182 HERAPATH, ON THE 
us how litt:e 1s man’s knowledge and how wondrous and 
unsearchable is God’s wisdom. It is folly and vanity to 
attempt to account for all facts in nature, or to pretend to 
say why the great Creator made this thing or why he made 
that, and to discover in every creature a reason for its 
peculiar organization. It is but another form of the same 
vanity, having satisfied itself of the discoveries it has made, 
to pretend to praise the all-wise Maker’s wisdom in so 
organizing his creatures. That God is all-wise is a revealed 
truth ; and whether the organization before us seem excellent 
or imperfect it matters not; we know it is perfect and good, 
being the work of an all-wise God.” 
Dr. Sharpey says, also, in describing those of Uraster 
rubens—“ During life these forceps-like blades are con- 
tinuously open in a fresh and vigorous specimen, and 
instantly close upon being touched by a pin, and grasp 
it with considerable force. The particular use of these pre- 
hensile organs is not apparent; their stem, it may be 
observed, is quite impervious.” 
The peculiar movement of the calcareous blades are pro- 
duced by muscular fibres existing in the external musculo- 
membranous indusium, and an abductor muscular bundle 
may be traced which serves to separate the two blades from 
each other, whilst they are closed by equally powerful 
adductors, all acting under the will of the animal. These 
muscular fibres generally have some calcareous point of 
attachment, and thus the spines and fenestral walls are 
generally well clothed with the pedicellarie; but where 
pedicellarize are found in the fenestral spaces these muscular 
bundles are attached to the firm coriaceous tegument of the 
star-fish, which integument closes in great measure the 
aperture of the fenestra, but yet possess numerous openings 
to allow of the transmission of sensitive prolongations of the 
internal membrane as tactile organs. 
Professor Forbes says—‘ Both disc and rays of the star- 
fish are reticulated, and at the angles of the reticulations 
arise conical blunt spines, the bases of which are surrounded 
by circles of thickly studded spinules (pedicellariz). In the 
spaces between the reticulations are numerous small-cleft, 
pincer-shaped, flattened, pedunculated spinules. The edges 
of the ambulacral avenues are bordered, first, by thickly set, 
long, thin, tapering spines, which have frequently several 
spinules projecting in a radiant manner from their inner side 
near the tips. Next to these are transverse rows of stout 
spines, similar to those on the rays above, but larger and 
stronger. There are generally three in each row, and their 
