190 FISHES OF AUSTRALIA. 



even pressure all over. I then found that it was very 

 nearly impossible to dislodge the fish by a direct steady pull 

 without breaking the glass. In some parts of the world, 

 advantage is taken of this habit of attaching themselves 

 to larger marine animals to use them particularly the large 

 species, Echeneis naucrates in the capture of turtles. This 

 is done by fastening a line to a metal ring fastened round 

 the tail of the fish, and allowing it to swim about in waters 

 where the turtles are known to commonly occur. Some- 

 times turtles are found asleep ; and in that case the boat 

 is pulled up as close as possible, and the Sucking-Fish is 

 launched ; soon to attach itself to the breast (or plastron) of 

 the sleeping turtle, when they are both drawn in together. 



Fig. 67. SHORT SUCKING-FISH (Remora remora). 



One of the Sucking-Fishes was the celebrated echeneis of 

 the Greeks : famous from remote antiquity for its power 

 of adhesion to other bodies. Pliny and other ancient natu- 

 ralists relate among other stories, that Antony's ship, at 

 the battle of Actium was kept motionless by the exertions 

 of the echeneis, notwithstanding the efforts of several hun- 

 dred sailors; and that the vessel of Caligula was detained 

 between Astura and Actium by another of these fishes found 

 sticking to the helm, and whose solitary efforts could not 

 be countervailed by a crew of four hundred able seamen, 

 till several of the latter, on inquiring into the cause of the 

 detention, perceived the impediment and detached the fish 

 from its hold. Now, although it would be altogether im- 

 possible and out of all reason to suppose that one individual 

 could exert sufficient power to delay or retard a vessel's pro- 

 gress, still an instance has actually come under my notice, 

 in which a sailing-vessel was considerably delayed while in 



