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The Sea-Cucumber
the coast of New England, but attain a larger size in the Bay of Fundy and on the Banks of Newfoundland. On the leaves them high and dry upon the land. mud flats of the Florida reefs they are A great number of species are known as sometimes seen more than a foot long distributed in every sea, and more generand three or four inches in circumference. ally in the tropical waters. The Asterias Where collected for food, the taking and proper, when arrived at an adult age, preparation of the Trepang employ a move with tolerable rapidity, either swimgreat many Chinese, Malays and Polyne- ming or crawling. sians.
Hungry Creatures.
The best are found on reefs of mixed The Radiata feed on dead or living anicoral and sand in the Feejee groups in mal substances; they are very voracious; one or two fathoms of water, and are their prey has sometimes been found obtained by diving. They are boiled in whole and undigested in the stomach. their own liquid, then dried on stages in They frequently banquet upon mollusks. heated houses, and meet with a ready In the spring, and at the beginning of sale at high prices in the Chinese markets summer, their ovaries swell considerably; as an ingredient for rich soups. they deposit their spawn in suitable localities, and especially upon sandy shores Curious Star-fishes.
The species of Star-fishes common on exposed to the solar rays; it is this spawn, our coasts has the form conventionally we are told, which renders mussels dangergiven to the celestial stars upon banners ous as food at a certain season of the and in heraldic designs. The rays, which year. Onshores where they are very are commonly but erroneously taken for abundant, the country people collect them claws, and which really form a part of the to manure the ground; it is the only animal's body, are generally five in num- advantage which man can derive from ber, united very symmetrically round a them. central disk. In some species the rays are The most remarkable feature in the greatly multiplied, and amount to as many organization of the Asterias is their power as thirty and upwards. They then become of reproduction. One, two, three of their looser, more elongated, and more flexible, rays may be crushed without endangering giving the animal the appearance of a not only their existence, but even the hairy root. integrity of the individual. Provided The upper part of the body is covered that but one remains attached to the cenwith a hard, thick skin, wrinkled, and of tral disk, these losses are easily repaired. a reddish color. The lower part is whitish, It seems that in certain cases the shedding and when the animal is alive, you may and renewal of the rays are spontaneous. see there, moving to and fro like worms, This marvellous faculty would seem to its innumerable tentacles. Its mouth is indicate, among the Asteriæ, a very intense in the centre. Ehrenberg is inclined to vitality. One cause of death, however, believe it also possesses an organ of vision. they cannot withstand for many hours; The Sea-stars, often very small, and namely, banishment from the sea. Left more rarely of medium size, are all, as by the ebb upon the shore, they cannot their name indicates, inhabitants of the live. Even in the captivity of the aquaria ocean-waters, and are found at various they sicken and die, either for want of depths; but many among them belong to prey, or because they miss the movement the shore, and the tide at its ebb frequently of the incessantly renewed waters. A common species, found on the coasts of New England, and generally called 66 Five-fingered Jack," are but walking stomachs; their office in the economy of Nature being to devour all kinds of garbage which would otherwise accumulate on the shores. They eat also living crustaceans, mollusks, and even small fish, and are believed to be very destructive to oysters.
They are not used as food.
The common Star-fish of the North American coast is considered to be the same as the European species. The colors vary from reddish to yellowish, and the diameter from
