278 BRITISH ASTERIADJL 



eye a tolerably correct notion of the form of these 

 curious productions of the marine animal kingdom, 

 even although he had never seen a living or dead 

 specimen. 



The body of the animal is divided into rays, like 

 the pictured form of one of the heavenly stars, and 

 the fancied resemblance is most apparent in the 

 Asteridse, or true Star-fishes, of which we are now 

 about to speak. 



This wonderful race of animals, for their beauty 

 of colour, elegance of shape, and peculiarity of struc- 

 ture, possess a great degree of interest, not only to 

 the naturalist, but also to the casual observer by the 

 sea-side. 



There are fourteen British species of AsteriadsB, 

 which are arranged under four families, namely 

 the UrasterisD, the Solasterise, the Gonasterise, and 

 the Asterise. This group contains no less than eight 

 generic types, clearly distinguished from each other 

 by certain characters, ' derived from the outline of 

 the body, the number of rows of suckers in the 

 avenues, and the structure and arrangement of the 

 spines covering the surface and bordering the 

 avenues.' 



There are four species of Star-fishes belonging to 

 the genus Uraster, the most common of which is the 

 Uraster rubens, or Common Cross-fish. 



No person in the habit of visiting the sea-shore 

 can be unfamiliar with the likeness of this creature, 



