OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT. 13 
they have cleared the bed around them, they move on to the next 
bed—eating ravenously and growing rapidly. Generally they do 
not attack oysters much older than one year. Hence, Virginia 
plants and Native one-year-olds are rarely harmed. The oyster 
cultivators in Narragansett Bay usually plant seed oysters, and so 
have not been so much troubled with the starfish. Most of their 
beds, too, are in small areas; and some of the cultivators surround 
them with a bed of mussels, which they find quite as acceptable 
food for the starfish as the oyster, and thus the oyster bed is to 
some extent saved. But this is not practicable in the extensive 
beds and in the deep waters of the Sound. Some cultivators, 
too, declare that the starfish in the Sound will not eat mussels; 
hence, the only protection which the Connecticut cultivator seems 
to have is in continual, laborious, expensive dredging. 
The absence of the starfish from a bed one day gives no assur- 
ance that he will not be found there the next day. This is very 
likely to occur after a storm,+which seems to drift them in large 
numbers from one place to another. ‘The young starfish are so 
small that they generally escape the dredge net, and so are diff- 
cult to catch. One of the best devices recently brought to the 
attention of the cultivators is that invented by Mr. Thomas 
Thomas, one of the most successful cultivators in the State. 
Although it seems to be a modification of a contrivance invented 
by Prof. Verrill some years ago for use in deep sea dredging, it 
is understood to have been contrived by Mr. Thomas without any 
knowledge of Prof. Verrill’s machine. Mr. Thomas attaches to 
a horizontal bar about four feet long, bundles, or tails, of cotton 
yarns about 12 or 15 inches long, shaped like horse tails, forming 
a broad mop, hung like a dredge and drawn like a dredge over 
the oyster bed. ‘The stars, large and small, disturbed as it passes 
over the bed, rise up and become entangled in the threads, and 
so are brought up in large numbers. Once on deck, the mop is 
plunged in hot water and the stars are quickly destroyed. With 
this contrivance large areas can be kept comparatively clear. And 
it is believed that it will prove of great value to the cultivator. 
As no comprehensive investigation of the propagation, life, and 
habits of the starfish has heretofore been made, it is gratifying to 
know that, through the efficient influence of Senators Hawley 
and Platt, an appropriation has been made by Congress to secure 
such an investigation. The appropriation is to be expended 
under the supervision of the U. S. Commissioner, Marshal 
