surface is covered with a hard, callous, and very rough 

 skin. In the centre of the inferior surface is placed the 

 mouth, which is provided with a sucker, that the star 

 makes use of to imbibe the substance of the shell-fish 

 she feeds upon. Five small teeth, or pincers, hold it 

 confined while she sucks them, and perhaps assist in 

 the opening his shell. The legs of the star are a real 

 curiosity : they are joined to her inferior surface, and 

 distributed! with symmetry in four rows, each consisting 

 of seventy-six feet; so that each ray is furnished with 

 three hundred and four feet, and the whole star with 

 fifteen hundred and twenty. Yet, with such a number 

 of feet, the star goes but little faster than the muscle, 

 which has only one. These legs perfectly resemble the 

 horns of the snail, both by their figure, consistence, and 

 exercise. When the star is disposed to walk, she spreads 

 her legs as the snail does her horns, and with the extre- 

 mity of them seizes the various marine bodies on which 

 she crawls. She commonly puts forth only one part of 

 her legs ; the remainder are kept in reserve against 

 those necessities which may happen. The mechanism 

 which presides over their motions is an illustrious proof 

 of a CREATIVE MIND. Let us open one of the rays 

 by slitting it lengthwise, and we shall display the priii; 

 cipal springs qf the machine. An ahuost cartilaginous 

 partition, made in the form of vertebrae, divides the 

 whole ray: in every part of this partition you perceive 

 two rows of little balls, like pearls of the finest water. 

 The number of these little balls is precisely equal to 

 that of the legs: thus you see that each ball answers to 

 a leg. You van distinguish a limpid liquor in these 

 balls; press your linger upon them; they empty them- 

 selves ; tiie liquor passes into the corresponding legs, 

 and they immediately extend themselves. The star 

 then need only press the balls in oider to spread the 

 legs. But they are capable of contraction, and when 

 they contract themselves*, they force the liquor back 

 again into the balls, from whence it may be driven 

 afresh iato the legs,- to procure a progressive motion. 

 You conjecture that these eggs, which resemble these 

 4 



