OF MASSACHUSETTS. 69 



impossible for the scallops to escape destruction. It is well known 

 how destructive the starfish is to the oyster beds, and undoubtedly the 

 scallops would not be able to escape so great a number and must have 

 suffered severely. Capt. James Monahan of Wareham cites the follow- 

 ing instance : " In the fall of 1898 I located a bed of seed scallops 

 so thick that half a dredge full could be obtained at a single drift. 

 Next year I went to the same place, and on casting my dredges found 

 them full of dead scallops, shells and starfish in great number." He 

 estimated that in that one locality 1,000 bushels perished. 



During the season of 1907-08 nearly every boat from Wareham 

 saved the starfish, and instead of throwing them overboard, as was 

 previously the custom, carried large numbers to the shore. Under the 

 old method of carelessly returning these pests to the waters they were 

 scattered over a wider area from the boats. For two seasons previous 

 to 1907-08 it is said that the starfish had been decreasing, and that the 

 return of the scallop fishery after an absence of seven years was due 

 to this decline. Many scallopers and oystermen are anxious for State 

 appropriations for the removal of these pests. 



The method of attacking the scallop (Fig. 70) is similar to that used 

 on the oyster, i.e., opening the shell by means of a steady strain exerted 

 in opposite directions upon the two valves. The starfish surrounds the 

 scallop with its long arms or rays, five in number, and clasps it in its 

 embrace, generally in such a way that the mouth of the starfish rests 

 just above the byssal notch of the scallop, and the arms are closely 

 attached to the shell by the tube feet or suckers. By exerting a steady 

 pull with its numerous suckers, and by the tendency to straighten out 

 the long arms, the animal exerts a strong and steady strain on the 

 adductor muscle, which, though well adapted to resist a sudden pull, 

 gradually tires and relaxes. The starfish has the advantage, as, having 

 five arms, it can rest some of them and yet keep on pulling, while the 

 scallop has only one muscle and has to exert a perpetual strain. Then 

 a curious phenomenon is noticed. The starfish rolls out its stomach 

 and allows it to flow into the interior of the scallop, where it digests, 

 outside its own body, the soft parts of the scallop. When the meal is 

 completed the stomach is withdrawn, and the clean scallop shell left 

 with gaping valves. 



Small starfish seem to be the most active in this work of destruction, 

 and the " seed " scallops are the most frequent objects of their attack. 

 The only method of reducing this pest, as extermination is practically 

 impossible, is for the scallopers to carry the starfish taken in dredging 

 to the shore. The oystermen, who suffer more severely from the inroads 

 of the starfish, most commonly use a tangle or mop which is dragged 

 over the oyster beds, the " five finger " becoming easily entangled. The 

 starfish are then either thrown into boiling water or carried ashore. 



(b) The Oyster Drill. Where the scallop is not found the oyster 



