Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-04-01
THE STAR-FISH.
The Curious Habits of This Most Interest
ing Animal.

The Curious Habits of This Most Interest
ing Animal.
No animal is more common on the
sea-coast than the star-fSh. aEdfor this
reason visitors to the sea-shore are very
apt to pass it by. and search for the
more attractive and rare sea-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 filled with sea
water, and watch it for a few moments.
If it 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 a restless creature when in an
aquarium, and will continually rove
about III search of something to eat.
He moves about with Il slow, regular
motion, which at first seems mystic
rious. There is no irregular motion,
as in walking, but simply a slow pro-
pulsion along the bottom or up the
sides of the tank, as if pushed on by
some continual pressure from behind.
In moment he mounts the perpenGic-
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 to the tip of the arm. These
are his locomotive organs, and well do
they serve the purpose. There are
hundreds of them, elastic yet muscu-
lar, all working at the same time to
propel the creature along. One loosens
its 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,
yet at 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 q
most wonderful arrangement not un-
like system of water works. There
is a tank, which he has always filled
with water pure and clear, and
strained from all foreign particles in
its passage through the brightly col
ored sieve-like madrepore plate. From
this tank there are five tubes, each
leading into one of the arms, and from
these main tubes countless numbers OF
small ones branch off to form the suck
ers. BY filling or drawing off the
water the suckers are detached, or
made to cling to q surface in a manner
very like a boys leather sucker.
But see. it is approaching Il mussel
that is hanging by its finely woven
byssus to the side of the tank. Can it
have designs upon this shell-iish9
Straight toward it the star moves: it
nears the mussel; the forward sucker
touches the shell; the star hesitates a
moment, than moves on faster than be-
fore. One arm has passed over the
nlussel, and the mouth of the star-ish
is Just over the center of the shell.
Surely it can do no harm to this we'll
defended Shell-fish. It's mouth is so
small that it can not swallow the mus
sci, and surely ii can not bore into the
hard shell.
The star-fsh has stopped, the five
arms are curled around the mussel.
and it Is held in a strong embrace. We
watch the star-iish with renewed inter-
est, but all we see is the same motion
less attitude. no change in position,
nothing TO indicate change. The star
seems satisfied TO remain as it is. as if
ut rest. Soon thin membrane encir-
cles the mussel, but nothing further is
seen. We revisit the aquarium at the
end of an hour. and the star is in the
same position; at the end of two hours
there is no change; but in three hours
we return to see the star-iiSh nestled in
the darkest corner of the aquarium.
while the unfortunate mussel hangs in
its old position, quite dead, the shell
gaping open, and numerous little
shrimp feeding on the half-digested
parts left by the destructive star-fiSh.
What has been done? Simply this:
the star-iish. unable to take the she'll
into its stomach. has accommodated
itself to circumstances, and extended
Its stomach out of its mouth, and di-
gested the shell-fish with its stomach
entirely outside of its body. In this
silent manner hordes of star-fish in
wade oyster beds. and in single night
destroy thousands The oystermen.
recognizing their destructive power.
formerly had the stupid habit of cut
ting every star-tish that they caught
into three or four pieces and returning
them to the water. not knowing that
each piece had the power of reproduc-
ing Itself. and that, for each star thus
torn into three or four pieces. two or
three new individuals were formed
RaiDh S. ICrr, in CoRJregGti0ualiJ