NOTES AND QUERIES. 



ASTEROIDEA. 



Common Starfish Attacking Syngnathus acus. — It has already- 

 been recorded in ' The Zoologist ' for April and June, 1915, that the 

 Common Starfish (Asterias rubens) has eaten dead or dying iEquoreal 

 and Broad-nosed Pipe- Fishes of ten and twelve inches in length. A 

 Starfish has since been seen to seize a strong and vigorous Great 

 Pipe-Fish (Syngnathus acus) of eighteen inches in length. The Pipe- 

 Fish, which threw its body into vigorous contortions when it was 

 taken in the hand, was dropped into an aquarium containing two 

 Starfishes, as it was not deemed possible that the latter could or 

 would attack so large and strong an animal. The Pipe-Fish, as it 

 fell through the water, passed a Starfish, which was clinging to the 

 vertical rockwork of the aquarium. When the fish reached the 

 bottom it lay still, perhaps a little fatigued with its four hours 

 journey in a collecting-can from the coast. The Starfish, which was 

 about six inches away, almost immediately began to descend quickly 

 and directly towards the fish, with the slender terminal tube-feet of 

 its foremost rays waving in the water in the manner characteristic of 

 these tube-feet when the Starfish is advancing towards food. When 

 the Starfish reached the Pipe-Fish it moved upon the latter in such 

 a way that it embraced the whole head and fore-part of the fish with 

 two rays. The Pipe-Fish did not move until the Starfish had affixed 

 a number of tube-feet of each ray to its body. The Pipe-Fish then 

 gave several violent jerks, but to the astonishment of myself and 

 another observer it was unable to get free. The two animals were 

 lifted out of the water and separated, the Pipe-Fish being placed in 

 another aquarium. — H. N. Milligan. 



Rate of Locomotion in a Sun-Star. — It seemed desirable to ascer- 

 tain the average rate of locomotion in a small Sun-Star (Solaster 

 papposus), measuring two inches from tip to tip of opposite rays, 

 which has been living in an aquarium for twenty weeks. This was 

 somewhat difficult owing to the fact that the animal did not usually 

 maintain a straight course, but on twenty-three occasions it was 

 found possible to make measurements. It was observed that when 

 it was moving along the side (of slate) or front (glass) of the 

 aquarium with one ray just touching the surface of the water, it 

 would often advance in a straight line, and the majority of the 

 following measurements were made on such occasions. This Sun- 

 Star has a habit of very suddenly reversing the direction of loco- 

 motion, and this has made it possible to determine the times and 

 measurements with accuracy. The records were as follows : — 12 inches 



