ECH 



ECH 



whatever. This confiding naturalist ex- 

 presses himself as perfectly convinced 

 that all fishes possess a similar power, 

 and states, as a notorious example, the de- 

 tention of Periander's ship by a porcel- 

 lane, near the Cape of Guides. Quitting, 

 however, the fables of antiquity, it may 

 be observed, that the fins of the remora 

 are particularly weak, and thus prevent 

 its swimming- to any considerable dis- 

 tance, on which account it attaches itself 

 to various bodies, inanimate or living, be- 

 ing found not only fastened to ships, but 

 to whales, sharks, and other fishes ; and 

 with such extreme tenacity is this hold 

 maintained, that, unless the effort of se- 

 paration be applied in a particular direc- 

 tion, it is impossible to effect the disunion 

 without the destruction of the fish itself. 

 As the remora is extremely voracious, 

 and far from fastidious in its food, it may 

 attach itself to vessels and large fishes, 

 With a view to secure that ample subsist- 

 ence, which must arise to it from the su- 

 perfluity with which it is in such circum- 

 stances almost inevitably furnished. This 

 fish will often adhere to rocks, and par- 

 ticularly in boisterous and tempestuous 

 weather. The apparatus for accomplish- 

 ing this adhesion consists of an oval area 

 on the top of the head, traversed by nu- 

 merous dissepiments, each of which is 

 fringed at the edge by a row of very nu- 

 merous perpendicular teeth, or filaments, 

 while the whole oval space is strengthen- 

 ed by a longitudinal septum. It is re- 

 ported by some authors, that, in the Mo- 

 zambique channel, a species of remora is 

 employed by the natives of the coast in 

 their pursuit of turtles with great success. 

 A ring is fixed near the tail of the remo- 

 ra, with a long cord attached to it, and 

 when the boat has arrived as nearly as it 

 well can to the turtle sleeping on the 

 surface of the water, the remora is dis- 

 missed, and immediately proceeds to- 

 wards the turtle, which it fastens on so 

 firmly, that both are drawn into the boat 

 with extreme facility. Fora representa- 

 tion of the Mediterranean remora, see 

 PISCES, Plate IV. fig. 3. 



ECHINOPHORA, in botany, a genus 

 of the Pentandria Digynia class and or- 

 der. Natural order of Umbellate. Essen- 

 tial character: lateral flowers male; cen- 

 tral hermaphrodite ; seed one, immersed 

 in an involucle. There are two species, 

 viz. E. spinosa, prickly sea-parsnip, and 

 E. tennifolia, fine- leaved sea-parsnip. Na- 

 tives of the sea coast of Europe and 

 Apulia. 



ECHJNQPS, in botany, gkbe thistle, a 



genus of the Syngenesia Polygamia Be* 

 gregata class and order. Natural order of 

 Compositx Capitate. Cinarocepbalx, Jus- 

 sieu. Essential character : calyx one-flow- 

 ered ; corolla tubular, hermaphrodite ; 

 recep tacle bristly ; down obscure. There 

 are five species. These are herbaceous 

 plants, some of them large and lofty ; 

 leaves alternate, thorny and pinnatified ; 

 the heads of flowers are usually solitary at 

 the ends of the stem and branches. 



ECHINORYNCHUS, in natural history, 

 a genus of the Vermes Intestina; body 

 round ; proboscis cylindrical retractile, 

 and crowned with hooked prickles. 

 These animals are found fixed very 

 firmly to the viscera of various animals, 

 generally the intestines, and often re- 

 main on the same spot during the whole 

 life of the animal; they are mostly gre- 

 garious, and are easily distinguished from 

 the tsenia by their round inarticulate 

 body. They are divided into sections : 

 A. infesting mammalia ; of this E. gigas 

 is found in the intestines of swine, espe- 

 cially those that have been fed in styes ; 

 it is gregarious, and from 12 to 18 inches 

 long. B. infesting birds. C. infesting rep- 

 tiles. D. infesting fish. There are about 

 50 species. 



ECHINUS, sea urchin, in natural his- 

 tory, a genus of the Vermes Mollusca ; 

 body roundish, covered with a bony 

 sutured crust, and generally furnished 

 with moveable spines ; mouth placed be- 

 neath, and mostly five-valved. These 

 are divided into sections, chiefly distin- 

 guished by the situation of the vent. A. 

 has the vent vertical; tentacula every 

 where simple. B. vent placed beneath ; 

 mouth without tentacula. C. vent lateral ; 

 mouth with pencilled tentacula. Each of 

 these sections is subdivided. There 

 are more than 100 species, besides varie- 

 ties. They are all inhabitants of the sea, 

 and many of them have been found in a 

 fossil state ; many are esculent, and they 

 are in general armed with five sharp teeth; 

 the pores are each furnished with a re- 

 tractile tentaculwm, by which the animal 

 affixes itself to any object and stops its 

 motion ; the spines are connected to the 

 outer skin by very strong ligaments, and 

 are the instruments of motion. 



ECHINUS, in architecture, a moulding 

 carved and enriched with the egg and 

 dart. See Ovoio. 



ECHITES, in botany, a genus of the 

 Pentandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Natural order of Contortae. Apocinex, 

 Jussieu. Essential character : contorted; 

 follicles twoj long and straight ; seeds 



