Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1898 — The Starfish. [ARTICLE]

The Starfish.

We have a starfish at school. They hnvo little thorns on their backs to protect themselves. The little one is about three inches wide, and the big one is one foot and three inches. They look like stars and the big one like a cushion. Their home is in the ocean and they come from an egg. They had no fingers when they were first born, but their shapo was round. They eat oysters, clams and snails. Their legs are the tubes on the under side of the fingers. They can hold very tight. The starfish have pretty colors, orange, purple, brick-red and crimson. Their eyes aro at the end of its fingers. If one of its fingers gets bitten oiT it grows on again. Its mouth) is in the middle of its body on tho under side. There aro many starfish in the ocean, but they cannot live out of salt water.

SAM SPRIGG.