122 



MARINE ANIMALS OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY. 



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



called, the feather- 

 star, resembles an 

 Ophiuran ; but on 

 a closer examination 

 we find that the arms 

 are made up 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 ambulacra, 

 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. 



Fig. 153. Comatula (Living Crinoid) seen from the back ; y group of young Comatulae attached to 

 parent. 

 Fig. 154. Magnified view of the group of young Comatulae of Fig. 153. 



