119 THE HALL OF SHELLS. 
When young it grows upon a stem and waves 
in the sea as an aster—which it sometimes 1mi- 
tates in color as well as form—waves in the 
breezes. When it becomes fully developed it 
finds itself free from the restrainmg stem and 
floats out into the watery world at will or 
catches to stones, shells, and seaweeds by its 
feathery arms, holding with such tenacity that 
it would seem each bit of feather concealed a 
claw. 
“You have heard how starfish delight in 
living upon mussel and oyster beds, bemg ex- 
ceedingly destructive to the latter. If the 
oyster refuses to open its doors to Mr. Starfish, 
Mr. Starfish has a way of his own of opening 
them; and if the oyster still remains obdurate 
and refuses to be eaten, the starfish accommo- 
dates himself to circumstances and projects his 
stomach about the oyster and sucks in the soft 
parts. The stomach is capacious, extending its 
lobes into each arm or ray. 
“Another relative of my lady fair—the 
stone lily—possessing her family traits but not 
always her charming attractiveness, is the Holo. 
thurian or sea cucumber. We do not observe 
in this unattractive specimen the delicate plates 
around insulated rounded cavities. Yet natu- 
ralists tell us the leathery exterior of the sea 

