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. For,
even if the tail be of no great size, yet they have a kind of scut, as
at any rate a small representative of it. But man is tail-less. He
has, however, buttocks, which exist in none of the quadrupeds. His
legs also are fleshy (as too are his thighs and feet); while the
legs in all other animals that have any, whether viviparous or not,
are fleshless, being made of sinew and bone and spinous substance. For
all these differences there is, so to say, one common explanation, and
this is that of all animals man alone stands erect. It was to
facilitate the maintenance of this position that Nature made his upper
parts light, taking away some of their corporeal substance, and
using it to increase the weight of lithe parts below, so that the
buttocks, the thighs, and the calves of the legs were all made fleshy.
The character which she thus gave to the buttocks renders them at
the same time useful in resting the body. For standing causes no
fatigue to quadrupeds, and even the long continuance of this posture
produces in them no weariness; for they are supported the whole time
by four props, which is much as though they were lying down. But to
man it is no task to remain for any length of time on his feet, his
body demanding rest in a sitting position. This, then, is the reason
why man has buttocks and fleshy legs; and the presence of these fleshy
parts explains why he has no tail. For the nutriment which would
otherwise go to the tail is used up in the production of these
parts, while at the same time the existence of buttocks does away with
the necessity of a tail
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