214 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
in numbers, for they are bright and conspicuous objects for the small fishes; yet they 
are exceedingly numerous for a long time. In order to obtain a definite expression of 
their abundance, I scooped up a large handful of the Huffy seaweed, which, together 
with the water, filled about two-thirds of a paper pail, and from this 603 young stars 
were taken. The average size was about that in fig. 9. A cart load of seaweed taken 
out at this time would have destroyed millions of star-fish. 
By the 1st 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, rockweed, 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 Botrylus, 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 star-fislies, such as live upon the eelgrass, are remarkably 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, like fig. 3, to Providence for further 
examination. They were in a glass 1-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 September 5, it 
contained still a few live stars, which were, however, 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 star fishes, 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 can not 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 10 I made a special search 
for young stars on the sea-weed, 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 star fish were abundant there was a thick set of 
1-year old oysters, while below it the oysters were absent. The oysters set some- 
what later in the season than the star-fish, and the latter, therefore, are ready to prey 
upon tlie young oysters as soon as they appear. When, in addition to these facts, we 
take into account the extraordinary voracity of the young star-fish, their immense 
numbers, and their special fondness for oysters, we are led to conclude that one reason 
why a considerable set of oysters is so rarely obtained below low water is that they 
fall prey to the star-fish. The oysters which set above high water are comparatively 
safe, for when the tide leaves them uncovered they can endure for hours the direct 
heat of the sun, which would kill the young star-fish in a few minutes. 
While the star-fish are living upon the eelgrass and seaweed they are supplied 
with an abundance of food in the form of the young of marine worms, snails, and other 
animals, which, like the stars themselves, swim freely in the sea for a time, and then 
settle down upon any object with which they happen to come in contact. Throughout 
July the water at Kickemuit was teeming with minute free-swimming creatures, and iu 
the aquarium the growth of the youngest stars could be greatly accelerated by feeding 
