Further, the uterus
in such animals does not close up during gestation because there is
a quantity of the residual discharge left over. This has happened
before now even in women, for in some of them the discharge
continues during all the time of pregnancy. In women, however, this is
contrary to Nature, so that the embryo suffers, but in such animals it
is according to Nature, for their body is so formed from the
beginning, as with hares. For superfoetation occurs in these
animals, since they are not large and they bear many young (for
they have many toes and the many-toed animals bear many), and they
are spermatic. This is shown by their hairiness, for the quantity of
their hair is excessive, these animals alone having hair under the
feet and within the jaws. Now hairiness is a sign of abundance of
residual matter, wherefore among men also the hairy are given to
sexual intercourse and have much semen rather than the smooth. In
the hare it often happens that some of the embryos are imperfect while
others of its young are produced perfect.
6
Some of the vivipara produce their young imperfect, others
perfect; the one-hoofed and cloven-footed perfect, most of the
many-toed imperfect. The reason of this is that the one-hoofed produce
one young one, and the cloven-footed either one or two generally
speaking; now it is easy to bring the few to perfection. All the
many-toed animals that bear their young imperfect give birth to
many.
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