GENERATION OF ANIMALS, II. vi. 



of this kind — a part which contains the first principle 

 nd the End of the animal's whole nature — which 

 uust of necessity be present in an animal, then this 

 part must of necessity be formed first of all — formed 

 first, qua activating, though formed along vrith the 

 whole creature, qua being a part of the End. Thus, 

 those instrumental parts which are in their nature 

 generative ° must always be there themselves prior 

 to the rest, because they axe. for the sake q/" something 

 else, as being a first principle ** ; those parts which, 

 although they are for the sake 0/ something else, are 

 not generative, come later. That is why it is not 

 easy to determine whether those parts are " prior " 

 which are /or the sake of something else, or that part 

 Jbr nhose sake these others are present. The activat- 

 ing parts intrude themselves into the picture, because 

 in formation they are prior to the End ; and it is not 

 easy to determine as between the activating and the 

 instrumental parts. Still, this is the Une we must 

 follow in trying to find out the order in which they 

 are foi-med ; for the End, though it comes after some 

 of them, is prior to others. And on this account the 

 part which contains the first principle is the first to 

 be formed ; then follows the upper portion of the 

 body ; and that is why in embryos we see that the 

 parts round the head and eyes are the largest at 

 the outset, while the parts below the umbiUcus, for 

 instance the legs, are small. The reason is that the 

 lower portions are for the sake of the upper portion, 

 and they are not parts of the End "^ nor are they 

 concerned in generating it. 



People who say, like Democritus of Abdera, that 



* See above, 743 a 35, 713 b 13, H. They are merely 

 useful adjuncts, enabling it to move about, etc. 



215 



