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seem in a certain way to produce a scolex first, since the most imperfect
embryo is of such a nature; and in all animals, even the viviparous and those
that lay a perfect egg, the first embryo grows in size while still
undifferentiated into parts; now such is the nature of the scolex. After this
stage some of the ovipara produce the egg in a perfect condition, others in an
imperfect, but it is perfected outside as has been often stated of fish. With
animals internally viviparous the embryo becomes egg-like in a certain sense
after its original formation, for the liquid is contained in a fine membrane, just
as if we should take away the shell of the egg, wherefore they call the
abortion of an embryo at that stage an ‘efflux’.
Those insects which generate at all generate a scolex, and those which
come into being spontaneously and not from copulation do so at first from a
formation this nature. I say that the former generate a scolex, for we must put
down caterpillars also and the product of spiders as a sort of scolex. And yet
some even of these and many of the others may be thought to resemble eggs
because of their round shape, but we must not judge by shapes nor yet by
softness and hardness (for what is produced by some is hard), but by the fact
that the whole of them is changed into the body of the creature and the animal
is not developed from a part of them. All these products that are of the nature
of a scolex, after progressing and acquiring their full size, become a sort of
egg, for the husk about them hardens and they are motionless during this
period. This is plain in the scolex of bees and wasps and in caterpillars. The
reason of this is that their nature, because of its imperfection, oviposits as it
were before the right time, as if the scolex, while still growing in size, were a
soft egg. Similar to this is also what happens with all other insects which
come into being without copulation in wool and other such materials and in
water. For all of them after the scolex stage become immovable and their
integument dries round them, and after this the latter bursts and there comes
forth as from an egg an animal perfected in its second metamorphosis, most
of those which are not aquatic being winged.
Another point is quite natural, which may wondered at by many.
Caterpillars at first take nourishment, but after this stage do so no longer, but
what is called by some the chrysalis is motionless. The same applies to the
scolex of wasps and bees, but after this comes into being the so-called
nymph… . and have nothing of the kind. For an egg is also of such a nature
that when it has reached perfection it grows no more in size, but at first it
grows and receives nourishment until it is differentiated and becomes a
perfect egg. Sometimes the scolex contains in itself the material from which it
is nourished and obtains such an addition to its size, e.g. in bees and wasps;
sometimes it gets its nourishment from outside itself, as caterpillars and some
others.
1460
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book The Complete Aristotle"
The Complete Aristotle
- Title
- The Complete Aristotle
- Author
- Aristotle
- Date
- ~322 B.C.
- Language
- English
- License
- PD
- Size
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Pages
- 2328
- Keywords
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Categories
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International
Table of contents
- Part 1; Logic (Organon) 3
- Categories 4
- On Interpretation 34
- Prior Analytics, Book I 56
- Prior Analytics, Book II 113
- Posterior Analytics, Book I 149
- Posterior Analytics, Book II 193
- Topics, Book I 218
- Topics, Book II 221
- Topics, Book III 237
- Topics, Book IV 248
- Topics, Book V 266
- Topics, Book VI 291
- Topics, Book VII 317
- Topics, Book VIII 326
- On Sophistical Refutations 348
- Part 2; Universal Physics 396
- Physics, Book I 397
- Physics, Book II 415
- Physics, Book III 432
- Physics, Book IV 449
- Physics, Book V 481
- Physics, Book VI 496
- Physics, Book VII 519
- Physics, Book VIII 533
- On the Heavens, Book I 570
- On the Heavens, Book II 599
- On the Heavens, Book III 624
- On the Heavens, Book IV 640
- On Generation and Corruption, Book I 651
- On Generation and Corruption, Book II 685
- Meteorology, Book I 707
- Meteorology, Book II 733
- Meteorology, Book III 760
- Meteorology, Book IV 773
- Part 3; Human Physics 795
- On the Soul, Book I 796
- On the Soul, Book II 815
- On the Soul, Book III 840
- On Sense and the Sensible 861
- On Memory and Reminiscence 889
- On Sleep and Sleeplessness 899
- On Dreams 909
- On Prophesying by Dreams 918
- On Longevity and the Shortness of Life 923
- On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration 929
- Part 4; Animal Physics 952
- The History of Animals, Book I 953
- The History of Animals, Book II translated 977
- The History of Animals, Book III 1000
- The History of Animals, Book IV 1029
- The History of Animals, Book V 1056
- The History of Animals, Book VI 1094
- The History of Animals, Book VII 1135
- The History of Animals, Book VIII 1150
- The History of Animals, Book IX 1186
- On the Parts of Animals, Book I 1234
- On the Parts of Animals, Book II 1249
- On the Parts of Animals, Book III 1281
- On the Parts of Animals, Book IV 1311
- On the Motion of Animals 1351
- On the Gait of Animals 1363
- On the Generation of Animals, Book I 1381
- On the Generation of Animals, Book II 1412
- On the Generation of Animals, Book III 1444
- On the Generation of Animals, Book IV 1469
- On the Generation of Animals, Book V 1496
- Part 5; Metaphysics 1516
- Part 6; Ethics and Politics 1748
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book I 1749
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book II 1766
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book III 1779
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IV 1799
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book V 1817
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI 1836
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII 1851
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII 1872
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IX 1890
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book X 1907
- Politics, Book I 1925
- Politics, Book II 1943
- Politics, Book III 1970
- Politics, Book IV 1997
- Politics, Book V 2023
- Politics, Book VI 2053
- Politics, Book VII 2065
- Politics, Book VIII 2091
- The Athenian Constitution 2102
- Part 7; Aesthetic Writings 2156