140 Sucker-fish, Various. 



early stages.* As to spawning places, these are evidently spread 

 about, for oyster dredgers and others have got great bunches of 

 their pinkish eggs from the Margate sands westwards along the 

 Kent shore, and ova are found on the partly sunken wrecks on 

 the Maplins. The Leigh fishermen reject the Lump-sucker as 

 useless ; but in the Black water and presumably Colne mouth 

 neighbourhood Dr. Laver says (op. cit.) the fish is exposed for 

 sale as food. The males, "red lumps," are those only eaten 

 (Fitch). 



(2) The SEA SNAIL (Liparis vulgaris) and (3) MONTAGU'S 

 SUCKER (L. Hontagui) never attain the dimensions of the pre- 

 ceding. They are browny, plump, soft, greasy-skinned fishes. 

 The largest we have met with when with trawlers in the 

 Thames mouth have been 5 inches the former and 3 inches the 

 latter. The fishermen throw them overboard among the rubbish. 

 Mr. Fitch has found these little " purple wrigglers " some- 

 times so abundant when trawling in the Crouch river that he 

 has got bushels of them in a day, and such a case occurred to 

 him 6th November, 1900. They are in no-ways so plentiful in 

 the Thames, at least got in much fewer numbers during our 

 many fishing trips at all seasons. Of their presence around 

 Kent we have no information. 



The Lepadogaster Family or Matheaded Suckers (Gobie- 

 socidce). One member of these curious diminutive fishes, viz., 

 the TWO-SPOTTED SUCKER, Donovan obtained in Kent nigh a 

 century ago. We also learn there is a specimen at the 

 Brightlingsea Marine Station which was obtained in the waters 

 adjoining 21st July, 1894 (Fitch). 



Sundry Families. We include under this heading a few odd 

 fishes, most only lonely accidental stragglers within our Kent 

 and Essex waters, but their mention rounds oft our sea-fish 

 fauna. 



Fam. XiphiiJce. The SWORD-FISH (Xiphias gladius). 



* Brit. Mar. Food-Fishes ; and Aim. & Mag. Nat. Hist., Aug., 1886, on "Paternal 

 Instincts of Cyclopterus." 



