GENERATION OF ANIMALS, IV. i. 



that the physical substance " of the semen ^ exists 

 " torn asunder," one part in the male and the other 

 in the female, as Empedocles alleges— 



But torn asunder waits 

 The substance of the limbs ; part is in man's ..." 



and (6) it is impossible that a complete tale •* of parts 

 is secreted off from each of the parents and that a 

 male or female embryo is formed according as one 

 part prevails over another part/ Considering the 

 matter generally : To hold that the superiority of one 

 part prevails and that this is what makes the embryo 

 female is certainly better than saying that heat alone 

 is the cause \^'ithout ha\ing stopped to think about 

 it ; but the fact that at the same time the conforma- 

 tion of the pudendum as well ^ is different requires an 

 explanation to show why these parts are always of a 

 piece with each other.^ If the answer is " Because 

 they are in close proximity," then every one of the 

 remaining parts ought to be all of a piece as well,'* 

 since while the parts are gaining the mastery * any 

 one of them is close to any other, so that on that 

 showing all the characteristics should go together, 

 i.e., the offspring, if female, should also take after its 

 mother, and if male after its father.^ Besides, it is 

 fantastic to imagine that these parts alone can be 

 formed, without the whole body also having under- 



* i.e., as well as the sexual parts : e.g., if the oflFspring has 

 sexual parts resembling those of its father — i.e., male ones — 

 then it ought to resemble its father in all its other parts too. 



* This refers to the " prevailing " mentioned above, 1. 21, 

 etc. 



' i.e., the offspring should take after the parent whose sex 

 has determined its own, and take after it not only in respect 

 of sexual parts but in all other respects as well. But of 

 course this is not borne out by the facts. 



379 



