GENERATION OF ANIMALS, I. i. 



female are not found, although they are called male 

 and female just by way of similarity and analogy, 

 since they exhibit a slight difference of this sort. 

 Thus among plants also we find that in one and the 

 same kind some indi\idual trees bear fruit, while 

 some, although they do not bear any themselves, 

 assist in the concocting * of that which is borne by 

 the others. An instance of this is the fig and the 

 caprifig.* 



'^ [The same sort of thing is found in plants too : 

 some are formed out of seed, others as it might be 

 by some spontaneous activity of Nature — they are 

 formed when either the soil or certain parts ** in 

 plants become putrescent, since some of them do 

 not take shape ^ independently on their own, but 

 grow upon other trees, as for instance the mistletoe 

 does.] 



flowers as they leave the inflorescence, and then pollinate 

 female flowers elsewhere. Caprification is the name given 

 to the artificial assistance of this process by hanging in- 

 florescences of the caprifig on to trees of class (1). The 

 growers believe that the fruit of the Ficus is improved by the 

 wasps ; but in fact excellent fruit is produced by these trees 

 without pollination, though of course no fertile seerLf. Hence 

 caprification must be a traditional usage dating from the 

 time when fertile seeds were required for propagation, which 

 is now done bv means of cuttings. See Kerner and Oliver, 

 Natural History of Plants, ii. 160-162 ; H. MuUer, Fertiliza- 

 tion of Flowers, tr. p. 521 and bibliography. Cf. H.A. 

 557 h 26 ff., where the wasp is mentioned. 



' The following sentence is obviously out of place here, as 

 is shown (a) by the opening words, which must mark the 

 beginning of a reference to plants, whereas here plants are 

 already being discussed ; and (6) by its inappropriateness to 

 the particular point under discussion. It would be relevant if 

 transferred to 715 a 25. Cf. H.A. 539 a 16 fl". 



" Cf. 762 b 19. 



' See Introd. § 54. 



9 



