on the gait of animals-第2节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




detached　more　than　any　other　animal　because　he　is　natural　in　a



higher　degree　than　the　other　animals；　now　the　right　is　naturally



both　better　than　the　left　and　separate　from　it；　and　so　in　man　the



right　is　more　especially　the　right；　more　dextrous　that　is；　than　in



other　animals。　The　right　then　being　differentiated　it　is　only



reasonable　that　in　man　the　left　should　be　most　movable；　and　most



detached。　In　man；　too；　the　other　starting…points　are　found　most



naturally　and　clearly　distinct；　the　superior　part　that　is　and　the



front。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　5







　　Animals　which；　like　men　and　birds；　have　the　superior　part



distinguished　from　the　front　are　two…footed　（biped）。　In　them；　of　the



four　points　of　motion；　two　are　wings　in　the　one；　hands　and　arms　in　the



other。　Animals　which　have　the　superior　and　the　front　parts　identically



situated　are　four…footed；　many…footed；　or　footless　（quadruped；



polypod；　limbless）。　I　use　the　term　foot　for　a　member　employed　for



movement　in　place　connected　with　a　point　on　the　ground；　for　the　feet



appear　to　have　got　their　name　from　the　ground　under　our　feet。



　　Some　animals；　too；　have　the　front　and　back　parts　identically



situated；　for　example；　Cephalopods　（molluscs）　and　spiral…shaped



Testaceans；　and　these　we　have　discussed　elsewhere　in　another



connexion。



　　Now　there　is　in　place　a　superior；　an　intermediate；　and　an



inferior；　in　respect　to　place　bipeds　have　their　superior　part



corresponding　to　the　part　of　the　universe；　quadrupeds；　polypods；　and



footless　animals　to　the　intermediate　part；　and　plants　to　the　inferior。



The　reason　is　that　these　have　no　power　of　locomotion；　and　the　superior



part　is　determined　relatively　to　the　nutriment；　and　their　nutriment　is



from　the　earth。　Quadrupeds；　polypods；　and　footless　animals　again



have　their　superior　part　corresponding　to　the　intermediate；　because



they　are　not　erect。　Bipeds　have　theirs　corresponding　to　the　superior



part　of　the　universe　because　they　are　erect；　and　of　bipeds；　man　par



excellence；　for　man　is　the　most　natural　of　bipeds。　And　it　is



reasonable　for　the　starting　points　to　be　in　these　parts；　for　the



starting…point　is　honourable；　and　the　superior　is　more　honourable　than



the　inferior；　the　front　than　the　back；　and　the　right　than　the　left。　Or



we　may　reverse　the　argument　and　say　quite　well　that　these　parts　are



more　honourable　than　their　opposites　just　because　the



starting…points　are　in　them。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　6







　　The　above　discussion　has　made　it　clear　that　the　original　of　movement



is　in　the　parts　on　the　right。　Now　every　continuous　whole；　one　part



of　which　is　moved　while　the　other　remains　at　rest　must；　in　order　to　be



able　to　move　as　a　whole　while　one　part　stands　still；　have　in　the　place



where　both　parts　have　opposed　movements　some　common　part　which



connects　the　moving　parts　with　one　another。　Further　in　this　common



part　the　original　of　the　motion　（and　similarly　of　the　absence　of



motion）　of　each　of　the　parts　must　lie。



　　Clearly　then　if　any　of　the　opposite　pairs　of　parts　（right　and



left；　that　is；　superior　and　inferior；　before　and　behind）　have　a



movement　of　their　own；　each　of　them　has　for　common　original　of　its



movements　the　juncture　of　the　parts　in　question。



　　Now　before　and　behind　are　not　distinctions　relatively　to　that



which　sets　up　its　own　motion；　because　in　nature　nothing　has　a　movement



backwards；　nor　has　a　moving　animal　any　division　whereby　it　may　make



a　change　of　position　towards　its　front　or　back；　but　right　and　left；



superior　and　inferior　are　so　distinguished。　Accordingly；　all　animals



which　progress　by　the　use　of　distinct　members　have　these　members



distinguished　not　by　the　differences　of　before　and　behind；　but　only　of



the　remaining　two　pairs；　the　prior　difference　dividing　these　members



into　right　and　left　（a　difference　which　must　appear　as　soon　as　you



have　division　into　two）；　and　the　other　difference　appearing　of



necessity　where　there　is　division　into　four。



　　Since　then　these　two　pairs；　the　superior　and　inferior　and　the



right　and　left；　are　linked　to　one　another　by　the　same　common



original　（by　which　I　mean　that　which　controls　their　movement）；　and



further；　everything　which　is　intended　to　make　a　movement　in　each



such　part　properly　must　have　the　original　cause　of　all　the　said



movements　arranged　in　a　certain　definite　position　relatively　to　the



distances　from　it　of　the　originals　of　the　movements　of　the



individual　members　（and　these　centres　of　the　individual　parts　are　in



pairs　arranged　coordinately　or　diagonally；　and　the　common　centre　is



the　original　from　which　the　animal's　movements　of　right　and　left；



and　similarly　of　superior　and　inferior；　start）；　each　animal　must



have　this　original　at　a　point　where　it　is　equally　or　nearly　equally



related　to　each　of　the　centres　in　the　four　parts　described。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　7







　　It　is　clear　then　how　locomotion　belongs　to　those　animals　only



which　make　their　changes　of　place　by　means　of　two　or　four　points　in



their　structure；　or　to　such　animals　par　excellence。　Moreover；　since



this　property　belongs　almost　peculiarly　to　Sanguineous　animals；　we　see



that　no　Sanguineous　animal　can　progress　at　more　points　than　four；



and　that　if　it　is　the　nature　of　anything　so　to　progress　at　four　points



it　must　of　necessity　be　Sanguineous。



　　What　we　observe　in　the　animal　world　is　in　agreement　with　the　above



account。　For　no　Sanguineous　animal　if　it　be　divided　into　more　parts



can　live　for　any　appreciable　length　of　time；　nor　can　it　enjoy　the



power　of　locomotion　which　it　possessed　while　it　was　a　continuous　and



undivided　whole。　But　some　bloodless　animals　and　polypods　can　live　a



long　time；　if　divided；　in　each　of　the　severed　parts；　and　can　move　in



the　same　way　as　before　they　were　dismembered。　Examples　are　what　is



termed　the　centipede　and　other　insects　that　are　long　in　shape；　for



even　the　hinder　portion　of　all　these　goes　on　progressing　in　the　same



direction　as　before　when　they　are　cut　in　two。



　　The　explanation　of　their　living　when　thus　divided　is　that　each　of



them　is　constructed　like　a　continuous　body　of　many　separate　living



beings。　It　is　plain；　too；　from　what　was　said　above　why　they　are　like



this。　Animals　constructed　most　naturally　are　made　to　move　at　two　or



four　points；　and　even　limbless　Sanguinea　are　no　exception。　They　too



move　by　dint　of　four　points；　whereby　they　achieve　progression。　They　go



forward　by　means　of　two　flexions。　For　in　each　of　their　flexions



there　is　a　right　and　a　left；　both　before　and　behind　in　their　flat



surface；　in　the　part　towards　the　head　a　right　and　a　left　front



point；　and　in　the　part　towards　the　tail　the　two　hinder　points。　They



look　as　if　they　moved　at　two　points　only；　where　they　touch　before



and　behind；　but　that　is　only　because　they　are　narrow　in　breadth。　Even。



in　them　the　right　is　the　sovereign　part；　and　there　is　an　alternate



correspondence　behind；　exactly　as　in　quadrupeds。　The　reason　of　their



flexions　is　their　great　length；　for　just　as　tall　men　walk　with　their



spines　bellied　（undulated）　forward；　and　when　their　right　shoulder　is



leading　in　a　forward　direction　their　left　hip　rather　inclined



backwards；　so　that　their　middle　becomes　hollow　and　bellied



（undulated）；　so　we　ought　to　conceive　snakes　as　moving　in　concave



curves　（undulations）　upon　the　ground。　And　this　is　evidence　that　they



move　themselves　like　the　quadrupeds；　for　they　make　the　concave　in



its　turn　convex　and　the　convex　concave。　When　in　its　turn　the　left　of



the　forward　parts　is　leading；　the　concavity　is　in　its　turn　reversed；



for　the　right　becomes　the　inner。　（Let　the　right　front　point　be　A；



the　left　B；　the　right　hind　C；　the　left　D。）



　　Among　land　animals　this　is　the　character　of　the　movement　of



snakes；　and　among　water　animals　of　eels；　and　conger…eels　and　also



lampreys；　in　fact　of　all　that　have　their　form　snakelike。　However；　some



marine　animals　of　this　shape　have　no　fin；　lampreys　for　example；　but



put　the　sea　to　the　same　use　as　snakes　do　both　land　and　water　（for



snakes　swim　precisely　as　they　move　on　the　ground）。　Others　have　two



fins　only；　for　example　conger…eels　and　eels　and　a　kind　of　cestreus



which　breeds　in　the　lake　of　Siphae。　On　this　account　too　those　that　are



accustomed　to　live　on　land；　for　example　all　the　eels；　move　with



fewer　flexions　in　a　fluid　than　on　land；　while　the　kind　of　cestreus



which　has　two　fins；　by　its　flexion　in　a　fluid　makes　up　the　remaining



points。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　8







　　The　reason　why　snakes　are　limbless　is　first　that　nature　makes



nothing　without　purpose；　but　always　regards　what　is　the　best



possible　for　each　individual；　preserving　the　peculiar　essence　of



each　and　its　intended　character；　and　secondly　the　principle　we　laid



down　above　that　no　Sanguineous　creature　c