12 ARISTOTLE AS A BIOLOGIST 



The naturalist is born a naturalist, and we may be sure 

 that Aristotle was a lover and a student of nature from 

 a boy ; but it would help us to trace the relation of his 

 biological studies to his philosophical work if we could 

 ascertain when his chief biological work was done. It 

 has often been held that Aristotle devoted himself to 

 biology as an old man's recreation, after his retirement to 

 Euboea. This theory is not adequate, and I do not think 

 it is true. Another legend, that Alexander sent his pupil '. 

 specimens from his campaigns, Cuvier accepted and 

 Humboldt denied ; there is no evidence for it, direct or 

 indirect, in Aristotle's writings, and this tradition also 

 I believe to be worthless. But there is evidence, of 

 a geographical kind, that helps us to answer our pre- 

 liminary question. 



Among the isles of Greece there is a certain island, 

 insula nobilis et amoena, which Aristotle knew well. It lies 

 on the Asian side, between the Troad and the Mysian 

 coast, and far into its bosom, by the little town of Pyrrha, 

 runs a broad and sheltered lagoon. It is the island of 

 Lesbos. Here Aristotle came and spent two years of 

 his life, in middle age, bringing his princess-bride from the 

 petty court of a little neighbouring state where he had 

 already spent three years. It was just before he went to 

 Macedon to educate Alexander ; it was ten years later that 

 he went back to Athens to begin teaching in the Lyceum. 

 Now in the Natural History references to places in 

 Greece proper are very few indeed ; there is much more 

 frequent mention of places on the northern and eastern 

 coasts of the Aegean, from Aristotle's own homeland 

 down to the Carian coast ; and to places in and round 

 that island of Lesbos, or Mitylene, a whole cluster of 

 Aristotle's statements and descriptions refer. Here, for 

 instance, Aristotle mentions a peculiarity of the deer on 



