. Natural history of the fishes of Massachusetts, embracing a practical essay on angling . ceeding three quarters of an inchin length. They have the same holding appara-tus in a miniature form, and may be known fromthe young of the lumpus, by two white tubercleson the sides. GEN. ECHENEIS. SucKiNG-FisH,—Echeneis Remora. Twospecies of the remora are occasionally taken on 222 DISCOBOLI. this coast, but in no other way than on the bodiesof sharks or the bottoms of vessels. The one un-der consideration usuahy measures from four totwelve inches, and is of a leaden color; the bodyis long and slender
. Natural history of the fishes of Massachusetts, embracing a practical essay on angling . ceeding three quarters of an inchin length. They have the same holding appara-tus in a miniature form, and may be known fromthe young of the lumpus, by two white tubercleson the sides. GEN. ECHENEIS. SucKiNG-FisH,—Echeneis Remora. Twospecies of the remora are occasionally taken on 222 DISCOBOLI. this coast, but in no other way than on the bodiesof sharks or the bottoms of vessels. The one un-der consideration usuahy measures from four totwelve inches, and is of a leaden color; the bodyis long and slender, covered by minute scales, andon the back is one dorsal fin without spines. Onthe top of the head is an oval spot which looks, atfirst view, as though a slice of the cranium hadbeen cut off nearly on a level with the eyes. Thisoval place is termed a disk, constituted of tworows of transverse plates like the bars of a to compare the bars with a Venetianwindow blind, will convey abetter idea of the ap-pearance than anything else. Each plate stands at THE SUCKING about the same angle as the slats of the blind, andthere is a space between every two of them. If theedges were turned towards the snout, they wouldbe thrown up, and thus retard the motion of thefish; but by being directed backward, the greaterthe velocity the closer do the edges of the platesfold down over the spaces. There are eighteen in this species, nine in each) ECHENEIS. 223 row. It Is no uncommon circumstance to findthem adhering to \^essels, and to sharks, for whichlatter they seem to have a predilection. Tiiis diskIS upon the principle of an air-pump, precisely inoffice like the adhering surface on the breast ofthe lump-fish. All the fins of the remora are small, so that itcannot swim with much speed, but it makes upthe defect by fastening itself to any other fish itchooses, out of the reach of its jaws, and thus,without effort, glides through the ocean with prodi-gious velocity, incre
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectfishes, booksubjectfishing, bookyear1
