GENERATION OF ANIMALS, II. iii. 



for the semens and the fetations of animals are 

 just as much alive as plants are, and up to a point 

 they are fertile.^ Thus it is clear that they possess 

 nutritive Soul (vide my remarks on Soul in another 

 treatise * for an explanation of why nutritive Soul 

 must of necessity be acquired first). It is while they 

 develop that they acquire sentient Soul as well, in 

 virtue of which an animal is an animal — I say, " while 

 they develop," for it is not the fact that when an 

 animal is formed at that same moment a human 

 being, or a horse, or any other particular sort of 

 animal is formed, because the end or completion is 

 formed last of all, and that which is peculiar to each 

 thing is the end of its process of formation.'^ That 

 is why it is a very great puzzle to answer another 

 question, concerning Reason. At what moment, 

 and in what manner, do those creatures which have 

 this principle of Reason acquire their share in it, and 

 where does it come from ? This is a very difficult 

 problem which we must endeavour to solve, so far as it 

 may be solved, to the best of our power. 



As regards nutritive Soul, then,'' it is clear that we 

 must posit that semens and fetations which are not 

 separated (from the parent) possess it potentially, 

 though not in actuality — i.e., not until they begin to 

 draw the nourishment to themselves and perform the 

 function of nutritive Soul, as fetations which get 

 separated* (from the parent) do ; for to begin with 

 it seems that all things of this sort live the life of a 



Vher Entxoicklungsgesctiirhte der Thiere, Beohachtung und 

 Reflexwn (1828), i. 2i4, Scholion V (1) Dass das Gemeinsame 

 einer grossern Thiergruppe sich friiher im Embryo bildet, als 

 das Besondere. et seqq.) 



** The solution begins by resuming the argument from 

 736 a 32-34. • e.g., seeds of plants. 



167 



