ARISTOTLE. 63 



an auricle at the extremity of the bone, into which 

 as into a vessel the sound passes. Nor is there any 

 passage from it to the brain, but to the palate ; and 

 a vein stretches from the brain to it. But the eyes 

 belong to the brain, and each is placed upon a small 

 vein. Every animal that has ears moves them, ex- 

 cepting man ; for of those which are furnished with 

 the sense of hearing, some have ears, others none, 

 but an open passage; of which kind are feather- 

 ed animals, and all that are covered with a scaly 

 skin. But those which are viviparous, the seal, the 

 dolphin, and other cetacea excepted, have exter- 

 nal ears, as well as the viviparous cartilaginous ani- 

 mals. The seal has a manifest passage for hearing ; 

 but the dolphin, although it hears, yet has no ears. 

 The ears are situated at the same level as the eyes^ 

 but not higher, as in certain quadrupeds. The ears 

 of some persons are smooth, of others rough, or partly 

 so ; but this furnishes no indication of disposition. 

 They are also large, small, or of moderate size, pro- 

 jecting, or flat, or intermediate. The latter circum- 

 stance indicates the best disposition. Large and 

 projecting ears are indicative of a fool and babbler. 

 From this passage we perceive that Aristotle was 

 acquainted with the Eustachian tube; although 

 his anatomical knowledge of the ear is certainly of 

 the most superficial kind, and his physiognomical 

 notions respecting it sufficiently ludicrous. He di- 

 vides the body into head, neck, trunk, arms, and 

 legs, much as we do at the present day. The head 

 consists of the calvaria, or part covered with hair, 

 which is divided into three regions, the bregma 

 or fore part, the crown, and the occiput. Under 

 the bregma is the brain ; but the back part of the 



