Article III. — Zoological Notes. 
51 
The very bright and conspicuous coloration of many indivi- 
duals of this and allied species, making them so easily visible 
to hosts of hungry enemies, offers strong presumptive evi- 
dence that they have some means of protection analagous to 
those of land animals which are conspicuously colored. In 
the latter case, particularly among the insects and certain 
reptiles, conspicuous colors are associated with disagreeable 
or poisonous secretions or juices, and the colors in such cases 
are of the nature of warning or danger signals. It seems 
reasonable to suppose that similar disagreeable or poisonous 
secretions may be associated with the bright colors of our star- 
fishes. Solaster endeca, a brightly colored form, is known to 
be poisonous (see under this species below.) Graeffe (Arb. Z. 
Quest. Wein., iii., pp. 333-344) says that large starfishes have 
a disagreeable smell, which, he thinks, aids in their protection^ 
Whatever may be the reason, it is certain that fishes very 
rarely or never eat them, for they are not found in fishes^ 
stomachs. This is not because they contain little nourish- 
ment, for the much less nourishing Cake-urchins {Echina- 
raclinius), and Ophiurans, [ 02 Aiiopholis) , are often greedily 
taken. It is a strong confirmation of our view as to the colors 
of the starfishes, that the forms mentioned, which are eaten, 
are more or less protectively colored. It must also be taken 
into account that the color of the sexes are different, which 
makes the problem more difficult of solution. 
Forbes (Hist. British Starfishes) suggests that it may be 
an acrid or poisonous secretion which enables the starfish to 
compel bivalves to open their shells. Certainly the valves are 
not broken, and we apparently know as little as Forbes did 
of the starfishes’ method of procedure, and we must repeat his 
remark that the question should be investigated. 
Size. This species in the Bay of Fundy grows to a diam- 
eter of, at least, fifteen or sixteen inches. A. rubens, which 
is probably identical with it, is said to attain twenty inches in 
Europe. The statement in Ingersoll’s “Oyster Industry,” 
(p. 227), that near Eastport they occur more than thirty-three 
inches in diameter, is, of course, an error. 
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