iii. 3. 65 



and collect there, but goes first into the stomach. For, when red 

 wine is taken, the dejections of the stomach are seen to be 

 coloured by its dregs ; and such discoloration has been even 

 seen on many occasions inside the stomach itself, in cases where 

 there have been wounds opening into that organ. However it 

 is perhaps silly to be minutely particular in dealing with silly 

 statements such as this. 



The windpipe then, owing to its position in front of the 

 oesophagus, is exposed, as we have said, to annoyance from the 

 food. To obviate this, however, nature has contrived the epiglottis. 

 This part is not found in all viviparous animals, but only in such 

 of them as have a lung; nor in all of these, but only in such 

 as at the same time have their skin covered with hairs, and not 

 either with scaly plates or with feathers. In such scaly and 

 feathered animals there is no epiglottis, but its office is supplied 

 by the larynx,''' which closes and opens, just as in the other 

 case the epiglottis falls down and rises up ; rising up during 

 the ingress or egress of breath, and falling down during the 

 ingestion of food, so as to prevent any particle from slipping 

 into the trachea. Should there be the slightest want of accuracy 

 in this movement, or should an inspiration be made during the 

 ingestion of food, choking and coughing ensue, as already has 

 been noticed. So admirably contrived, however, is the movement 

 both of the epiglottis and of the tongue, that, while the food 

 is being ground to a pulp in the mouth, the tongue very rarely 

 gets caught between the teeth ; and, while the food is passing 

 over the epiglottis, seldom does a particle of it slip into the 

 windpipe. 



The animals which have been mentioned as having no epiglottis 

 owe this deficiency to the dryness of their flesh and to the hardness 

 of their skin. For an epiglottis made of such materials would not 

 admit of easy motion.^ In fact it would take a longer time to shut 

 down an epiglottis made of the peculiar flesh of these animals, and 

 shaped like that of those with hairy skins, than to bring the edges 

 of the trachea itself into contact with each other. 



Thus much then as to the reasons why some animals have an 

 epiglottis while others have none, and thus much also as to its use. 

 It is a contrivance of nature to remedy the vicious position of the 

 windpipe in front of the oesophagus. That position is the result 

 of necessity. For it is in the front and centre of the body that 

 665a. 5 



