GENERATION OF ANIMALS, IV. iv. 



since the latter, being contrary to Nature, always 

 gets stunted so far as nourishment is concerned ; 

 however, it is attached, just as growths (or tumours) 

 are : these, like it, secure nourishment, although the 

 date of their origin is later than that of the creature 

 itself and they are contrary to Nature. The result 

 of the fashioning agent " having gained the mastery, 

 or having been completely mastered, is that two 

 similar generative organs are formed ; if it to some 

 extent gains the mastery and to some extent gets 

 mastered, one is formed female and the other male, — 

 for it comes to the same thing whether we apply this 

 explanation of why one is formed female and another 

 male to the case of the parts or to the animal as a 

 whole.'' And wherever a deficiency occurs in such 

 parts as e.g. an extremity or some other Umb, we 

 must take it that the cause is the same as it is if 

 the whole of the forming creature suffers abortion — 

 and abortions of fetations frequently occur. 



' [Redundant growths differ from the production of 

 numerous offspring at a birth in the way which has 

 been stated ; monstrosities differ from redundant 

 growths in that most monstrosities are instances 

 of embryos growing together.] (Alterations, too, 

 occur ; in some cases they affect the smaller and 

 less important parts.) whereas others are affected in a 

 different way, i.e., if the alteration occurs in the larger 

 parts, which have more to do with the control of the 

 organism — e.g., some have two spleens, or several 



meaning borne by repara Ls at variance from that which it 

 bears elsewhere in the discussion. The words may be an 

 annotation intended for 773 a 13. The lines following (down 

 to iiediaTafievrjs) seem to be a similar kind of summary, 

 though more correct, and they too may be out of place or 

 redundant. 



443 



