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The course of exposition must be first to state the attributes
common to whole groups of animals, and then to attempt to give their
explanation. Many groups, as already noticed, present common
attributes, that is to say, in some cases absolutely identical
affections, and absolutely identical organs,-feet, feathers, scales,
and the like-while in other groups the affections and organs are
only so far identical as that they are analogous. For instance, some
groups have lungs, others have no lung, but an organ analogous to a
lung in its place; some have blood, others have no blood, but a
fluid analogous to blood, and with the same office. To treat of the
common attributes in connexion with each individual group would
involve, as already suggested, useless iteration. For many groups have
common attributes. So much for this topic.
As every instrument and every bodily member subserves some partial
end, that is to say, some special action, so the whole body must be
destined to minister to some Plenary sphere of action. Thus the saw is
made for sawing, for sawing is a function, and not sawing for the saw.
Similarly, the body too must somehow or other be made for the soul,
and each part of it for some subordinate function, to which it is
adapted.
We have, then, first to describe the common functions, common,
that is, to the whole animal kingdom, or to certain large groups, or
to the members of a species
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