122 
Of Fijhes. 
Part I. 
marina levior. It was font from the Eafl-Indies. I find it 
not defcribed. When alive, it is of a flefh-colour. It hath 
five Arms or Rays, each an inch broad, and proportion- 
ably very long, fc. above five inches; the Trunk being 
not above an inch and I Diameter. The upper or convex 
fide is wrought all over with very little lenticular knobs, 
almoft like a Chameleons Skin; with fmall Concavities 
interjected, like tliofe in Poppy-feed. Underneath, each 
Arm is furrow’d, the Margins of the Furrows being fet with 
a kind of curious Fring. The Margins of the Arms wrought 
with Lenticular eminencies fet in a ftraight Row, and 
befprinkled as it- were with little Century-feed. 
All Stars have their Mouths in the middle underneath, 
as the Sea-Urchin. They feed upon Shcll-fifh. And teem, 
faith Rondeletius, to have no other paffage for their Excre¬ 
ments, but their Mouths. Whereof I much doubt. They 
take the Prey, as the Polypus , and fwim very fwiftly, by 
flretchmg out or contracting their Arms at their plea- 
fure. 
The BRANCHED STAR-FISH. Stella marina arboref- 
cens. A rare kind. It was taken in the Bay of Maftachufet in 
New-England. See the Defcnfption hereof in Rondeletius , 
and out of him in Wormius. As alfo in the Philofophical 
(a) Num.57. Tranf. ( a) under the Title of Pifcis Echinoftellaris Vifci- • 
for mis. Before I had perufed thefe, I had drawn up a 
Defcription of my own, which I will take leave to fubjoyn. 
It is above a foot Diametre. The Mouth, in the middle, is 
divided into fveLips. The figure both of this and of the 
Trunk or Body is pentangular. The Diametre of the 
Trunk almoft three inches. The lides grow thin from the 
Mouth to their Edges, which are fo many exact Hyper¬ 
bola’s. 
From the five Corners of the Trunk, as man) Branches 
being produced, are prefently each divided into two others, 
about an inch in compafs 5 round, but by a double Row 
of little knobs, feeming to be fquare. Each of thefe, are 
again fubdivided into lefter and lefier Branches. The laft 
whereof, are fcarce thicker than a Horfe-Hair. In number, 
by a moderate eftimate, above aThoufand. 
As he fwims, he fpreads and ftretches out all his Branches 
to their full length 5 but fo foon as he perceives the Prey 
within 
