ARISTOTLE. 41 



A chapter of this work is devoted to the considera- 

 tion of the hereditary transmission of peculiarities from 

 parent to offspring. 



The fifth and last book contains inquiries into the 

 cause of variation in the colour of the eyes and hair, 

 the abundance of hair, the sleep of the embryo, sight 

 and hearing, voice and the teeth. 



Widely different opinions have been held from time 

 to time of the value of Aristotle's biological labours. 

 This philosopher's reputation has, perhaps, suffered most 

 from those who have praised him most. The praise 

 has often been of such an exaggerated character as to 

 have become unmeaning, and to have carried with it 

 the impression of insincerity on the part of the writer. 

 Such are the laudations of Cuvier. To say as he does, 

 " Alone, in fact, without predecessors, without having 

 borrowed anything from the centuries which had gone 

 before, since they had produced nothing enduring, the 

 disciple of Plato discovered and demonstrated more 

 truths and executed more scientific labours in a life of 

 sixty-two years than twenty centuries after him were 

 able to do," is of course to talk nonsense, for the method 

 which Aristotle applied was that which Hippocrates 

 had used so well before him ; and it is evident to any 

 one that both his predecessors and contemporaries are 

 frequently laid under contribution by Aristotle, although 

 the authority is rarely, if ever, stated by him unless he 



