲν διπλᾶ οἱ δʼ ἁπλά· τὸ δʼ ἔσχαυον ἁπλοῦν οἱ πλεῖστοι.
Now, some of them have many gills and others few, and some double and others single; and the last one is single in most.
τὴν δʼ ἀκρίβοαν ἐκ τῶν ἀνατομῶν περὶ τούτωυ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἱστορίαις ταῖς περὶ τὰ ζῷα δεῖ θεωρεῖν.
And the exact details concerning these must be observed from the dissections and in the *History of Animals*.
αἴτιον δὲ τοῦ πλήθους καὶ τῆς ὀλιγότητος τὸ τοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ θερμοῦ πλῆθος καὶ ὀλιγότης· θάττω γὰρ καὶ ἰσχυροτέραν τὴν κίνησιν δεῖ εἶναι τοῖς πλείω ἔχουσι θερμότητα.
And the cause of their abundance and paucity is the abundance and paucity of the heat in the heart; for the movement must be faster and stronger in those that have more heat.
τὰ δὲ πλείω καὶ διπλᾶ βράγχια τοιαύτην ἔχει τὴν φύσιν μᾶλλον τῶν ἁπλῶν καὶ ἐλαττόνων.
And the more numerous and double gills have such a nature to a greater degree than the single and fewer ones.
διὸ καὶ ἔνια αὐτῶν ἔξω ζῆν δύναται πολύν χρόνον, τῶν ἐχόντων ἐλάττω καὶ ἧττον ἐγκρατῆ τὰ βρέγχια, οἷον ἐγχέλυς καὶ ὅσα ὀφιώδη· οὐ γὰρ πολλῆς δέονται κατατψύξεως.
Wherefore also some of those that have fewer and less sturdy gills can live for a long time out of water, such as the eel and all snake-like fish; for they do not require much cooling.
ἔχει δὲ καὶ περὶ τὸ στόμα διαφορές.
And there are also differences regarding the mouth.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ κατ᾿ ἀντικρὺ ἔχει τὸ στόμα καὶ εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν, τὰ δʼ ἐν τοῖς ὑπτίοις, οἷον οἵ τε δελφῖνες καὶ τὰ σελαχώδη· διὸ καὶ ὕπτια στρεφόμενα λαμβάνει τὴν τροφήν.
For some have the mouth straight ahead and in front, while others have it on the lower side, such as dolphins and the cartilaginous fish; wherefore they take their food by turning on their backs.
φαίνεται δʼ ἡ φύσις οὐ μόνον σωτηρίας ἕνεκεν ποιῆσαι τοῦτο τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων (ἐν γὰρ τῇ στρέψει σώζεται τἆλλα βραδυνόντων· πάντα γὰρ τὰ τοιαῦτα ζῳοφάγα ἐστίν), ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀκολουθεῖν τῇ λαιμαργίᾳ τῇ περὶ τὴν τροφήν· ῥᾷον γὰρ λαμβάνοντα διεφθείρετʼ ἂν διὰ τὴν πλήρωσιν ταχέως.
And nature seems to have done this not only for the preservation of other animals (for while they are turning over, which takes time, the other animals are saved; for all such creatures are carnivorous), but also to prevent them from giving way to gluttony for food; for if they took it too easily, they would quickly ruin themselves by overfilling.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις περιφερῆ καὶ λεπτὴν ἔχοντα τὴν τοῦ ῥύγχους φύσιν οὐχ οἷόν τʼ εὐδιαίρετον ἔχειν.
In addition to these, since they have a snout that is round and thin, it is not possible for them to have a wide opening.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄνω τὸ στόμα ἐχόντων τὰ μὲν ἀνερρωγὸς ἔχει τὸ στόμα τὰ δὲ μύουρον, ὅσα μὲν σαρκοφάγα, ἀνερρωγὸς, ὥσπερ τὰ καρχαρόδοντα, διὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ στόματι εἶναι τοῖς τοιούτοις τὴν ἰσχύν, ὅσα δὲ μὴ σαρκοφάγα, μύουρον.
Furthermore, even of those that have the mouth in front, some have it wide-gaping, while others have it narrow; those that are carnivorous have it wide-gaping, like those with sharp, serrated teeth, because in such animals their strength is in the mouth; whereas those that are not carnivorous have it narrow.
τὸ δὲ δέρμα οἱ μὲν λεπιδωτὸν ἔχουσιν αὐτῶν (ἡ δὲ λεπὶς διὰ λαμπρότητα καὶ λεπτότητα τού σώματος ἀφίσταται), οἱ δὲ τραχύ, οἷον ῥίνη καὶ βάτος καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα· ἐλάχιστα δὲ τὰ λεῖα.
And as for their skin, some of them have it scaly (and the scale peels off due to the brightness and thinness of the body), while others have it rough, such as the angel-fish, the ray, and suchlike; and those that are smooth are very few.