The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-10-20
QUEER FISH.
Have Skin Like an Eel, Identified
as FShark Sucker"

Mr.. James II. Gale, of colchester
Beach. Nd, recently submitted a queer
looking fish for Identification. 1t was
caught near colchester.
The specimen was about 16 inches
long and had a skin Ike an eggs, seem
ingly entirely devoid of scales. The
body was elongated, tapering behind;
the lower Jaw was longer than the up
per, with the head decidedly flattencd.
Above the head was quite long, oval
disk, presenting from the middle Of
both sides oblique transverse cartila-
ginous plates, arranged like the Stats
of a Venetian blind.
On the middle of the under surface
were spne-lke projections connected
by short bands with the skull and
vertebrate, partly suctorial and partly
prchensile by the hooks. these fish at
tach themselves to rocks, ships and
the bodies of other fishes, especially to
sharks They are thus when fastened
to ships or fishes transported where
food is abundant, and often from the
tropics to temperate regions They do
not feed on the fish to which they
attach themselves, but on small fish
and floating animals.
Mr. George NJ. Bowers. United States
Fish Commissioner, says of the spec-
men. which was forwarded to him:
at is the species commonly known
as shark sucker sucking fish, and
'rcmora' (Echencis naucrates). 1t
ranges from Cape Cod southwark to
the tropics, and is not uncommon on
our coast and in the Chesapeake Bay.
.fp
side of the head, suggesting the sole
Of a rubber shoe. is modification Of
the dorsal fin. by means of which the
sue or attaches itself to sharks or 9TH
or large fishes. apparently causing
them no Inconvenience, and feeding on
the remnants of the sharks meals.
There are a number OF other species
found on our coast, hut this is by far
the cOmmonest and best known. BAL
'iiii2nF3 {N6G&arno.s >ur-, racKer 1911.
There is a wonderful cockatoo in enc
of the islands of the Indian Ocean,
near New Guinea. 1t is az large az Il
full grown pheasant. and it is of a Jet
black color. The bird is remarkable
for its Immensely strong hill ana HE
clever manner in which il is used. The
bill is as hard as steel and the upper
part has a deep notch.
Now. the favolite food of the cocka-
too is the canary nut; but there is a
wonderful ingenuity required to get at
1t, for the nut is something like a
Brazil nut, but it is ten times as hard.
In fact, it requires the blow of heavy
hammer to crack 1t. 1t liz quite smooth
and somewhat triangular in shape Ma
ture appears to have given the possesor
of the wonderful bill some Intelligence
to direct its powers, for the cockatOO
takes one Of the nuts edgewise in its
bill, and by n curving motion of its
sharp lower beak makes small notch
on it. This done. the bird takes hold
of the nut with its claws. and biting
off piece Of leaf, retains it in the deep
notch of the upper part Of the bill
Thren the nut IS seized between the up
per and lower parts of the bill. and is
prevented slipping by the peculiar tex
ture of the leaf. A sharp nip or two
breaks off tiny piece of the shell OF
the nut The bird then seizes the nut
In its claws and pokes the long. sharp
point of its bill into the hole and picks
out the kernel bit by bit-Savannah