730 SKELETON OF THE STAR-FISH. 



To begin with the former delinquency. It is found that the Star-fish is a terrible foe 

 to molluscs, and although its body is so soft, and it is destitute of any jaws or levers, 

 such as are employed by other mollusc-eating inhabitants of the sea, it can devour even 

 the tightly shut bivales, however firmly they may close their valves. On looking at a 

 Star-fish, it will be seen that its mouth is in the very centre of the rays, and it is through 

 that simple-looking mouth that the Star-fish is able to draw its sustenance. 



Even if it should come upon a mollusc which, like the oyster, is firmly attached to 

 some object, it is by no means disconcerted, but immediately proceeds to action. Its 

 first process is to lie upon its prey, folding its arms over it so as to hold itself in the 

 right position. It then applies the mouth closely to the victim, and deliberately begins 

 to push out its stomach through the mouth, and wraps the mollusc in the folds of that 

 organ. Some naturalists think that the Star-fish has the power of secreting some fluid 

 which is applied to the shell, and causes the bivalve to unclose itself. But whether this 

 be the case or not, patience will always do her work, and in time the hapless mollusc 

 surrenders itself to the devourer. In the case of smaller prey, the creature is taken 

 wholly into the mouth, and there digested. 



A very remarkable example of the voracity of the Star-fish is shown in the engraving 

 on page 729, sketched from a specimen in the British Museum. A Star-fish belonging 

 to this genus had managed to swallow entire a bivalve mollusc, and had dissolved out all 

 the soft parts from the shell. This it was unable to throw out, as is the usual custom 

 of Star-fishes, and, in consequence, the empty shell of the bivalve became a fixture with- 

 in the body of the Star-fish, producing the remarkable effect depicted in the en- 

 graving. 



The second delinquency of the Star-fish is achieved as follows : By some wonderful 

 power the Star-fish is enabled to detect prey at some distance, even though no organs of 

 sight, hearing, or scent can be absolutely defined. When, therefore, the fishermen lower 

 their baits into the sea, the Star-fishes and crabs often seize the hook, and so give the 

 fisherman all the trouble of pulling up his line for nothing, baiting the hook afresh, and 

 losing his time. 



The fishermen always kill the Star-fish in reprisal for its attack on their bait, and for- 

 merly were accustomed to tear it across and fling the pieces into the sea. This, how- 

 ever, is a very foolish plan of proceeding, for the Star-fish is wonderfully tenacious of 

 life, and can bear the loss of one or all of its rays without seeming much inconvenienced. 

 The two halves of the Asterias would simply heal the wound, put forth fresh rays, and, 

 after a time, be transmuted into two perfect Star-fishes. 



It often happens that the lounger on the sea-shore finds examples of this species with 

 only four, or even three, rays, and, finding no vestige of a scar to mark the place whence 

 the missing limb was torn, he is apt to fancy that he had found a new species which only 

 possesses a small number of rays. The fact, however, is, that the interval is immedi- 

 ately filled up by the creature ; the rays on each side of the injury close up together, 

 and all mark of a wound is soon obliterated. I have seen these strange beings with only 

 one ray, proceeding quietly along without appearing to suffer any inconvenience from 

 their loss. 



The movements of the Star-fish are extremely graceful, the creature gliding onward 

 with a beautifully smooth and regular motion. It always manages to accommodate itself 

 to the surface over which it is passing, never bridging over even a slight depression, but 

 exactly following all the inequalities of the ground. It can also pass through a very 

 narrow opening, and does so by pushing one ray in front, and then folding the others 

 back so that they may afford no obstacles to the passage. It also has an odd habit of 

 pressing the points of its rays upon the bottom of the sea, and raising itself in the middle, 

 so as to resemble a five-legged stool. If the reader is desirous of keeping a few Star- 

 fishes in an aquarium, the object may be easily accomplished by keeping them in a very 

 cool place, as they are extremely impatient of heat, and soon die if the water becomes 

 too warm. They also require that a supply of air be frequently pumped through the 

 water in which they reside. 



The bony apparatus, or skeleton, if it may be so called, of the Star-fish is a most 

 beautiful and wondrous object. Without going into the tempting regions of anatomy, I 



