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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
ment. The star-fish iu two neighboring- parts of the bay, namely, Mount Hope Bay 
and Kickemuit River, do not seem to migrate back and forth, for those caught in 
Kickemuit River, during the past two years at least, were for the most part small, 
rarely measuring more than 3 inches from center of disk to tip of arm, yet about a 
mile from the mouth of this river there have been great quantities of very large stars 
with arms 4 inches long or more. In Barrington River there seems to be a great 
preponderance of small stars, about 24 inches (arm) or less, of a reddish-brown color 
and thus distinguishable from the average star fish caught in the vicinity of Rayatt. 
After the great freshet in the spring of 1888 nearly all of the star-fish in the Kickemuit 
River perished, Mr. Bourne tells me, and were not again troublesome for three or four 
years. 
These facts, though not conclusive, lead to the conjecture that natural barriers to 
the migrations of star fishes exist in our bay. Some of these may be, depth of water, 
density of water, or a strip of barren bottom. If the conjecture is correct, that the 
migrations of the star-fish are confined to comparatively limited areas, the prospect 
of diminishing their numbers by a systematized effort is encouraging. 
Y. What animals are devoured by the star-fish for food? If the young starfish feed 
habitually upon certain animals , it is possible that the destruction of the latter will cause 
the former to perish. 
Star-fish, especially when young, are exceedingly voracious feeders, prey upon 
oysters, clams, mussels, barnacles, various kinds of sea-snails (including oyster-drills), 
worms, and small Crustacea, and, if slightly pressed by hunger, turn cannibals and prey 
upon smaller star-fish. From its depredations upon the oyster-beds of -New England 
the star-fish has become notorious. Collins (Rotes on Oyster Fishery of Connecticut) 
estimates that in 1888 the damage done to the beds in the Connecticut waters alone 
was $631,500, although 42,000 bushels of stars were taken from the beds that year. 
It was found during the summer of 1898 that the star-fish in Mount Hope Bay 
and in the vicinity of Rayatt were feeding in great numbers upon a little bivalve which 
closely resembles a young quahog, but which is an adult mollusk of another species 
( Mulinia lateralis). Fig. 1 represents a large specimen, natural size. The Fish Rawlt 
recently found these animals exceedingly abundant in certain parts of the bay. 
Mussels are a favorite food of the stars, and doubtless many thousand bushels 
of mussels are devoured by them every season. Indeed, some of the mussel beds have 
disappeared within the last few years, having been destroyed, probably, by the stars. 
Unlike the oyster beds, the mussel-beds are not protected from the onslaughts of the 
stars, and we can appreciate the extent of the damage to the mussel, if we imagine 
the condition of a bed of small oysters unprotected from star-fish for a single season. 
In rearing the young stars for the purpose of studying their rate of growth, etc., 
I found them to be very fond of small clams and barnacles, as well as of young oysters. 
A more detailed reference to the damage done to young clams by the star-fish will be 
found on p. 215. I have caught stars in the act of devouring oyster-drills, and believe 
it probable, therefore, that the drills, which are a serious menace to the oysters in some 
localities where the star -fish are rare, are to some extent held in check by the stars. 
VI. What is the method of feeding? 
The mouth of the star fish is in the center of the disk on the lower side of the 
body. Comparatively small pieces of food are taken into the stomach, and the refuse 
ejected again through the mouth. But, since the mouth is small (about J inch in a 
