STAE-FISHES. 33 



CHAPTEE III 



STAE-FISHES. 



"The prickly star-fish creeps with fell deceit, 

 To force the oyster from his close retreat, 

 Whose gaping lids their widen'd void display ; 

 The watchful star thrusts in a pointed ray, 

 Of all its treasures robs the rifled case, 

 And empty shells the sandy hillock grace. " 



MY first acquaintance scientific, at least with this 

 class of animals commenced at North Berwick; a 

 place dear to every naturalist, from having been the 

 residence and scene of study of Dr Johnston, the 

 accomplished historian of " British Molluscs." Find- 

 ing, on a certain occasion, that I should have to wait 

 three hours for a train to Edinburgh, I made for the 

 shore, full of that relish for observation and zeal for 

 discovery which my devotion to marine objects had 

 by this time inspired. Luckily, the tide was favour- 

 able to permit my getting out a considerable distance 

 on those long standing ledges of rocks that occur in 

 this, as in so many other parts of the east coast of 

 Scotland. I saw vast numbers of large and gor- 

 c 



