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. (In saying a single
differentia by itself I mean such an isolated differentia as
Cleft-footed; in saying a single differentia with antecedent I mean,
to give an instance, Manycleft-footed preceded by Cleft-footed. The
very continuity of a series of successive differentiae in a division
is intended to show that it is their combination that expresses the
character of the resulting unit, or ultimate group. But one is
misled by the usages of language into imagining that it is merely
the final term of the series, Manycleft-footed for instance, that
constitutes the whole differentia, and that the antecedent terms,
Footed, Cleft-footed, are superfluous. Now it is evident that such a
series cannot consist of many terms. For if one divides and
subdivides, one soon reaches the final differential term, but for
all that will not have got to the ultimate division, that is, to the
species.) No single differentia, I repeat, either by itself or with
its antecedents, can possibly express the essence of a species.
Suppose, for example, Man to be the animal to be defined; the single
differentia will be Cleft-footed, either by itself or with its
antecedents, Footed and Two-footed. Now if man was nothing more than a
Cleft-footed animal, this single differentia would duly represent
his essence. But seeing that this is not the case, more differentiae
than this one will necessarily be required to define him; and these
cannot come under one division; for each single branch of a
dichotomy ends in a single differentia, and cannot possibly include
several differentiae belonging to one and the same animal
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