The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-10
A SINGULAR FISH.
Some Striking Peculiarities OF fine
Starflsh.
1t Has the Power OF Dividing Into scc.
lions and Each Part VIII Begin
New Existence On Its Own
Account,

The attack Of starfish upon nm ovs
ter may be lilkcncd to an assault bv or
ganized conspirators, inasmuch ms
each of these fivc-fngercd animals is
composed of five distinct individuals.
says the Washington Star Each of the
starfishs five arms has its own mind,
nervous system and thoughts, such ms
they are, and all five nerve systems sim
ply meet in the center, where the arms
are joined. Thus it may be said that
the mental guidance of this complex
creature and the management of it's af-
fairs are intrusted to u board of five
members, who have communication
with each other, but act without the in
fermentation of presiding officer.
Now, is it not wonderful that such n
quintet should be able to manage it's
affairs so we'll and with such agreement
OF purpose in everything? Surprising
that each of the five individuals at
tempted to go where it listed without
giving any heed to the others, the ami
NAL could not reach choice bit of food
espied from afar with the eye of one of
its members, nor travel in any direction
with purpose in view.
But, us u matter of fact proved by OBJ
servation, when starfsh is Spying
after food it lifts the ends of it's five
arms SO that the eye beneath each OK
tremity may get view of things in the
ncighborhood, and if any object worth
going after is discovered all the many
hundreds of sucker-lille feet between
the five arms are seen to push out to-
gether in the direction of the morsel
desired.
There is n unit of intention among
the partners that implies Enthusiastically
a notwithstanding aim and design.
The same thing is shown by the way
many starfshes have of letting them
selves drop from steep rocks and cliffs,
in order to save the trouble of laborious
climbing down. In such cases, before
they relinquish their hold and drop,
they let go with three or four arms,
holding fast until the last moment
with the remaining, as if to calculate
the leap.
My observations on this subject have
inclined me to think that matters ofcon-
certed action with starfish have not in
frequently to be affected by first OBJ
tanning the assent of an individual raw
that is willing. 1t is known that these
creatures sometimes divide themselves
voluntarily into three-armed and two
armed portion, which may be regarded
as the violent dissolution of business
and domestic relations once happy, but
grown inharmonious. A starfish will
often cast off one of its arms and leave
it behind, perhaps because the member
is not found agreeable to live with.
IT rubber band or string is fas-
tened around an arm of one of these
animals and it can not push the annoy
ance off with its other arm, the starfish
will throw the troublesome arm away.
not desiring to retain the companion
ship OF such cripple. Starfsh are
like human beings in many ways. Then
the animal, which has thus deprived it.
self of a ray, grows new one in place
of the old
AS for the arm that is dropped it
promptly proceeds TO grow four new
arms, thus becoming n whole starfish
itself. Being the biggest it is pre-
sumably for long time the boss of the
five, which must be gratifying A few
years ago people who caught starfish in
the oyster beds destroyed them, as they
thought, by cutting them in halves and
throwing them overheard, but the proc
ess was not very effective, inasmuch as
every one thus treated promptly be-
came two.