Instincts o/* C jcloptevus liimpus. 83 



found In considerable numbers in August, when the larger 

 examples caught with a hand-net measured about |- inch. 

 Thej adhere to the blades of the tangles and other seaweeds, 

 and in the mazes of these find that safety (from the ready 

 application of their suckers) which would be denied them in 

 the open sea. When caught in the tow-net inshore it is 

 generally along with floating littoral seaweeds with which 

 they have migrated. 



Besides the various shades of green which characterize the 

 young Cyclopteri some are beautifully variegated with touches 

 of brown, while pale bands or streaks of silver, often sym- 

 metrically arranged, give them a striking appearance. Others 

 again are dotted over with black points. On emerging from 

 the eggs they swim actively through the water, the pectorals 

 being kept in rapid vibration, and they soon become preda- 

 ceous, attacking as they grow older the smaller forms of their 

 own species as well as minute Mysidte and other prey. The 

 young examples caught in the rock-pools had fed on the 

 abundant larval crustaceans, such as larval CiiTipedes and 

 Copepods. The larval fin speedily becomes differentiated 

 into the two dorsals and the anal. The first dorsal resembles 

 at the tenth or twelfth day the other fins, that is it is mem- 

 branous, as Mr. Thompson, Prof. Alex. Agassiz*, and other 

 observers have noted, and has six slender spines. The meta- 

 morphosis of this fin occurs subsequently. 



The period of spawning at St. Andrews ranges from 

 February to May, and this year it was especially late, pro- 

 bably from the severe and long-continued winter. The 

 young captured during the first ten days of July therefore 

 showed considerable variation in size. A feature of interest 

 in regard to the fisheries is the fact that food-fishes and others 

 are extremely fond of the ova of Cyclopterus. Thus at the 

 end of April about one hundred fine codling were caught by 

 the liners in St. Andrews Bay, off the rocks at Boarhills, and 

 the stomachs of these were distended with the ova of the 

 lumpsucker. Even such small fishes as Yarrell's blenny 

 [Carelophus Ascanii) took the same food. Whether these 

 attacks from without cause the hollows in the masses of ova 

 (which resemble holes that have been scooped out) is unknown, 

 but these are very common. Some perforations in the masses 

 may have been due to their position over the apertures of 

 Fholas crispata ; but the former hollows were produced by 

 other causes. 



The Gyclojjteri form no nests ^ the ova being deposited chiefly 

 on the sides of rocks and stones. They have been very 

 abundant this season both amongst the rocks and in the 

 * Proc, Amer. Acad, of Arts aud Sci. vol. xvii. p. 286, pi. iv, 



6* 



