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REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 113 
not quite, three months—from June to August. It is the popular belief 
that during a part of this period the starfish bunch up in large clusters, 
the supposition being that this habit may have some relation to the 
spawning functions. Both this occurrence and the reasons assigned for 
it thay be true, and it seems very probable that the starfish do some- 
times collect together in large masses, but this can also be explained, in 
a measure, as an incident of their feeding. It has been noticed, im 
connection with the large invasions, that these animals clean the beds up 
very thoroughly as they go. It can well be imagined that, on reaching 
a new ground, the first arrivals begin to feed at once, while those in 
the rear, pressing forward, pile up over them, forming for the time a 
sort of windrow, but these conditions would probably not continue long. 
The rate of movement attained by a body of starfishes when invading 
an oyster-ground has been variously estimated, but the observations in 
respect to this matter must, for the most part, be very unreliable. One 
planter, however, has informed us on good authority that a dense line 
of starfishes advanced about 2,000 feet over one of his beds in the course 
of four days, while his steamers were engaged in dredging them. In 
connection with some experiments made by Dr. Hodge, specimens of 
medium size were seen to move at the rate of 62 to 114 inches per min- 
ute, and if this rate were to be maintained without intermission they 
might cover, on an average, a mile in a little over five days. 
Unfortunately records are seldom kept of the quantity of starfishes 
removed from any of the beds, but a large planter in the Bridgeport 
and Stratford districts has furnished a detailed statement which shows 
that from 1884 to 1889, inclusive, about 36,000 bushels were dredged 
up by his steamers, the average catch per month, computed for the six 
years, being as follows: January, 460; February, 250; March, 180; April, 
90; May, 400; June, 490; July, 620; August, 960; September, 560; 
October, 480; November, 350; December, 440. It should be borne in 
mind, however, that these figures relate to only a comparatively limited 
area, and might not apply to other districts. It is also possible that 
his steamers were less watchful at some times than at others, and that 
the averages for the catch of starfishes would not indicate with exact- 
ness their relative abundance during the several months. The princi- 
pal utility of this statement consists in its showing that starfishes are 
always present on the oyster-grounds, and may be regarded as plenti- 
fulin every month of the year, but whether they are always feeding or 
not still remains to be determined. They are said to begin to feed on 
oysters when very young, selecting individuals, of course, which are in 
_proportion to their own size, and several have frequently been found 
attached to the same oyster. They also live on other bivalves, such as 
mussels and clams, and even on small gastropods, barnacles, ete. 
As to the distribution of the attacks of starfishes, it seems probable 
that, the conditions being equal, all the beds are subject to their in- 
H. Mis. 113 8 
