§4.6.1Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἔντομα τῶν ζῴων οὐ πολυμερῆ μὲν 6 τὸν ἀριθμόν ἐστιν, ὅμως δʼ ἔχει πρὸς ἄλληλα διαφοραές.
Now, insects are not many-membered in number, yet they have differences from one another.
πολύποδα μὲν γάρ ἐστι πάντα διὰ τὸ πρὸς τὴν βραδυτῆτα καὶ κατάψυξιν τῆς φύσεως τὴν πο λυποδίαν ἀνυτικωτέραν αὐτοῖς ποιεῖν τὴν κίνησιν· καὶ μάλιστα πολύποδα τὰ μάλιστα κατεψυγμένα διὰ τὸ μῆκος οἷον τὸ τῶν ἰούλων γένος.
For they are all many-footed because, to counteract the slowness and coldness of their nature, having many feet makes their movement more effective for them; and those that are most cooled because of their length, such as the genus of millipedes, are the most many-footed.
§4.6.22 ἔτι δὲ διὰ τὸ ἀρχὰς ἔχειν πλείονας αἵ τʼ ἐντομαί εἰσι καὶ πολύποδα κατὰ ταῦτʼ ἐστίν.
2 Furthermore, because they have more principles, they are both segmented and, in accordance with this, many-footed.
ὅσα δʼ ἐλάττονας ἔχει πόδας, πτηνὰ ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ πρὸς τὴν ἔλλειψιν τὴν τῶν ποδῶν.
And those which have fewer feet, these are winged, to compensate for the lack of feet.
§4.6.33 αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν πτηνῶν ὧν μέν ἐστιν ὁ βίος νομαδικὸς καὶ διὰ τὴν τροφὴν ἀναγκαῖον ἐκτοπίζειν, τετράπτερά τέ ἐστι καὶ τὸν τοῦ σώματος ἔχει κοῦφον ὄγκον, οἷον αἵ τε μέλιτται καὶ τὰ σύμφυλα ζῷα ταύταις· δύο γὰρ ἐφʼ ἑκάτερα πτερὰ τοῦ σώματος ἔχουσιν.
3 And among the winged ones themselves, those whose life is nomadic and which are compelled to change their place for the sake of food, are both four-winged and have a light bodily bulk, such as bees and the animals of the same tribe as these; for they have two wings on each side of the body.
ὅσα δὲ μικρὰ τῶν τοιούτων, δίπτερα, καθάπερ τὸ τῶν μυιῶν γένος.
But those of such animals that are small are two-winged, like the genus of flies.
τὰ δὲ βραχέα καὶ τοῖς βίοις ἑδραῖα πολύπτερα μὲν ὁμοίως ταῖς μελίτταις ἐστίν, ἔχει δʼ ἔλυτρα τοῖς πτεροῖς, οἷον αἵ τε μηλολόνθαι καὶ τὰ τοιαύτα τῶν ἐντόμων, ὅπως σώζῃ τὴν τῶν πτερῶν δύναμιν· ἑδραίων γὰρ ὄντων εὐδιάφθορα μᾶλλόν ἐστι τῶν εὐκινήτων, διόπερ ἔχει φραγμὸν πρὸ αὐτῶν.
On the other hand, those that are short and stationary in their lives are likewise four-winged like bees, but have sheaths over their wings, like the chafers and other such insects, in order that they may preserve the power of their wings; for since they are stationary, they are more easily destroyed than those that are highly mobile, wherefore they have a barrier in front of them.
§4.6.44 καὶ ἄσχιστον δὲ τούτων ἐστὶ τὸ πτερὸν καὶ ἄκαυλον· οὐ γάρ ἐστι πτερὸν ἀλλʼ ὑμὴν δερματικός, ὃς διὰ ξηρότητα ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀφίσταται τοῦ σώματος αὐτῶν ψυχομένου τοῦ σαρκώδους.
4 And the wing of these is undivided and shaftless; for it is not a feather, but a skin-like membrane, which because of dryness necessarily detaches from their body as the fleshy part cools.
§4.6.55 ἔντομα δʼ ἐστὶ διά τε τὰς εἰρημένας αἰτίας, καὶ ὅπως σώζηται διʼ ἀπάθειαν συγκαμπτόμενα· συνελίττεται γὰρ τὰ μῆκος ἔχοντʼ αὐτῶν, τοῦτο δʼ οὐκ ἅν ἐγίνετʼ αὐτοῖς μὴ οὖσιν ἐντόμοις.
5 And they are segmented both for the reasons mentioned, and so that they may preserve themselves by bending together to avoid injury; for those among them that have length roll themselves up, and this would not have happened to them if they were not segmented.
τὰ δὲ μὴ ἑλικτὰ αὐτῶν σκληρύνεται μᾶλλον συνιόντα εἰς τὰς τομάς.
And those of them that cannot roll up harden more by contracting into the segments.
§4.6.66 δῆλον δὲ τοῦτο γίνεται θιιγγανόντων, οἷον ἐπὶ τῶν καλουμένων κθάρων· αν φοβηθέντα γὰρ ἀκινητίζει, καὶ τὸ σῶμα γίνεται σκληρὸν αὐτῶν.
6 This becomes clear when they are touched, as in the case of the so-called beetles; for when they are frightened, they become motionless, and their body becomes hard.
ἀναγκαῖον δʼ ἐντόμοις αὐτοῖς εἶναι· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν τῇ οὐσίῳ αὐτῶν ὑπάρχει τὸ πολλὰς ἔχειν ἀρχάς, καὶ ταύτῃ προσέοικε τοῖς φυτοῖς.
And it is necessary for them to be segmented; for this belongs to their essence, namely to have many principles, and in this respect they resemble plants.
ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ φυτά, καὶ ταῦτα διαιρούμενα δύναται ζῆν, πλὴν ταῦτα μὲν μέχρι τινός, ἐκεῖνα δὲ καὶ τέλεια γίνεται τὴν φύσιν καὶ δύο ἐξ ἑνὸς καὶ πλείω τὸν ἀριθμόν.
For just like plants, these too can live when divided, except that these do so up to a certain point, whereas those even become complete in nature and two or more in number from one.
§4.6.7ἔχει δʼ ἔνια τῶν ἐντόμων καὶ κέντρα 7 πρὸς βοήθειαν τῶν βλαπτόντων.
7 And some insects also have stings for defense against those that harm them.
τὸ μὲν οὖν κέντρον τοῖς μὲν ἔμπροσθέν ἐστι τοῖς δʼ ὄπισθεν, τοῖς μὲν ἔμπροσθεν κατὰ τὴν γλῶτταν, τοῖς δʼ ὄπισθεν κατὰ τὸ οὐραῖον.
Now, the sting in some is in front, and in others behind: in those in front, it is at the tongue, and in those behind, at the tail.
ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῖς ἐλέφασι τὸ τῶν ὀσμῶν αἰσθητήριον γεγένηται χρήσιμον πρός τε τὴν ἀλκὴν καὶ τὴν τῆς τροφῆς χρῆσιν, οὕτως τῶν ἐντόμων ἐνίοις τὸ κατὰ τὴν γλῶτταν τεταγμένον· αἰσθάνονταί τε γὰρ τούτῳ τῆς τροφῆς καὶ ἀναλαμβάνουσι καὶ προσάγονται αὐτήν.
For just as in elephants the organ of smell has become useful both for strength and for the use of food, so in some insects is the organ situated at the tongue; for with this they both perceive their food, and take it up and bring it to themselves.