SUICIDAL STARFISH. 255 



squandering his acres. The late Edward Forbes 

 has left a humorous account of his hopeless endea- 

 vours to secure a rare species {Luidia fragilissi- 

 ma) in an entire condition. To understand his 

 account, you must know that most marine animals 

 expire immediately on being thrown into fresh water ; 

 and you must further be informed that the pig- 

 ment spec at the end of each arm, or leg, is the ex- 

 tremely hypothetical " eye" of the starfish. Forbes 

 was ready with his bucket, and, " as I expected,'' 

 he says, " a Luidia came up — a most gorgeous speci- 

 men. As it does not generally break up before it is 

 raised above the surface of the sea, cautiously and 

 anxiously I sank my bucket to a level with the dredge's 

 mouth, and proceeded in the most gentle manner to 

 introduce Luidia to the purer element. Whether the 

 cold water was too much for him, or the sight of the 

 bucket too terrific, I know not, but in a moment he 

 proceeded to dissolve his corporation, and at every 

 mesh of the dredge his fragments were seen escaping. 

 In despair I grasped at the largest, and brought up 

 the extremity of an arm with its terminating eye, the 

 spinous eyelid of which opened and closed with some- 

 thing exceedingly like a wink of derision." 



Quitting the Starfishes, let me call attention to 

 those pretty Cowries and the naked Molluscs : — Are 

 not those two Actceons, green, with speckles of gold, 

 attractive? I have nothing to tell you about them, 

 however, not having dissected one, nor submitted it to 

 any more rigorous investigation than a casual glance 

 of admiration. Of that magnificent Doris tubercidata, 



