GENERATION OF ANIMALS, III. viii. 



tion. WTiat an extraordinarj' thing, to hold that 

 Cephalopods and Crustacea lay eggs as a result of 

 copulation, but fish ^v•ithout copulation I Or alterna- 

 tively, if they were not already aware that the other 

 creatures copulate, then it just shows how ignorant 

 they are. The copulation of all these creatures takes 

 quite a long time, just as that of insects does, which 

 is not surprising, because they are bloodless, and 

 therefore cold in their nature. 



In the sepias and calamaries the eggs appear to be 

 two in number, because the uterus is di\ided and 

 appears to be double. The octopuses appear to have 

 a single egg ; the reason is that the shape of the 

 uterus is round and spherical in form, and when it is 

 full the cleavage is not ob\'ious." The caraboi also 

 have a double uterus. All these animals as well 

 deposit the fetation in an imperfect condition, and 

 for the same cause. Females of the caraboid group 

 deposit their eggs on to themselves ; that is why 

 they have larger flaps than the males — in order to 

 protect the eggs ; the Cephalopods lay their eggs 

 clear of themselves. The male Cephalopods sprinkle 

 their milt over the females, just as male fishes do 

 over the eggs, and it becomes a glutinous mass. 

 Nothing of the kind has been observed to occur with 

 the caraboids, nor should we expect it, because the 

 fetation is situated under the female and is hard- 

 skinned, and both these eggs and those of the Cepha- 

 lopods pursue their growth after they have left the 

 parent, just as the eggs of fishes do. 



The sepia while in process of formation is fastened 

 to the egg by its front part, which is the only possible 

 place, because its front and back parts face in the 

 same direction '' (in this respect it is unique). For a 



325 



