56 CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [Bull. 



stars were taken. A cart-load of seaweed taken out at this time 

 would have destroyed millions of starfish. 



"By the first of August the fluffy, branching seaweed, which 

 bore so many young stars, was nearly all dead, and though the 

 stars were still present in great numbers upon the eelgrass, rock- 

 weed, and stones covered with sea-moss, they were also 

 frequently seen crawling along the muddy bottom. By August 

 15 the eelgrass was overgrown and lodged by a luxuriant 

 growth of Botryllus, a compound ascidian, which appears as 

 dark gelatinous patches. The small stars were still numerous 

 upon it, but were rather thin and poor. The larger and better 

 nourished stars had left the eelgrass and were searching for 

 food upon the stones and along the bottom. 



" The small starfishes, such as live upon the eelgrass, are re- 

 markably hardy in some respects. They will live for weeks, and 

 even months, in a small dish, without change of water and with 

 a minimum amount of food. During the 'first week in July I 

 carried a number of free-swimming brachiolaria to Providence 

 for further examination. They were in a glass i -quart jar, and, 

 after one or two were taken out, the jar was closed and was left 

 unopened during the rest of the summer. In a few days the 

 larvae had all set, and when I examined the dish again, on Sep- 

 tember 5, it contained still a few live stars, which were, how- 

 ever, very small. Upon watching them it was seen that the 

 more enterprising individuals were eating their companions, and 

 finally only one remained. This one lived in the jar for weeks, 

 but, unfortunately, I am not able to record the exact date of 

 his death. 



" On the other hand, the same young starfishes, which can 

 live so long without food or change of water, perish quickly 

 if left out of the water, especially if the sun is shining. They 

 cannot live, therefore, above the low-water mark, unless sheltered 

 'by a dense growth of vegetation. Large stars can endure very 

 much longer exposure, since their bulk prevents their drying 

 so quickly. On July 16 I made a special search for young 

 stars on the seaweed, above the low-water mark. I found none, 

 yet just below low-water mark they were excessively abundant. 

 At the same time it was noticed that above the line where the 

 starfish were abundant tliere was a thick set of i -year-old oysters. 



