The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-03
A FIGHTING OYSTER.
In a Battle With StarfiSh the Watchfui
Bivalve Killed Its Foe.

In a Battle With a Starflsh 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 pricd 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 tho oysters fighting quail
ties.
lone of the most exciting contests |
ever saw was between an oyster and one
Of tho most deadly enemies of the oyster
family, and am glad to say that the oys-
ter won the fight. The enemy was star
fish, and if all of its kind were as fresh
and indiscreet as this one was they
wouldn't be source of so much dread to
the oyster farmer.
EVERY person who has anything to do
with raising oysters has seen many bat
tie between them and starfish. These de-
structive enemies of the oyster grow fast,
but seldom attempt to attack the bivalves
before thoy are months old, and then
their inexperience and overconfdence arc
apt to get them in heap Of trouble. A
starflsh that has cut it's eyeteeth, SO to
speak, will get the best of an oyster every
time for 1t will mount the shell, drill
hole through it. inject its Supplying liquid
into the oyster and envelope the whole
thing with its capacious and elastic mouth
stomach before the poor shellhsh knows
what has happened to it.
"A school of starfsh can go through an
oyster farm almost as quickly as tornado
can wipe out wheat farm in Dakota.
Starish are virtually walking stomachs,
and 1 have found them stretched over
clans, 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 1T
simply turns itself wrong side out and
pulls itself over its victim, as you would
pull on pair Of new socks.
"This fight 1 was speaking about &C.
CURED in shallow water, and had good
sight of it, saw the stsrfsh work warily
along over the oyster, and then settle upon
it, The bivalve was on the lookout,
though and when the starfsh was near
enough the oysters shell closed like steel
trap on one of the starfsh's FIVE rays and
cut it off as slick as if it had been done
with a knife. A starhsh doesn't mind the
loss of a ray or two-in fact, 1t can stand
the loss of four of its rays and then make
its way of, in short time spreading and
growing tho lost members again. But if
the starfish loses all five of its rays Its
doom is sealed. 1t will die almost imme-
diately.
1.-THE oyster had no sooner clipped OIL
one of it's foes legs than it set its trap
again and waited for renewal of the at
tack. This was not long in coming. The
startish 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 starfish
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 a repetition Of the other two,
and the starash was bereft Of another leg.
The persistent enemy Of the oyster had ap-
parently set its mind on having that par
ticular one, and without moments hosi'
tation turned its crippled body to the
fourth assault.
1.-THE oyster was now mad all tho 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
manning rays of the starGsh in the traI
and shipped them off at one bite. Th'
rayless starGsh turned over and sank tt
the bottom dead. New York Sun.