60 WONDERS OF THE DEEP 



species of scorpion fish are provided with fin-spines, 

 which are veritable poison organs. 



The drum fish are also an interesting species. 

 They are so called because of the extraordinary 

 noise they make. "These sounds," Dr. Gunther 

 writes, "can better be expressed by the word drum- 

 ming than any other. They appear to be very 

 frequently heard by persons in vessels lying at 

 anchor off the coast of the United States, where 

 these fishes are very common. The precise method 

 by which these sounds are produced is not known. 

 Since they are accompanied by a tremulous motion 

 of the vessel, it seems more probable that they are 

 due to the beating of the tails of the fish against 

 the bottom of the ship to get rid of the parasite 

 with which that part of their body is infested." 

 These fish attain a length of more than four feet 

 and a weight of over a hundred pounds. 



A well-known inhabitant of these waters is the 

 sucker, or sucking fish. This species possesses a 

 sucker-like arrangement, placed on the top of the 

 head and extending backwards over the shoulders. 

 By means of the sucker they can attach themselves 

 to sharks, turtles, and any other fish swimming in 

 the sea. Their hold is so strong that it is impossible 

 to dislodge them without exercising a great degree 

 of physical force. They grow to a length of from 

 two to three feet, and usually weigh about eight 

 pounds. The sucking fish are nearly always found 

 in close attendance on sharks. 



Barracudas are large voracious fishes inhabiting 



