IN FEATHERS AND FUR. 275 
joints have been counted in a single head. These joints — turned 
to stone — are often found cast up on the sea shore, and in old 
times, when people were very superstitious they used to be col- 
lected and strung, to be used as Rosaries. They were called St. 
Cuthbert's beads, and were said to be made by an imaginary Saint 
of that name, for that particular purpose. 
There are not so many varieties of the family to be found now, 
as used to live in past ages, but there are still several kinds occa- 
sionally brought up by the dredge — for they generally live in the 
deep sea — and can be caught in no other way. One that is some- 
times found, is a pretty little thing, not quite an inch long, with a 
stem the size of a piece of thread. While another is a few feet 
high and has a stem the size of a drawing pencil. 
Those that lived ages ago, were often ten or twelve feet high, 
and the stem an inch through. 
The whole family of these beauties is said to do the duty of 
scavengers in the ocean, destroying vast quantities of substances 
that would, but for them and others in the same business, infest 
the sea, and kill all the fish. 
On the next page is a picture of another relation of the pretty 
Stone Lily. It is a Star Fish, and he belongs to a curious and 
beautiful race. It is the only animal who is known to commit 
suicide. Let him but suppose that he is going to be caught, or 
taken from his beloved sea water, and he will throw off his arms, 
and fall into a dozen pieces before your eyes. 
The picture is of the common Star Fish, but there are many 
kinds, some of them having long feathery looking arms, and being 
very beautiful creatures indeed. This one, however, though not 
particularly pretty, is a very curious creature. It is curious to see 
it walk along the sand, which it does with the aid of a great 
number of tiny feet which it has. It not only walks easily, but 
sometimes it stands on the tips of its arms, with its body held up, 
and looking like a five-legged stool. 
Star Fishes live on mollusks and are especially fond of oysters. 
But oysters don't care to be eaten, and when a hungry Star Fish 
tries to eat them, they shut up their shells and defy him. He is 
not easily discouraged, and if he cant get the oyster into his stom- 
ach, he goes to work to get his stomach around the oyster. Some- 
times indeed, he swallows the oyster whole, shell and all, and after 
dissolving out the oyster he throws out the shell. There is a 
