PARTS OF ANIMALS, III. iii. 



into the windpipe by mistake, and causes a great deal 

 of choking and distress and violent coughing. This 

 sort of thing occurs and can be observed whenever a 

 piece of food goes the wrong way ; yet they must be 

 mysteries to those who hold that animals take in their 

 drink by way of the windpipe. ** And there are many 

 counts on which we can show that this is a ridiculous 

 opinion to hold, (a) There is no passage leading from 

 the lung into the stomach, such as the oesophagus, 

 which, as we can see, leads thither from the mouth. 

 And again, (6) there is no doubt where the fluid dis- 

 charge comes from in cases of vomiting and sea-sick- 

 ness, (c) It is plain, too, that the fluid matter which 

 we take does not collect immediately in the bladder, 

 but goes first into the stomach. This is shown by 

 the fact that the dregs of dark wine affect the co- 

 lour of the residual discharge from the stomach ; and 

 this colouring has often been observed in cases where 

 the stomach has been wounded. Still, perhaps it is 

 silly to be too minute in discussing these silly theories. 



The windpipe, as we have said, is situated in front, Epiglottis. 

 and therefore is interfered with by the food. To deal 

 with this difficulty, Nature has contrived the epi- 

 glottis. Not all Vivipara ^ have this, but only those 

 which have a lung, and a hairy skin, and are not 

 covered with horny scales or feathers. Those that 

 are so covered have, to serve instead of the epiglottis, 

 a larynx which closes and opens, just as the epiglottis 

 does in the others ; it comes down and lifts up again : 

 it lifts up during the entrance and exit of the breath, 

 and subsides while food is being taken, to prevent 



" See e.g. Plato, Timaeus 70 c 7, and Taylor ad loc. 

 * Ogle chancres the text here to read " blooded animals,** 

 which brings the statement nearer the truth. 



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