PARTS OF ANIMALS, II. xv.-xvi. 



an end. Thus, owing to the fact that the moisture 

 which comes off is corporeal in composition, hair must 

 be formed at these places even on account of a neces- 

 sary cause such as this, unless some function of Nature 

 impedes by diverting the moisture to another use. 



XVI. The general run of viviparous quadrupeds Nostriia. 

 differ very little among themselves as regards the 

 organ of smell. The following variations occur, how- 

 ever. Those animals whose jaws project forward and 

 become gradually narrower, forming what is called 

 a snout, have the organ of smell in their snout — this 

 being the only possibility ; in the others, the jaws 

 and nostrils are more definitely separated. The 

 elephant's nose is unique owing to its enormous size 

 and its extraordinary character. '^ By means of his 

 nose, as if it were a hand, the elephant conveys 

 his food, both solid and fluid, to his mouth ; by 

 means of it he tears up trees, by winding it round 

 them. In fact, he uses it for all purposes as if it 

 were a hand. This is because the elephant has a 

 double character : he is a land-animal, but he also 

 lives in swamps. He has to get his food from the 

 water ; yet he has to breathe, because he is a land- 

 animal and has blood ; owing to his enormous size, 

 however, he cannot transfer himself quickly from the 

 water on to the land, as do quite a number of blooded 

 viviparous animals that breathe ; hence he has to be 

 equally at home on land and in the water. Some 

 divers, when they go down into the sea, provide 

 themselves with a breathing-machine, by means of 

 which they can inhale the air from above the surface 

 while they remain for a long time in the water. 

 Nature has provided the elephant with something of 

 this sort by giving him a long nose. If ever the 



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