CHAPTER IV 



CONCERNING EGGS AND THOSE 

 THAT LAY THEM 



IT is surprising how many different kinds of 

 creatures originate from eggs ; indeed, it is no 

 exaggeration to say that the majority of them come 

 into the world in that form. All birds are hatched 

 therefrom, and the myriad of insects which inhabit 

 the universe are produced in a like manner ; al- 

 though, it must be mentioned, the aphides reproduce 

 their kind also by the process known as ' budding.' 

 Crocodiles, alligators, tortoises, turtles, frogs, toads, 

 newts, and the various forms of crustaceans all 

 owe their existence to eggs which are laid by the 

 females, as do also the lizards, fishes, and snakes. In 

 certain cases, however, the young are hatched out 

 before the eggs from which they originate see the 

 light of day. Even amongst the mammals we 

 have examples in the echidnas or spiny ant-eaters, 

 and the platypus or duckbill, which hatch out their 

 young from eggs. 



Although one commonly speaks of an oval-shaped 

 object as being * egg-shaped/ yet, strictly speaking, 



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