Seeing then that it has to get its
food from the water, and yet must necessarily breathe, inasmuch as
it is a land animal and has blood; seeing, also, that its excessive
weight prevents it from passing rapidly from water to land, as some
other sanguineous vivipara that breathe can do, it becomes necessary
that it shall be suited alike for life in the water and for life on
dry land. just then as divers are sometimes provided with
instruments for respiration, through which they can draw air from
above the water, and thus may remain for a long time under the sea, so
also have elephants been furnished by nature with their lengthened
nostril; and, whenever they have to traverse the water, they lift this
up above the surface and breathe through it. For the elephant's
proboscis, as already said, is a nostril. Now it would have been
impossible for this nostril to have the form of a proboscis, had it
been hard and incapable of bending. For its very length would then
have prevented the animal from supplying itself with food, being as
great an impediment as the of certain oxen, that are said to be
obliged to walk backwards while they are grazing. It is therefore soft
and flexible, and, being such, is made, in addition to its own
proper functions, to serve the office of the fore-feet; nature in this
following her wonted plan of using one and the same part for several
purposes.
Pages:
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100