258 The Life Story of the Fish 



spine fitting into a notch in the other in such a way as to hold 

 it against all pressure until the fish wishes to release it. 



In the angler-fish the dorsal fin has an even more subtle 

 use. Part of it is prolonged into a flabby pendant which 



Figure 32. ANGLER-FISH 

 After Regan. 



dangles over the front of the fish's head, and literally serves 



as a bait to lure other fish into the huge mouth just below. 



In several species the fins have been changed into suckers. 



In the gobies it is the ventrals which function in this way, 



Figure 33. REMORA 



From Jordan and Evermann, Fishes of North and Middle America by 

 permission of the United States National Museum. 



permitting the little animals to cling to rocks when the surf 

 washes over them. In the remoras, fishes which reach a 

 length of three feet or more and are commonly known as 

 "shark-suckers," it is the dorsal fin, moved forward to the 



