SEA-STARS AND SEA-URCHINS. 87 



The Uraster's mouth is small, and the integuments tough 

 and not capable of great distention ; but its stomach is a most 

 accommodating organ, though a very delicate one, and when 

 the Star has come upon food too large to pass through the 

 mouth to the stomach, the stomach passes through the mouth 

 to the food. It surrounds the victim with its fine membrane, 

 pours out its gastric juice, and having reduced it to a fluid 

 condition, re-absorbs the whole, and returns to its natural 

 position inside the Star. That is a wonderful process, but it is 

 quite a common one, and you will certainly catch the animal 

 in the act before you have long been shore-hunting. 



This is probably the way in which the securely boxed-up 

 oyster falls a victim to Five-fingers. The oyster's powerful 

 adductor muscles keep the valves closed, and appear to defy 

 any burglariously-disposed creature of its own size ; but Five- 

 fingers 5 gastric juice is a penetrating solvent which paralyzes 

 the muscles and kills the oyster. The elastic hinge then opens 

 the shell automatically, and allows Five-fingers to make an 

 unresisted entrance, and a short end of the oyster. 



As we have shaken off the dog-winkles, the Star-fish takes 

 in his stomach for safety, and we are enabled to have a look at 

 his exterior. When we say that he has five rays proceeding 

 from a common centre, we have said well nigh all that is to be 

 said about his form. But the minutiae of the organs disposed 

 over those rays, and within them for their interiors form part 

 of the general body-cavity requires much describing and 

 explaining. The creature has no legs, yet he moves with con- 

 siderable celerity in any one direction as easily as another, 

 and inequalities of surface present no difficulties to him. And 

 yet the five rays, from their stiffness, are practically useless 

 for this purpose ; but on the under surface of these rays are 

 hundreds of pliable and active little suckers, worked by hy- 

 draulic power, and it is all one to them whether they have to 

 walk on rock, weed, or glass, up or down, across the floor, or 

 under the ceiling. 



