. Shells and sea-life. it has not been donealready. Various kinds of is a land-xirchin ?AVhat is a land-anemone ?Other radiates. 120 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. into jars of cool salt water and we will watch themmove. And now we will talk of the starfish. In thefirst place, he is not a fish at all, but he surelylooks like a star; and men used to call almosteverything that lives in the water a fish. It is not easy to change oldnames, and star-fish is a word easyto pronounce. How manypoints are thereto his star?Five. Correct; but doall starfishes have ^^SnveJG. f^^rQ points? Dont kn
. Shells and sea-life. it has not been donealready. Various kinds of is a land-xirchin ?AVhat is a land-anemone ?Other radiates. 120 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. into jars of cool salt water and we will watch themmove. And now we will talk of the starfish. In thefirst place, he is not a fish at all, but he surelylooks like a star; and men used to call almosteverything that lives in the water a fish. It is not easy to change oldnames, and star-fish is a word easyto pronounce. How manypoints are thereto his star?Five. Correct; but doall starfishes have ^^SnveJG. f^^rQ points? Dont know? Well, if you will watch, you willfind some little ones with six points; and youmay get a big, soft red one, called a sun-star,which has twenty or more. But five is the com-mon number. Now, what are these five points for? They are legs, sir. Are you sure of that? Can a starfish step off onthese legs? or can he swim with them? Watchthis one in the great jar of salt water. If theyare legs, they must be very lame SOME CREEPING THINGS. 121 No; they are not legs, but from the under sideof each of these points there are coming out agreat number of little tubes. These tubes, orwater-feet, act like suckers, and hold on veryfirmly; but when the creature wishes, he canwithdraw them. And by reaching out new tubesin front and drawing in those behind, he is ableto creep slowly, but very surely, up the side ofthe jar. In the ocean, he can creep over rocksor go where he pleases. But what are the five points for, since they arenot legs? I will tell you. Do you see the creaturesmouth in the center of his body, on the underside? Yes, sir. Yet he has no teeth, and so he cannot crushhis food. But he can do one very curious can throw his stomach out of his mouth, anddigest his food outside of his body, and then drawthe stomach back again. I once saw a starfisheating a clam in that singular manner. But what kept the clam from slipping away?— for the starfish has no hands to hold
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectmollusk, bookyear1901
