B. III.] THE HISTOBY OF ANIMALS. 61 



The horns of most animals are hollow at their "base, and 

 surround a bony process on their heads ; but at the ex- 

 tremity the horn is solid and single. The stag's horns are 

 solid throughout, and divided ; and these animals alone cast 

 their horns ; this is done annually, if they are not cut 

 off. Concerning those that are cut off, we shall speak here- 

 after. 



3. The horns are more nearly allied to skin than to bone, 

 so that in Phrygia and elsewhere there are oxen which 

 have the power of moving their horns, as they do their 

 ears ; and of those which have nails (and all that have 

 toes have nails, and those that have feet have toes, except 

 the elephant, which has its toes undivided, and scarcely 

 distinguished, and no nails at all) and of those with nails, 

 some have straight nails, like men, others crooked, as the 

 lion among beasts, and the eagle amongst birds. 



CHAPTER X. 



1. THIS is the nature of hair and its analogues and skin. 

 All viviparous animals, with feet, have hair; oviparous 

 animals, with feet, have scaly plates ; and those fish alone 

 which produce friable ova are covered with scales ; for the 

 conger and mura3na among long fish have not such ova, and 

 the eel produces no ova. The hair differs in thickness, thin- 

 ness, and size, according to its situation, both in the parts of 

 the body which it occupies, and the nature of the skin, for 

 upon thick skins the hair is generally harsh and thick, 

 the hair is both thicker and longer in the hollow and 

 moist parts of the body, if they are such as to be covered 

 with hair. 



2. And the case is similar in those animals which are 

 covered with plates or scales. If animals covered with soft 

 hair are placed in good pastures their hair will become 

 coarser ; and, on the contrary, it becomes finer and less in 

 those that have coarse hair. Warm and cold situations also 

 make a difference, for the hair of natives of warm climates 

 is harsh, but it is soft in those of colder climates. Straight 

 hair is soft, crisped hair is harsh. 



3. It is the nature of hair to split ; and different kinds 

 of hair are dissimilar in excess and deficiency ; some are so 

 changed by harshness as to bear slight resemblance to hair, 



