Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-07-25
A FIGHTING OYSTER.
In q Battle With Starfish the Watchful
Bivalve Killed Its Foe.

In Battle With a Starfish the WatchfuI
Bivalve Killed Its Foe.
"To look at an oyster you would never
imagine that there was any fight in it,
would you?' asked an observant fisherman
as he pried open the shell of one of the
bivalves he was talking about. "No one
would think an oyster could and would
fight unless he had been a witness some
time or other of the oysters fighting quail
ties.
Zone of the most exciting contests !
ever saw was between an oyster and one
of tho most deadly enemies Of the oyster
family, and 1 am glad to say that the oys-
ter won the fight. The enemy was a star
fish, and if all of its kind were as fresh
and indiscreet as this one was they
wouldn't be a source of so much dread to
the oyster farmer.
every person who has anything to do
with raising oysters has seen many a bat
tie between them and starfish. These de-
structive enemies of the oyster grow fast,
but seldom attempt to attack the bivalves
before they are months old, and then
their inexperience and overcontidence are
apt to get them in a heap of trouble A
speak, will get the best of an oyster every
time, for it will mount the shell, drill a
holo through it, inject its Supplying liquid
into the oyster and envelope the whole
thing with its capacious and elastic mouth
stomach before the poor shelltish knows
what has happened to it.
"a school of starfish can go through an
oyster farm almost as quickly as Il tornado
ne, wiz, out fnrn n
Starfish are virtually walking stomachs
and 1 have found them stretched over
CLAIMS, shell and all, that were great deal
bigger than the natural dimensions of the
starfish When one of these rapacious
marauders envelops clam or an oyster it
simply turns itself wrong side out and
pulls itself over its victim, as you would
pull on pair of new socks.
"Ihis fight l was speaking about oc-
Cured in shallow water, and had a good
sight of it. / saw the starfish work warily
along over the oyster, and then settle upon
it. The bivalve was on the lookout,
though, and when the starfish was near
enough the oysters shell closed like steel
trap on one of the starfish's five rays and
cut it off as slick as if 1t had been done
with knife A starfish doesn't mind the
the loss of four of its rays and then make
its way off, in short time spreading and
growing the lost members again. But if
the starfsh loses all five of its rays its
doom is sealed. twill die almost imme-
diatcly.
"The oyster had no sooner clipped off
one of its foes legs than it set its trap
again and waited for "a renewal of the at
tack. This was not long in coming. The
starfish dropped itself slowly, with so
much confidence that could almost see it,
and was soon astride the oyster again.
Again the trap flew shut, and the starfsh
rose with but three of its five rays left.
But it was plucky, and with confidence
unimpaired returned for the third round
with the prompt and watchful oyster. The
round was repetition of the other two,
and the starfish was bcreft of another leg.
The persistent enemy of the oyster had APP
parently set its mind on having that par
ticular one and without moments hest
tation turned its crippled body to the
fourth assault.
The oyster was now mad all the way
through and shifted its position, turning
its open shell upward as the starfish drop
ped toward it. This was the last round of
the fight, for the oyster caught both re-
naming rays of the starfsh in the trap
and shipped them off at one bite The
rayless stariish turned over and sank to
Me bottom dead. New York Sun.