File:Little folks in feathers and fur, and others in neither (1875) (14597586778).jpg

Identifier: littlefolksinfea00mill (find matches)
Title: Little folks in feathers and fur, and others in neither
Year: 1875 (1870s)
Authors: (Miller, Harriet (Mann) Mrs.), 1831- (from old catalog)
Subjects: Zoology
Publisher: Hartford, Conn., Dustin, Gilman & co. Cincinnati, Ohio, Queen city publishing co. (etc., etc.)
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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h the aid of a greatnumber of tiny feet which it has. It not only walks easily, butsometimes it stands on the tips of its arms, with its body held up,and looking like a five-legged stool. Star Fishes live on mollusks and are especially fond of oysters.But oysters dont care to be eaten, and when a hungry Star Fishtries to eat them, they shut up their shells and defy him. He isnot easily discouraged, and if he cant get the oyster into his stom-ach, he goes to work to get his stomach around the oyster. Some-times indeed, he swallows the oyster whole, shell and all, and afterdissolving out the oyster he throws out the shell. There is a 276 LITTLE FOLKS specimen in the British Museum, of an unhappy Star Fish whowas unable to get rid of the shell he had thus swallowed, and thereit sticks to this day. But to tell how he gets his stomach around his prey. He firstlays himself down on his victim, and folding his five arms aroundit, he holds it firmly in place. He then begins to push out his own
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stomach through his mouth, and wraps it around the unfortunateoyster. Whether some fluid of the stomach makes the shell open,or exactly how it is done, is not known, but the result is the deathof the oyster and a dinner for Mr. Star Fish. Some naturalists say that the Star Fish has eyes at the end ofhis arms, while others do not agree to it. But they all agree as tothe wonderful way in which one of these creatures will reproduce IN FEATHERS AXD FUR, 211 his organs. Tear one in two, the missing parts will grow on eachhalf, and there will be two Star Fishes instead of one. Tear offthe arms, they will all grow, and even a solitary arm will grow anew set of arms and a body all complete. But there is one way of killing a Star Fish instantly and com-pletely, and that is to throw him into fresh water. He is dead in asecond. So the problem with naturalists who want perfect speci-mens, is how to get him into fresh water before he gets out ofsalt water; for if he is out for an instant, he is ve

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