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THE STARFISH FAMILY 
In former times the fishermen used to break starfish to 
pieces on the side of the boat and throw them back into the 
water. It is now known that by so doing they were but 
increasing the number of starfish, for starfish have the 
power to re-grow the parts broken off. Each complete arm 
could reproduce an entire starfish. This power to restore 
lost parts is known as regeneration (re-jen-er-a/shun). Many 
of the lower animals have this power to a marked degree, 
and all animals have it to some degree. 
SUMMARY 
The starfish group of animals is known by the presence 
of spines in the skin and a radial arrangement of the organs. 
Their chief economic relation to man consists in their great 
destructiveness to oyster and clam beds. 
QUESTIONS 
Why are starfish so called? How can they be distinguished from 
other animals ? How do they move ? Where do they live ? On what 
do they feed? How do they secure oxygen? 
REFERENCES 
Brooks, The Oyster. 
Osborne, Economic Zoology, Chapter VIII. 
Poulton, All About the Oyster. 
