122 



MARINE ANIMALS OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY. 



development. At first sight, the Comatula, or, as it is sometimes 



Fig. 153. 



Fig. 163. Comatula (Living Crinoid) seen from the back 

 parent. 

 Fig. 164. Magnified view of the group of young Comatulae of Fig. 153. 



called, the feather- 

 star, resembles an 

 Ophiuran ; but on 

 a closer examination 

 we find that the arms 

 are made \ip of short 

 joints ; and along the 

 sides of the arms, at- 

 tached to each joint, 

 are appendages re- 

 sembling somewhat 

 the beards of a feath- 

 er, and giving to each 

 ray the appearance 

 of a plume ; hence 

 the name of feather- 

 star. On one side 

 the arms are covered 

 with a tough skin, 

 through which pro- 

 ject the ambulacrsB, 

 and on the same side 

 of the disk are situ- 

 ated the mouth and 

 the anus ; the latter 

 projects in a trum- 

 pet-shaped proboscis. 

 On the opposite side 

 of the disk the Co- 

 matula is covered 

 with plates, arranged 

 regularly around a 

 central plate, which 

 is itself covered with 

 long cirri. 



y group of young Comatulaa attached to 



