76 Life Beneath the Waves. 



finished by devouring the inhabitant. It 

 appears however, by the reports of careful 

 observers, that the oyster eating is true to 

 the fact, but false as to the mode. 



"The Starfish seems to bring its mouth in 

 contact with the edge of the shell, and 

 then from some delicate vessels, never pro- 

 truded at any other time, to pour into the 

 oyster some drops of a poisonous fluid, 

 which forces the animal to open the shells, 

 and finally kills it. Such is the account as 

 it stands at present."* 



There are various species of Starfish, 

 some of them being much more beautiful 

 than others; the kind denominated Five- 

 fingered is one of the commonest, and 

 doubtless has been found on the seashore 

 by most of my readers. 



See " Common Objects of the Seashore," pp. 84, 85. 



