392 Dr. A. Giinther on the History of Echeneis. 



Richardson*, at the time of the publication of the 'Fauna 

 Borealis/ could not yet believe in the existence of the same spe- 

 cies on both sides of the Atlantic. Dekay has borrowed his 

 knowledge of the fish from the authorities mentioned, and enu- 

 merates it in his valueless work on the fishes of New York 

 (p. 309). 



The occurrence of the species in the Japanese seas has been 

 asserted by Schlegel (Faun. Japon. p. 271), and in the East Indian 

 Archipelago by Bleeker (E. remoroides) . 



The accounts given by Blochf deserve particular attention, 

 because he describes a variation in the number of lamellae 

 in the sucker (16-20), and maintains the occurrence of the 

 same species in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Pa- 

 cific. But he continues to regard the lunate form of the caudal 

 fin as characteristic of the species. The description given 

 by Lacepede J is more detailed and correct in nearly every re- 

 spect, he .having used the manuscripts of Commerson as his 

 chief authority. After quoting and criticising the ancient 

 accounts of Pliny, he proceeds to relate the observations of 

 Commerson on the habits of the fish. He explains the brown 

 coloration of the lower parts by the circumstance of its being 

 frequently fixed to other swimming bodies with the belly di- 

 rected upwards and exposed to the light. He even goes so 

 far as to say that the fish, if not attached to another body, is 

 not able to swim on the belly, but that it is compelled to swim 

 always on the back. This observation, however, has not been 

 confirmed by others ; and it is probable that it did not originate 

 with Commerson, but was interpolated by Lacepede, who was 

 then anxious to find an additional proof for his theory that 

 those parts of a fish which are exposed to the light show a 

 greater intensity of colour than the others. ' Sir J. Richardson 

 (I. c.) describes its movements as a swimming with a wriggling 

 motion like an eel, and with considerable velocity, so as to over- 

 take with ease a vessel going before a brisk gale; and Bennett 

 says that it propels itself by rapid lateral movements of the tail, 

 attended with an awkward twirling motion. Commerson and 

 Lacepede find the use of the sucker merely in the mechanical 

 adhesion effected by the minute spines, by which the fish is 

 enabled to repose, and nevertheless to accompany vessels, sharks, 

 &c., from and with which it expects to find its food. Commerson 

 also knew the white variety mentioned by Gronow ; and Lace- 

 pede describes twelve abdominal and fifteen caudal vertebrae. The 



* Faun. Bor. Amer. p. 265. 



f Ausland. Fische, ii. p. 134, pi. 1/2; and edit. Schneider, p. 240. 



J Hist. Nat. Poiss. iii. pp. 146, 147, pi. V. f. 1. 



F. D. Bennett, Whaling Voyage, p. 271. 



