BOOK XI. cvii. 256-cviii. 260 



its back; it has large claws like a jay's. Some 

 of the heavier birds, though none of those with 

 crooked talons, have spurs added on the legs. The 

 long-legged birds fly vvith their legs extended towards 

 their tail, but the short-legged ones draw them into 

 their niiddle. Those who say that there is no bird 

 without feet assert that black martins have specially 

 short feet, and also the Alpine s\vift, a bird that is 

 very rarely seen. Even snakes with the feet of geese 

 have been seen before now. 



CVIII. The insects with hard eyes have the front inseeu 

 feet longer, so that they may occasionally rub their 

 eyes with their feet, as we observe in house-flies. 

 Insects with long hind feet leap, for instance locusts. 

 But all these have six feet. Some " spiders have 

 two very long feet in addition. Each foot has two 

 joints. We have said * that some marine species 

 also have eight feet, oetopuses, cuttle-fish of both 

 varieties, and crabs, which move their fore-feet in the 

 opposite direction to the others and their hind-feet 

 in a circle or slantwise ; they are also the only animals 

 with feet of a rounded shape. All the other species 

 have two guiding feet, only crabs have four. Land 

 species that exceed this number of feet, as most 

 worms, have not less than twelve, and some as many 

 as a hundred. No kind has an odd number of feet. 



In the species with solid feet the legs are of the orowth oj 

 proper size at birth, afterwards more truly stretching '""^*** 

 out than growing. Consequently in infancy they 

 scratch their ears with their hind feet, which when 

 older they are unable to do, because length of time 

 increases the size of only the surface of their bodies. 



" All, as a matter of fact. ' IX S3 



595 



