Aristotle's History of Animals: In Ten BooksAristotle
PhilosophyPhilosophy
Aristotle's History of Animals: In Ten Books
Aristotle
Zoology -- Pre-Linnaean works
4. The crangon is different, for it has, first of all, four plates on
each side, and, afterwards, three slight ones, continuous with those
on each side, and the greater part of the remainder of its body is
apodal; all the feet are directed outwards to the side, like those of
insects; but the claws, in those that have them, all turned inwards.
The carabus also has a tail, and five fin-like appendages. The cypha,
among the carides, has a tail, with four fin-like appendages. The
crangon has fin-like processes on each side of the tail, and the middle
of them is spinous on both sides; but this part is wide in the crangon,
and sharp in the cypha. The carcini alone are without a tail; the body
of the carabi and carides is elongated, that of the carcini is rounded.
5. The male carabus is different from the female, for the female has
the first foot divided; in the male it is formed of a single claw, and
the fin-like process on the lower part is large in the female, and
interchanged with each other in the neck; in the male they are small
and not interchanged. In the male, also, the last feet are furnished
with large and sharp processes like spurs; in the female these are
small and smooth. They all have two large and rough processes, like
horns, before their eyes, and two, smaller and smooth, below.
6. The eyes of all these animals are hard, and capable of motion,
inwards, outwards, and to the side; the same is the nature of the
carcini, in which they are even more moveable. In colour the astacus
is all of a dull white, sprinkled with black; it has eight small feet,
as far as the large ones; after these the large feet are far greater
and wider at the extremity than in the carabus, and they are unequal
in size; for on the right side the broad part at the end is long and
smooth, on the left side the same part is thick and round; they are
both divided from the extremity like a jaw, with teeth above and below,
only that in those on the right the teeth are all small and sharp, and
they are sharp at the extremity of the left side; in the middle they
are like molar teeth; in the lower part are four close together, but in
the upper part three, but not close together.
7. In both claws the upper part is moved and pressed down upon the
lower; both are placed sideways in position, as if intended by nature
for seizure and pressure; above these large feet are two rough ones, a
little below the mouth; and still lower, the branchial organs around
the mouth, which are rough and numerous, and these are continually in
motion; it bends and approximates its two rough feet towards its mouth;
the feet near the mouth have smooth appendages.
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