The Starfish Outwitted. 157 



she was walking over the slippery seaweed, she fell 

 backwards, starfishes and all, into a pool of water. 

 At this unexpected collapse, her husband, not choosing 

 his language in the excitement of the moment, ejacu- 

 lated, " Oh my stars ! " Upon which his friends very 

 unjustly concluded that he was thinking more of his 

 starfishes than of his wife. In the sequel both wife 

 and stars were happily rescued from the rocky bath. 



On one of their visits to Tarbert they were anxious 

 to have a day or two of work with the dredge in that 

 neighbourhood. Unluckily there were no small boats 

 to be had on hire, and as it was the time of the 

 herring fishery, boatmen were as scarce as boats. 

 The herrings engrossed the attention of all the 

 nautical population. At last they obtained leave to 

 use a private boat. But it was small and rickety, and 

 a short experience convinced them that it was in no 

 way suitable for dredging purposes, and could only 

 be trusted near shore in smooth water. The only 

 capture worth notice made by its aid was of a fine 

 large Luidia fragilissima, the Lingthorn of Forbes, a 

 starfish that sometimes measures more than two feet 

 across. 



The difficulty of obtaining the species unbroken 

 has been already referred to. In this instance the 

 specimen was lying spread out in five or six feet of 

 water. Attempts were made to bring it to the surface 

 on the blade of an oar. It often slipped off. At last 

 they managed to get it into the boat and to lay it out 

 on the dredging-board. On such excursions they 

 generally took with them glycerine, which is said to 

 kill starfishes, and at the same time prevent them 



