CHAP. xvi. THE STAR-FISH. 325 



This could hardly have been otherwise, for it was 

 his habit, first to observe, and then to kill. He never 

 had any mercenary object in view in wandering 

 about with his gun and his traps ; he only desired 

 to obtain knowledge ; and what he observed he told 

 as plainly and clearly as he could, without knowing 

 whether his observations had been printed before 

 or not. He only regretted that he had so little 

 time to publish his descriptions of the habits of 

 animals, fishes, and crustaceans. 



One of Edward's most delightful studies was that 

 of the Star-fish. He published an article on the sub- 

 ject in the Zoologist. His object in doing so, he said, 

 was to induce others to employ their spare time in 

 discovering the Star-fishes found along the Banffshire 

 coast, and to make them publicly known. " If this," 

 said he, " were done generally throughout the coun- 

 try, we might, ere long, be able to form something 

 like an adequate notion of what we really do possess ; 

 but until that be done, we cannot expect to arrive at 

 anything like a perfect idea of what our British Fauna 

 consists of, or where the objects are to be found. Let 

 Naturalists then, and observers of Nature everywhere, 

 look to and note this, that all who can may reap the 

 benefit." 



Edward was as enthusiastic about the Star-fish as 

 he was about any other form of animated being. He 

 would allow none of them to be called " common." 

 They were all worthy of the most minute investiga- 



