Greek Biology 



determine the exact line of demarcation, nor on which side 

 thereof an intermediate form should lie. Thus, next after life- 

 less things in the upward scale comes the plant, and of plants 

 one will differ from another as to its amount of apparent 

 vitality ; and, in a word, the whole genus of plants, whilst it 

 is devoid of life as compared with an animal, is endowed with 

 life as compared with other corporeal entities. Indeed, there 



Ft? 



ACALEPHAE /> 



MAN 

 VIVIPAROUS QUADRUPEDS 



CETE 



OV1PARA 



MALAC1A 



MALACOSTRACA 



ENTOMA 

 OSTRACODERMA 



o 



= Mammals 



= RptiU& Bird*, Amphibians 



= Crustaceans 



= Other Arthropods 



= Other Molluscs 



= Ascidlans itc. 



- Hotothurtans ".-tc. 



Fig. 73. The Order of Living Things according to Aristotle. 



is observed in plants a continuous scale of ascent towards the 

 animal. So, in the sea, there are certain objects concerning 

 which one would be at a loss to determine whether they be 

 animal or vegetable.' l 



1 A sponge, in these respects completely resembles a plant, 

 in that ... it is attached to a rock, and that when separated 

 from this it dies. Slightly different from the sponges are the 

 so-called Holothurias ... as also sundry other sea-animals that 

 resemble them. For these are free and unattached, yet they 

 have no feeling, and their life is simply that of a plant separated 



1 Historia ammaHum, viii. i ; 588 b 4. 



