Hence, though they are able to nourish the embryos while newly
formed, their bodies are unable to complete the process when the
embryos have grown and acquired some size. So they produce them
imperfect, like those animals which generate a scolex, for some of
them when born are scarcely brought into form at all, as the fox,
bear, and lion, and some of the rest in like manner; and nearly all of
them are blind, as not only the animals mentioned but also the dog,
wolf, and jackal. The pig alone produces both many and perfect
young, and thus here alone we find any overlapping; it produces many
as do the many-toed animals, but is cloven-footed or solid-hoofed
(for there certainly are solid-hoofed swine). They bear, then, many
young because the nutriment which would otherwise go to increase their
size is diverted to the generative secretion (for considered as a
solid-hoofed animal the pig is not a large one), and also it is
more often cloven-hoofed, striving as it were with the nature of the
solid-hoofed animals. For this reason it produces sometimes only
one, sometimes two, but generally many, and brings them to
perfection before birth because of the good condition of its body,
being like a rich soil- which has sufficient and abundant nutriment
for plants.
The young of some birds also are hatched imperfect, that is to say
blind; this applies to all small birds which lay many eggs, as crows
and rooks, jays, sparrows, swallows, and to all those which lay few
eggs without producing abundant nourishment along with the young, as
ring-doves, turtle-doves, and pigeons.
Pages:
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211