The Starfish and Its Kindred 63 



which was obtained elsewhere; for starfishes are never 

 known to transport their food; they devour it on the 

 spot. Poising myself far over the edge of the platform 

 to get a better view, I peer intently at the spectacle. 

 No, nothing edible is to be seen in the vicinity. But 

 under several of the nearest animals can be detected 

 a filmy exudation appearing between the rays. It now 

 becomes plain what they are about. Their attitudes 

 are indicative of but one thing: they are spawning. 

 These are females and they are liberating their eggs in 

 the water to be fertilized by the male sperm cells, which 

 are no doubt swarming here in invisible millions. Al- 

 though the sexes are distinct it is next to impossible to 

 tell from outward appearance which is the male and 

 which is the female starfish. However, knowing it to 

 be the rule among most low orders of animals that 

 when an event like the preceding is taking place, the 

 males are generally not far away, I look around to see 

 if any unusual activities on the part of the others are to 

 be seen. But nothing noteworthy manifests the fact 

 that the males are busy. 



Time passes. I am anxious to see what part the 

 males play, if any, in bringing this wholesale delivery 

 to a successful issue; for there is good reason to suspect 

 that they are not wholly indifferent to the travail of the 

 females. Although chance to a large extent determines 

 the actual meeting of the eggs and the sperms, it would 

 be a rare thing, indeed, if this chance were not lessened 

 by the mutual behavior of the parents. But it grows 

 dark; the tide is falling; I am reluctantly obliged to 

 give up my watch. 



Nevertheless, the next day finds me ensconced in the 



