The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-01
A COMPLEX CREATURE.
Some of tho RcmerkabIo Traits OF tho
Star1alt.

Some of tho Kcmerltablo Traits OF tho
Starflsli. Z.
"The attack Of starfish upon nm
oyster muy be lilscned to an assault by .
organized conspirators, inasmuch as
each of these fivc-fngercd animals Is
composed of five distinct Individuals
said scientist to a Washington Star
man. Each OF tho starfsh's five arms
has its own mind, nervous, system and
thoughts, such rs they arc, and all five
nerve systems simply meet in the con-
ter where the arms arc joined. Thus it
may bc said that tho mental guidance
of this complex creature and the man
agcmcnt of It's affairs are intrusted to q
board of five members, who have COM
munication with each other, but net,
without the intcrmcdntion of q pre-
siding officer. Now, is il not wonder
full that such quintet should he able
to manage It's affairs SO we'll and with
such agreement of purpose In every
thing9 Surprising that each of the
five individuals attempted to go where
1t listed without giving any heed to the
others, the aL.mnl could not reach q
choice bit of food, espicd from afar
with the eye OF one of its members, nor
travel in any direction with purpose
in view. But as n matter of fact,
proved by observation. when n starfish
is spying for food it lifts the end of Its.
five arms SO that the eye beneath each
extremity may get view of things in
tho ncighborhood, and if any object
worth going after is discovered all tho
many hundreds of sucl1cr-lilc feet
beneath the five arms are seen to push
hnr In, fl,o r.
morscl desired There is unity of in
tention among tho partners that in-
plies Enthusiastically IL conscious sharing
of aim and design. Tho same thing is
shown by the way many starfshcs have
of letting themselves drop from steep
rocks and cliffs in order to save the
trouble Of laborious climbing down. In
such cases, before they rclinquish
their hold and drop, they let go with
three or four arms, holding fast until
tho last moment with the remaining, as
# to calculate the leap.
"My observations on this subject
have inclined Inc to think that matters
of concerted action with starfish have
not infrcqucntly to be effected by first
obtaining the assent of an individual
ray that is willing. 1t is known that
these creatures sometimes divide them
selves voluntarily into three armed
and two-ar1ncd portion, which may
bc regarded as the violent dissolution
OF business and domestic relations once
happy, but grown inh armonious A
starfish will often cast off one of its
arms and leave it behind, perhaps be-
cause the member IS not found agree
able to live with. If rubber band or
string is fastened around IN arm of ono
of these animals and it cannot push tho
annoyance off with its other nrms tho
starfish will throw the troublesome
arm away, not desiring TO retain the
companionship of such n cripple. Star
fish arc like human beings in many
ways Then the animal which has
thus deprived itself of rny grows q
new one In place of the old.
''As for the arm that is droppcd It
promptly proceeds to grow four new
arms, thus becoming 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
i'll the oyster beds destroyed them, as
they thought by cutting them in halves
and throwing them overheard, but tho
process was not very effective, mas
much as everyone thus treated prompt
1y becomes two"