Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1886-08-23
ENEMIES OF THE OYSTER.
AAW the Startisii and other Pests
Destroy tho Bivalves.

Two oystormea were sitting on the
end of the wharf Mt the foot of Spruce
street. around which were anchored
dozen OF more oyster boats.
'Did you ever see star tackle an
| oyster" asked the older man of the
younger, who evidently didn't under
stand the question, for he replied:
mo. can't say as ever did"
well then, you've missed some
thing. They IRE the most destructive
creatures you ever put eyes ON
The reporter, who only caught this
scrap of the conversation, paid visit
to Thomas p. Covington, an old oys-
ter dealer, who explained fully the
willy, wicked ways of the star"
The term ''star" is only one of the
nicknames given kind of star fish,
one of the oysters most deadly one
mics. Mr.. Covington furnished des-
cription of the star fish.
From the central disk of small di-
mansions radiate five pointed arms,
very strong and tough. In the center
OF the under side of the disk is the
opening for the mouth, which contains
no teeth, lut is surrounded by an elias
tic tube and guarded by the edges of
the armor plates which hem it in.
From the center run five burrows, one
down each of the arms. The stomach,
which itself is not very large, has five
anneXes CT pouches extending down
each arm. -'..''t. . .f.s.
This large internal capacity explains
the gluttony of which the star fish is
capable on occasions. The destruct-
lveness of these voracous pests has
been long recognized alike by natural
lists and fishermen, and many wears
ago the English Admiralty Court laid
! penalties on oyster fishers who did not
I destroy all the star fish they drew up,
"because that fish gets into the oysters
when they gap and sucks them out"
Inc idea that the "star secures his
meal OF oysters by strategy still pre-
walls among those oystermen who have
| little knowledge of natural history.
One of these latter thus describes the
mode of the stars" attack.
Crawling around on the bottom the
star accidentally gets foul of a bed of
oysters. He don't know what they are
mebbe, layin' in their shells all a-gap-
in open like oysters does. He pokes
about till he accidentally gets the end
of one of his arms into an open shell
| and the oyster closes on him. You see
he cant get away, but the oyster can't
| live long with his shell open, and in a
few hours he is dead. Then he lets up
and the star makes a square meal
often him right on the spot-takes him
on the half shell in his own gravy"
A similar theory is useful in attempt
ing to explain the numb ers of STARS"
found with an arm missing. The star,
according TO this theory, inserts a
tentacle into the open shell for the pur-
pose of whipping out the oyster.
Sometimes he succeeds on the first
trial, but sometimes the provcrbially
dumb oyster is too quick for the STAR
and shuts down on him. If the ..star"
Is not too hungry he waits until the
oyster relaxes. But all stars" are
not so patient and prudent, and very
often the luckiess robber gets mad
and, tearing off the imprisoned arm,
gains freedom ut the cost of amputa-
ton.
Modern science and observation have
proven, however, that the "star" is
not so great fool as his enemies
would make him appear to be. The
true version of the story says that
when the "Star" concludes 10 have
oysters, scol.opS, or other mollusks
for dinner he goes about getting
them IN very different way. Han ing
met his destined v,ctim, he treacher-
ously embraces him, ding all five
arms about the unhappy victim of his
deadly cares es. Protruding the
strong muscu ar ring ABOUT The mouth
OF the stomach through Che mouth, he
seizes the newly grown edge of the
shell. called the nib or "bill," and
breaks It Of n bits till an entrance is
made. The bur-:larious star forces
into the opening thus made the disten-
sible mouth of the stomach and seizes
upon tie body of the oyster within
which he at once begins to draw into
his stomach. As the process goes ON
the stars stomach is pushed farther
and farther into the shell of the oyster,
until, if the oyster is especially large,
the auxiliary pouches are brought into
requisit.on, aud by the time the large
oyster is consumed, the star has prac-
hcally turned himself inside out
These pests have been dredged up
while engaged at dinner, with the
stomach hanging out half The length of
one OF the arms. Ii put into bucket
OF salt water he will gradually resume
his normal condition, but if used with
any violence he will throw away his
dinner and draw in his stomach in
stantly. An illustration of the destruc-
tive powers of large numbers of .'stars"
is given in an invasion of Providence
river, Rhode Island. in the latter part
of the summer of 1853.
They came in great schools and to-
tally DESTROYED nearly all the beds of
the river, occasioniug loss of nearly
$3.50, 900 to the planters. They re-
manned until winter, when heavy fall |
of snow and rain so freshened the |
water as to kill them all, but the beds |
destroyed were not replanted for years
after this dire visitation. Another in |
sidious foe of the oyster is the 'drill'' |
or "borer," molluSk eouipped with a |