OYSTER “CULTURE, 201 
place themselves over whatever they mean to feed upon, 
as a cockle-shell, for instance, the back gradually rising as 
they arch themselves above it; they then turn the digest- 
ive sac, or stomach, inside out, so as to enclose their prey 
completely, and proceed leisurely to suck out the animal 
from its shell.” 
When nothing more within the shell remains to be 
eaten, the stomach is turned back again, and, gifted with 
a constant and insatiable appetite, the Starfish is ready 
to recommence its filthy feeding upon the first oyster 
within its reach. The countless suckers on the under- 
side of this animal are used only for locomotion, just as 
the fly walks upon the ceiling by means of a similar con- 
trivance on the feet. The general belief that the Starfish 
takes its nourishment in some mysterious way by means 
of these suckers is consequently an erroneous one, as 
they have no openings at the ends, and do not connect in 
any way with the stomach. 
The Drill is a troublesome and destructive intruder 
upon the oyster-bed, the more so that, from its small size 
and rapid multiplication, it is difficult to eradicate from 
a locality when it has once colonized in force. Whole 
are sometimes taken up and transplanted, to avoid 
this detestable little thief. A slightly different species of 
the Drill forms no small item of cheap food for the French 
peasants. They call it the Bigorneau (Murex tarentinus), 
and, when boiled, the meat is picked out with a large nee- 
dle. Its flavor is excellent, though it is repulsive in ap- 
pearance, being of a dark green color, and having a de- 
cided spiral tail, which renders it anything but inviting 
to a person about to eat it for the first time. 
The Drill has a dark, ridgy, conical shell, about an inch 
long, and by the help of a broad, flat, fleshy foot, with 
AMERICAN NAT., VOL. L 26 
