THE MUSEUM. 



19 



is left. Thus in case of danger rather 

 than give up the whole body to some 

 greedy fish, they give over only a part 

 thereof. The little animal really suf- 

 fers but little from this loss, for nature 

 soon heals over the wound, and a new 

 arm grows out in place of the old. It 

 is not uncommon to see an Ophiurian 

 with three or four arms and one or two 

 just sprouting out. During their earl\- 

 stages they pass through quite a met- 

 amorphasis. The young is a free 

 swimming animal but in the course of 

 growth it becomes sluggish and settles 

 to the bottom, where it ever remains 

 afterward as a creeping creature. It 

 is very commonly found among the 

 tangle and eel grass where its protec- 

 tive coloring affords it a safe retreat. 

 They rarely have over five arms. 

 There are now over 500 described 

 species of this Order, about half of 

 which are found between low water 

 mark and thirty fathoms, and the bal- 

 ance between thirty fathoms and one 

 thousand, or more. 



One of the commonest along the 

 Massachusetts coast is Ophiomusium 

 armigerum, and another longer spined 



brought up in deep sea dredging in 

 large numbers by the U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission, the past few years. 



Ophiopholis aculeata of Bay of Fun- 

 dy, often called Brittle Star, is a very 

 common species. It is of a reddish 



brown color, and covered with short 

 flat spines. Usually three to four 

 inches in diameter. 



Astrophyton Agassizii of Maine, the 

 only species of the family Astroph}'- 

 tidea that we will mention here, is 

 more commonly called Basket Fish or 

 Medusa's Head. The species lacks 



the protective plates of those noted 

 above but have in place of it a thick 

 variety is Ophiomusium Lymani, near skin in which are imbedded rudiment- 

 Cape Cod. This variety has been ary plates. It also has no arm spines. 



