414 TJie Common Lump-fish. [Sess. 



giving it a very antiquated appearance. The colour of the 

 body is a brownish black, but it varies slightly according to 

 the season. From three to five pounds may be considered its 

 average weight, although it has been known to attain much 

 greater proportions. A very singular provision of nature is 

 found in the arrangement of the ventral fins. It might 

 indeed at first sight be thought that they were entirely 

 absent, from the way in which they are modified. Couch 

 says : " The pectoral fins are continued to the ventrals, the 

 latter encircling a disc which is organised in such a manner 

 as to enable these fishes to adhere firmly to a solid substance." 

 This sucking-organ will therefore be seen to be of much use 

 to this inert and awkward fish when close to shore in stormy 

 weather. As an instance of the power of its sucker, one 

 writer mentions that "on placing a fish of this species just 

 caught into a pail of water, it fixed itself so firmly to the 

 bottom that on taking it by the tail the whole pail by that 

 means was lifted, though it held some gallons, and that without 

 removing the fish from its hold." The food of the lump-fish 

 is partly animal and partly vegetable. Small crustaceans 

 have been found in their stomach, and from the physiological 

 nature of their internal organs it is evident that a portion of 

 their nutriment is also derived from marine algre. 



During a visit to Fife last June, I was surprised to find the 

 remains of this fish scattered in considerable quantities along 

 the shore. At first I was at a loss to account for the singular 

 abundance of the dead forms of the lump-fish, until I ques- 

 tioned one of the local fishermen. He said they were a source 

 of great annoyance and trouble to the men who had charge of 

 the salmon stake-nets. The numbers caught during the early 

 summer were great, and of course were destroyed. One writer 

 mentions that in the northern seas the lump-fish is much 

 preyed on by seals and large fish, which swallow all but the 

 skins, quantities of which are found floating about. This fact 

 is also chronicled by a naturalist who observed skins of the 

 lump-fish floating off the west coast of Scotland. The stake- 

 nets may, however, be considered to be undoubtedly the cause 

 of the numbers found along the Fife shore. 



The majority of fish deposit their ova and then leave it to 

 take its chance of development, without any further solicitude 



