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14
All animals that have hairs on the body have lashes on the
eyelids; but birds and animals with scale-like plates, being hairless,
have none. The Libyan ostrich, indeed, forms an exception; for, though
a bird, it is furnished with eyelashes. This exception, however,
will be explained hereafter. Of hairy animals, man alone has lashes on
both lids. For in quadrupeds there is a greater abundance of hair on
the back than on the under side of the body; whereas in man the
contrary is the case, and the hair is more abundant on the front
surface than on the back. The reason for this is that hair is intended
to serve as a protection to its possessor. Now, in quadrupeds, owing
to their inclined attitude, the under or anterior surface does not
require so much protection as the back, and is therefore left
comparatively bald, in spite of its being the nobler of the two sides.
But in man, owing to his upright attitude, the anterior and
posterior surfaces of the body are on an equality as regards need of
protection. Nature therefore has assigned the protective covering to
the nobler of the two surfaces; for invariably she brings about the
best arrangement of such as are possible. This then is the reason that
there is no lower eyelash in any quadruped; though in some a few
scattered hairs sprout out under the lower lid. This also is the
reason that they never have hair in the axillae, nor on the pubes,
as man has
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