375 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 18, 1860. 
a vast deal of activity. If a Leather Star is plunged into a vessel 
of cold fresh water, it will contract and die; but if not killed in 
this way, or destroyed by means of spirits, it breaks itself to 
pieces. When dying it gives out a brilliant purple colour, which 
imparts a tinge to the water or spirit in which its death takes 
place. The spirit especially will retain the colour for a consider¬ 
able time. 
OPHITTRIDJE, 
This is a large class of Echinodermata, so called from the long 
serpent-like rays which are attached to their round-depressed 
bodies. These rays, or arms, are five in number, and are flexible 
jointed processes placed at irregular distances round the body, 
the sides being furnished with spines and membranous tentacles : 
hence this class is denominated Spinigrade— being destitute of 
the sucking disc by which motion is effected by other groups, 
and in their stead depending on their rays for the means of 
transit. These rays, however, it must be remarked, are very 
different from those of the true Star Eishes (which are integral 
parts of the animals’ organisation). The arms of the Ophiuridse, 
on the other hand, are superadded to the body, and have no 
excavation in them for any continuation of the digestive organs. 
The stomach is a sac with only one aperture, and covered exter¬ 
nally with vibratile cilia. 
Ophiuridse are generally distributed throughout all seas, and 
appear to be materially affected by climate, which seems to 
influence their size, they being largest in the tropical seas. In 
the British waters they are very abundant, and afford the dredger 
much matter of interest from their curious and beautiful varieties. 
They are always regularly radiate, and seldom vary in the number 
of their parts-—with them the number “ five ” is invariable. 
Common Sand Star (Ophiura texturata). 
This creature has a very flat, rough, or scaly disc, surrounded 
by five simple arms bearing very short spines. In the largest 
specimens this disc rarely exceeds nine-tenths of an inch in 
breadth ; and the rays are about three times the length of the 
disc’s breadth, or less than that, although they will sometimes 
attain a larger size. The disc is usually of a reddish colour, 
variegated with a purple brown ; the sides white; and the under 
surface, as well as the spineB, either white or pale yellow. This 
animal may be met with in most parts of the British coast; and 
is supposed, although erroneously, to be the cause of the injurious 
effect sometimes experienced on eating Mussels, which at certain 
periods of the year feed upon it. 
Lesser Sand Star (Ophiura albida). 
This is a commoner species, and is very similar to the common 
Sand Star; differing from it, however, as being thicker and 
smaller in proportion to its arms. When alive, the disc of this 
animal is usually pink, with ten white spots on it; the centre of 
the arms is also pink; the under surface and the spines white; 
the cirrhi and tentacles are tipped with yellow; sometimes the 
spots on the disc are of an orange colour. The Lesser Sand Star 
may be found on all our coasts, chi', fly frequenting Oyster-beds 
and sandy places. It is very common in Dublin Bay, and also 
on the western coast of Ireland. “ When one of these creatures,” 
says Professor Forbes, “ is put into a vessel of salt water, it will 
remain quiet for some time, and then slowly move its arms up 
and down. Should it be placed on its back, that position appears 
to be very disagreeable to it; for it immediately proceeds to 
change it by raising its body to a perpendicular and tumbling 
over. This it effects by bending two or three of its rays into an 
arch, leaving the others straight and spread out.” 
The Grey Brittle Star (Ophiocoma neglectci) 
Is another of the species of the Ophiuridse. This creature may 
be recognised by the whip-like or lizard-tail appearance of its 
rays, and by its restless activity. It seldom remains quiet for a 
single minute, but is perpetually twisting its rays about, and if 
taken hold of will break itself into pieces with extraordinary 
readiness and dispatch—the broken pieces also carrying on the 
work of self-destruction by breaking into smaller fragments; so 
that, if the tourist takes up one of them in a perfect state, he is 
very likely to find in a moment’s time nothing left in his hand 
but the simple disc. This suicidal tendency renders the task of 
preserving them entire for collections a matter of considerable 
difficulty. One mode suggested to accomplish this object is to 
bring them ashore in salt water, where, after a short time, they 
will begin to crawl about and expand themselves. In this state 
they must be removed very cautiously by hand, and plunged 
instantly into a vessel of cold fresh water—whereupon they die 
in a state of the most rigid expansion, and so quickly that the 
most brittle of the species have no time to accomplish the work 
of dismemberment. Leave them in the fresh water for four and 
twenty hours. Then display them on white paper, and dry them 
very slowly before the fire : this is the plan adopted by Dr. 
Johnstone. Professor Forbes suggests another mode, which he 
recommends as saving time and being more convenient to the 
collector. He directs you to drop the Sand or Brittle Star a 3 
soon as possible into fresh water ; let it lie therein for an hour or 
two ; then dip it for a moment in boiling water. It is afterwards 
to be dried in the sun or in a current of air, which will be effected 
in a very short time, and then packed in paper. “ By this simplo 
process,” adds the Professor, “as many specimens as the col¬ 
lector pleases may be dried and put away in a couple of hours.” 
The fresh water, it appears, acts as a poison on the Ophiura: as 
well as on other marine animals—killing them instantaneously. 
The body of the Grey Brittle Star is rarely more than two-tenths 
of an inch in breadth, more often less ; it is flat and circular, 
covered on the upper surface with small smooth scales. The 
rays, which are generally a little more than three times as long as 
the disc is broad, are covered above with scales nearly square, 
and beneath with oblong longitudinal plates. The colour both 
of body and arms is grey. This animal is common to all our 
seas. 
By far the commonest and best known of these creatures,, 
however, is 
The Common Brittle Star (Ophiocoma rosula). 
It is, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful, its resplendent 
colours displayed in every variety of pattern giving it this pre¬ 
eminence. It is very variable in its formation also ; the spines 
on the arms of some specimens being much longer than those of 
others. It differs also in the relative proportions of its body and 
arms, and in the spinousness of its disc. It is, moreover, found 
of a much larger size in some places than in others. The body 
is round and convex, usually covered with long spines, with the 
exception of certain triangular plates placed opposite the in¬ 
sertions of the arms. These are separated from each other by 
rows of spines. You rarely find two specimens coloured alike, 
