1^^''] Jennings. — Behavior of the Starfish. 87 



— and even after this, this crab nearly escaped, and it took about 

 ten minutes to get it back into position again. The crab is held 

 partly enveloped by the lobes of the stomach for some hours, 

 during- which time its soft parts are digested and absorbed ; the 

 empty shell is then released. 



Many other animals fall victims to the starfish. In its natural 

 surroundings its chief food is a small gasteropod which is very 

 abundant on the rocks where the starfish lives. These are cap- 

 tured, of course, without any such struggle as that required to 

 reduce the crabs to quiet. They are taken by the tube feet, turned 

 over, and the opening of the shell applied to the mouth. The lobes 

 of the stomach are pushed into the opening and the soft parts 

 digested and absorbed, while the shell is quite covered with the 

 tube feet that are holding it against the mouth. There seems 

 to be little opportunity for this species of starfish to feed upon 

 bivalves, as the common Atlantic coast starfish feeds on the oyster. 

 This starfish usually does not keep its disk lifted high, and en- 

 close the food between its rays, as is said to be done by the 

 Atlantic starfish Avhen feeding. It usually lifts its disk no higher 

 than is necessary to get the food beneath it, and then usually flat- 

 tens out as nmch as possible while feeding. 



The flat, elongated mollusk Chiton is very abundant on the 

 rocks where the starfish is found. Chiton usually remains 

 pressed flat against the surface, its soft parts covered by its shell. 

 It is then protected from the starfish. The starfish creeps over 

 its surface, taking hold of its shell with its tube feet, as it would 

 any part of the rock. But as long as the Chiton remains pressed 

 to the rock, the starfish makes no efl'ort to pull it off" and devour 

 it. But if an unlucky Chiton gets turned over, or its soft lower 

 surface comes against the starfish, it is quickly seized by pedi- 

 cellariae and tube feet, applied to the mouth, and its soft parts 

 eaten. 



Almost any animal matter seems acceptable food. They were 

 often found in the aquarium devouring other species of starfish, 

 from deep water. The latter are without pedicellariae or other 

 eft'ective weapons of defense, and fall a ready victim to the 

 present species. 



The starfish will even attempt to devour so spiny an object 



