48 MALAYAN FISHES. 
SUCKING FISHES. 
(ECHINEIDIDAE.) 
These fishes, generally known as Remora, attach themselves: 
by means of a remarkable adhesive disc on the upper surface of the 
head to boats and ships, or to whales, sharks and turtles and in 
this way manage to do a good deal of travelling with the minimum 
amount of effort. As they are not strong swimmers they obtain a 
mueh larger supply of food by riding about in this way than other- 
wise would be possible. 
The natives of Cuba, Zanzibar and the Torres Straits use these 
fish for catching turtles; the fish being held by a metal ring round 
the base of the tail to which a line is attached. “When one of 
these fish, a foot in length, has its wet sucker applied to a table,. 
and is allowed time to lay hold, it adheres so tightly that it is im- 
possible to pull it off by a fair vertical strain ” (lydekker)?. 
The Gémi (/chineis naucrates) is very common in these seas.. 
It takes a bait readily, is edible, and may, occasionally, be seen in 
the markets. 
GOBLIN-FISHES. 
(SCORPAENIDAE.) 
Some members of this family are Perch-shaped and edible, 
growing to a large size (Sebastes, Scorpaena, etc.). 
Nearly all are distinguished by a powerful armature, either of 
the head, or fin spines, or both, and in some the spines are provided 
with poison glands (Scorpaena, Pterois, Pelor and Synanci«) and 
a sting from these spines is extremely painful, 
Lépu is the Malay synonym for all members of this family. 
FLAT-HEADS. 
(PLATYCEPHALIDAE.) 
This family with a single genus, Platycephalus, and some 40' 
species, inhabits the coasts of the Indian Ocean and the Western 
Pacific. 
The Malay generic term is Baji-baji, so called from the wedge: 
shaped head, and so far some four species have been identified in 
Malayan seas, 
They live on the bottom, hidden in the sand as a rule, and as 
they depend on their protective colouring and spines to save them 
from possible enemies, they do not swim to any distance when dis- 
turbed but dart away for an instant and then lie motionless half 
buried in the sand. 
This peculiarity renders them particularly liable to be taken by 
trawls and a large proportion of the catches made by the New 
South Wales trawlers is composed of these fish, 
They are good edible fish and common in the markets. 
9 Royal Nat. History. 
