The Lamar register., 1891-12-26
AN EXCITING CONTEST,
A FIGHT BETWEEN AN oYsrEe
AN A STAR-FISH.
The Piueky Bivaivs Won the Bastl. bx
Clever Tricx-Many Exhibi.
tons OF the Oysters Fight
Ing Qualities.

10 look at an oyster you would
never imagine that there wos
any light In it would oup''
asked the observant fisherman n,
tho New York Sun reporter "No
one would unless he had been n wit
ness some time to tho oysters aob,,pg
qualities. One of the most exciting
contests ever saw was between an
oyster and one of It's most deadly enc.
niies and l am glad to say that the
oyster won the fight Tho enemy was
u star-tsh, and IL all of its kind wore
us fresh and indisoreet as this one wa.
tcey would not be such a source N,
trrad to the oyster farmer.
Every person who has had any,
thing to do with raising oysters has
seen many battle between them and
the star-hsh- These destructive ene-
miles oil the oyster grow last but sell
ooln attempt TO attack the bivalves
before they are six months old. and
then their incSperience geis them into
heap of trouble with the oysters A
star-iish that has cut its eye teeth so
TO speak. win get the best OF an ovs-
ter every time for it will mount the
she'll drill a hole through IL inject lis
supplying liquid into tho oyster. and
envelop the whole thing with lis ca
paeiols and elastic mouth-siomach be-
fore the poor shell-hsh knows what
has happened. a school Of star-dsh
can go through an oyster farm almost
as quickly as "a tornado can wipe out n
wheat farm in Dakota They are
virtually siomAchS and | have found
them stretched over clans. shells and
all that we're n great deal bigger than
tho star-fish in their natural dIuen-
siona When II euycIOps clam or an
oyster tho star tish simply turns itself
wrong side cat and pulls itself over
the object as you would pail on rair
o. new stockings.
- he night I was speaking about
occurred In shallow watcr and 7 mad
good sight OF L. saw the star-hsh
working warly along over the oyster.
and then settle slowly down upon Il
The bl'alyo was on the lookout how
ever and when tho siar-Gsh was near
enough the oysters shell closed Ike
stpcl trap on one OF the star-hsh's FIVE
rays aad cut IL OF As slick as II II had
been done by n knife A siar-fsh
doesn't mind the loss OF a ray or two
In fact tt cau stand the loss of four
o. iis rayN aud then go OF and in
short time sprout and grow the lost
members agalu. But IL the fish losses
all ave Of il rays it. doom Is sealed.
IL vii! die almost Immediately.
d. I.g
ono OF Its fore legs than it set its
rap again and awaited n renewal o.
tho attack which was not long Ia
coming. The star-hsh dropped itself
slowly. aud win a confidence that l
could almost see and was soon as,rlde
Of the oyster again. Again tho trap
fev shut and tho stRr-ash arose with
only three OF his Eve rays left But
the stAr-dsh was plucky. and returned
Tor the third round with tho confidence
apparently not the leas. Impaired.
The ruGnd was the repetition Of the
other two and tho star-iish was bercit
OF another leg. The persistent enemy
Of the oyster had apparently set his
mind 90 having that particular bi-
Talve and without a moments hesi-
tAtion turned his crippled body 10 the
assault The oyster was mad all the
way through. and shifted Its position.
turned IT, open shell upward rs tho
s:tr,Hsh dropped down toward him.
This was the last round Of the battle,
Tor the oyster caught both remaining
rays OF tho s,ar-hsh in the trap and
shipped them OF at one bite The
-avl0ss s,a--Fzh tfirnel ovsr and sank
20 the bottom dead