THE -WONDERS OF THE SHOKE. 125 



day's work, several of that fine but common one, 

 the twelve-rayed sun-star (Solaster papposa), a 

 showy creature, dressed in rich scarlet livery, 

 some eight inches in diameter. Two or three 

 of a species usually counted rare also occurred, 

 the bird's foot {Palmipes memhranaceus), more 

 curious, and equally beautiful. (See plate III.) 

 It resembles a pentagonal piece of thin leather, 

 with the angles a little produced, and regularly 

 pointed. The central part of this disc is scarlet, 

 and a double line of scarlet proceeds from this to 

 each angle, while the whole is margined by a nar- 

 row band of the same gorgeous hue. The remain- 

 der of the surface is of a pale yellow or cream 

 color, and covered, in the most elegant manner, 

 with tufts of minute spines, arranged in lines 

 which cross each other, lozenge-fashioned, near the 

 middle of the disc, and run parallel to each other, 

 at riglit angles to the margin, between the points. 

 " Not less attractive wiis another star-fish, the 

 Kycd Cribclla {('ribella ocnlata). It consists 

 of five finger-like rays, tapering to a blunt point, 

 and cleft nearly to the centre, the consistence 

 .stiflly fleshy, or almost eartilaginous. 'J'lie hue 

 of both disc and rays, or the superior surface, is 

 a fine ro.-iy purine. (See plate III.) 



