For in the former six of the feet are above
the teeth and small, the outer one on either side being the biggest;
while the remaining two, which make up the total weight, are below the
mouth and are the biggest of all, just as the hind limbs in quadrupeds
are stronger than the fore limbs. For it is these that have to support
the weight, and to take the main part in locomotion. And the outer two
of the upper six are bigger than the pair which intervene between them
and the uppermost of all, because they have to assist the lowermost
pair in their office. In the Poulps, on the other hand, the four
central feet are the biggest. Again, though the number of feet is
the same in all the Cephalopoda, namely eight, their length varies
in different kinds, being short in the Sepias and the Calamaries,
but greater in the Poulps. For in these latter the trunk of the body
is of small bulk, while in the former it is of considerable size;
and so in the one case nature has used the materials subtracted from
the body to give length to the feet, while in the other she has
acted in precisely the opposite way, and has given to the growth of
the body what she has first taken from the feet. The Poulps, then,
owing to the length of their feet, can not only swim but crawl,
whereas in the other genera the feet are useless for the latter mode
of progression, being small while the bulk of the body is
considerable.
Pages:
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208