carries along particles of the edible material. Yet, 

 so sensitive and selective is the touch of these ten- 

 tacular fingers that little if any of the surrounding 

 sand grains find their way to mouth. That their 

 function is olfactory rather than tactile in deter- 

 mining the proper substances is proved by an ex- 

 periment I am now about to make for perhaps the 

 hundredth time. From a dish of relatively fresh 

 clam broth close at hand, I select a tiny fragment 

 of filter-paper thoroughly impregnated with the 

 liquid. A similar piece of paper, but without pre- 

 vious soaking, is also made ready. Then with a 

 long forceps I lower the clam-steeped fragment to 

 a point over one of the serpent-stars and let it 

 settle down within the radius of its rays. Immedi- 

 ately this is followed by the unprepared paper. 

 No sooner does the arm come jnto contact with the 

 first piece than it starts to maneuver it toward the 

 mouth; — indeed, the creature becomes eager; it 

 does not await the completion of this slow pro- 

 cedure, it moves bodily over the fragment and in- 

 gests it. Not so, however, with the other bit of 

 paper. One or another of its arms repeatedly 

 touches it; but always with total indifference. 

 This experiment, obviously, proves another 



[7i] 



