242 



THE STELLEROIDEA 



The Alimentary System consists of a mouth at the centre of 

 the actinal surface of the starfish. The oesophagus is very short 



H 



FIG. IV. 



Asterias rubens. I, ray from which the skin of the abactinal surface has been removed 

 and the outgrowths (c) displaced, showing the ambulacral ossicles (ao); the suckers (s); 

 g, gonads in ray II ; a, anus ; sp, stomach, the folded arrangement of the walls of which are 

 shown by removal of part of the upper wall at the base of ray V. From F. J. Bell, Catalogue 

 of British Echinoderms in the Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.). 



