The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-03-19

the Curious Habits q This Most Interest
Ing Animal.

The Curious Mahits ~ This Most Interest
Ing Animal.
No animal il more common on the
sca-coast than the star-fish. andfo this
reason visitors 70 the sca-shorc are very
apt to pass It by. and search for the
more attractive and rare sca-anemones.
But. in doing this. they pass by one Of
the most interesting animals, and one
which has very curious habits. Drop
star-fish into glass filed with sea
water. and watch 1t for few moments.
II 1t happens to drop on its back. one
Of the five arms. which seem SO rigid
when taken from the water, will begin
to bend. scores Of small suckers will
begin to fasten themselves upon the
bottom Of the tank, and soon the star
will be right side up.
He is restless creature when in an
aquarium. and will continually rove
about IN search Of something 10 eat.
He moves about with slow. regular
motion. which nj first seems my>te-
rious. There is no irregular motion.
As in walking. but simply = slow pro-
pulsion along the bottom or up the
sides Of the tank. as II pushed on BY
some continual pressure from behind.
In moment he mounts the perpendic-
ular side. and. through the transparent
glass. we have an opportunity TO see
how he moves. In the center Of each
arm there is depression. and in each
depression there are several rows OF
pure white suckers. extending from
| the base 70 the tip Of the arm. These
| are his locomotive organs, and well do
| they serve the purpose. There are
| hundreds Of them. elastic yet mnscu-
! lar. all working ut the same time TO
| propcl the creature along. One loosens
| It's hold, stretches itself out and
| takes another hold an eighth OF an
| inch further up. Others follow. and
| the creature moves. 1t Is held firmly.
| vet nj the same time Is continually
| moving.
| How can these countless hundreds
| Of little feet all be worked by one
| small being so low in the animal king
! dom? To do this the creature has n
| most wonderful arrangement not I'M
| like system Of water works. There
| is tank. which he has always filed
with water pure and clear. and
strained from all foreign particles IN
! its passage through the brightly col
orcd sieve-likc maircpore plate. From
this tank there are five tubes. each
leading into one Of the arms, and from
these main tubes countless numbers o.
small ones branch off 10 form the suck
ers. BY filling or drawing of ths
water the suckers are detached, OF
made 20 cling TO a surface IN manner
very like a boys leather sucker.
Hut see. il Is approaching MUSE
that il hanging BY its finely woven
byssus To the side II the tank. Can i
have designs upon this shcll-hsh
Straight toward 1t the star moves; !
ncars the mussel; the forward sucker
touches the shell; the star hesitates
moment. than moves on faster than be
fore. One arm has passed over thu
mussel. aud the mouth Of the star-iisi
Is lust over the center Of the shell
Surely it can do no harm TO this well
defended shell-fish- Its mouth Is q
small that il can not swallow the mus
sci, and surely it can not bore into thu
hard shell.
| The star-fish has stopped, the iiv,
arms are curled around the mussel
and il j. held in strong embrace W.
watch the star-fish with renewed inter
est but all VIE see il the same motion
less attitude. no change in position
nothing to indicate change. The sta
seems satisfied to remain as II Is. a.
Mt rest. Soon thin membrane cncir
cles the mussel, but nothing further
seen We revisit the aquarium At IN
end u an hour. and the star Is in tn
same position; at the end Of two hour
there * no change. but In three hour
| We return to see the sfar-iish nestled !
. the darkest corner Of the aquarium
while the unfortunate musscl hangs
, its old position, quite dead. the she
, gaping open. and numerous ilttI
shrimp feeding OF the half-digestc
, PARTS left BY the destructive star-fish.
What has been done? Simply Thu
/ the star-fish. unable 70 take the she
, into it, stomach. has accommodate
|. itself to circumstances, and cxtcndc
/ ia stomach out Of It's mouth, and d
. gcsted the shcll-ish with its stomac
|. entirely outside Of its body. In tn
) silent manner hordcs Of star-hsh y
: wade oyster beds, and in a single nigl
4 DESTROY thousands. The oystermeI
recognizing their destructive powe
formerly had the stupid habit Of Gu
. ting every star-fish that they caug
y into three or four pieces and returnir
!, them TO the water. not knowing tn
. each piece had the power Of rcprodu
. ing itself. and that, for each star tn
: torn into three or four pieces, two
> three new individuals were formed.