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C Y C L O P T E R U S C Y C L O S T O M A. 



produce the young ; and it is an extremely curious 

 circumstance, which has been well confirmed, that a 

 single act of impregnation is sufficient for several 

 successive generations, A female cyclops in the 

 space of three months gives birth to not less than ten 

 distinct broods ; and if we calculate only eight broods, 

 each having only forty young, it will be seen how 

 immense must be the increase of these creatures. 

 The duration of the egg state varies from two to ten 

 days, according to circumstances, such as the degree 

 of temperature, the period of the year, &c. When 

 hatched, the young have only four legs, with the body 

 of a rounded form, and destitute of tail. Muller, the 

 celebrated Danish writer upon these and other allied 

 animals, not knowing them to be the young of the 

 cyclops, formed them into a distinct genus with the 

 name of Amynionic. Shortly afterwards they acquire an 

 additional pair of legs, and these for the same reason 

 were formed by the same author into the genus 

 JVauplius. After the first shedding of their skin they 

 are said to possess all the organs of their perfect form, 

 but of a diminished size, especially as regards the 

 antenna; and legs ; and that after the third moulting 

 they become adult ; but in this manner of reckoning 

 it will follow that two pairs of legs must be developed 

 without a corresponding moulting having taken place, 

 and this is so contrary to what is observed amongst 

 the invertebrated animals that the correctness of such 

 observation may perhaps be questioned. The chief 

 food of these animals consists of minute particles of 

 animal matter floating in the water, but in default of 

 this they will feed upon vegetable substances in a 

 decaying state. When one of the antennae is cut oif 

 no change at first takes place, but at the following 

 moulting the loss is repaired by the production of a 

 new antenna. 



There are numerous species belonging to this 

 group, of which the Monoculus (juadricornis of Linnreus 

 (a name improperly changed by Dr. Leach to C. 

 vulgaris) is the type ; it is very variable in its colours, 

 being sometimes reddish, at others green, bluish, or 

 whitish. It is a very common species. Some of the 

 species (forming the genus Calanus of Dr. Leach, 

 including the C.finmarchianus of Muller,) have the 

 inferior antennae obsolete, whilst others (forming our 

 genus Cunthocampus, having for its type the C. sta- 

 jihylinus,} have the abdomen of the females recurved 

 with a spine beneath at the base, and in some there 

 is but a single egg-pouch (forming our genus Diapto- 

 mus\ and of which the C. caslor is the type. 



CYCLOPTERUS, a genus of soft-tinned fishes, 

 belonging to the order with the ventral fins under the 

 pectorals, and to the third family of the order Disco- 

 hales, and including the lump-fish and some others. 

 The following are their most remarkable generic 

 characters : 



The rays of the ventral fins are dispersed all round 

 the lower part of the thorax, and united by a single 

 membrane of considerable strength into a concave 

 oval disc, which the fish employs as a sucker for 

 attaching itself to the rocks. This is their most 

 remarkable character ; and it is from it that they get 

 the name of Cyclopterus, or fin all round. Their other 

 characters in brief are : the mouth very large, with 

 small pointed teeth in both jaws, and also in the pha- 

 rynx ; their gill lids small, their gill flaps with six 

 fays ; their pectorals very large and united below the 

 throat so as to unite with the disc formed by the ven- 

 trals ; their skeleton is soft and very imperfectly ossi- 



fied ; and their skin viscous and without scales, but 

 powdered over with small hard grains. Their stomach 

 is large with numerous caeca ; their intestine and air 

 bladder of mean size. They are usually divided into 

 two sub-genera, the chief distinction being the form 

 of the dorsal fin. 



'1. LUMP FISHES. These have a first dorsal fin 

 more or less visible, but always very low and with 

 simple rays ; the second dorsal has the rays articu- 

 lated, and is placed immediately over the anal fin , 

 the body of these fishes is very thick and clumsy, and 

 also very soft, and not very manageable in the water ; 

 but they are enabled to hold on upon the rock* by 

 means of the ventral disc, and thus catch the food 

 which is brought to them by the current of the water, 

 and the}' are much less liable to be injured by the 

 current beating them against the rocks than if their 

 bodies were of firmer texture. 



COMMON LUMP FISH (Cyclopterus lumpus). This 

 species is common on all the coasts of the British 

 islands, and in most parts of the North Seas. The 

 back is sharp and raised, the belly flat, the body of 

 the fish deep, the dorsal and anal tins short, and the 

 sides marked with rows of osseous tubercles. The 

 length is usually about eighteen inches ; the colours 

 dusky on the back, and re<i on the under part ; the 

 flesh is soft, oily, and tasteless, and seldom used as 

 human food ; but as the fish is as lumpish in its mo- 

 tions as in its form, it very readily falls a prey to 

 sharks, seals, and other predatory inhabitants of the 

 waters. It is not understood to eat fish, but rather 

 medusa; and other soft and gelatinous animals which 

 float about freely in the water, and are brought to the 

 eddies where it fastens itself upon the rocks. It is 

 sometimes apt to vary in colour, and hence there are 

 different names for it. There are, also, however, one 

 or two smaller species, all inhabiting the North Seas, 

 but of no use or interest whatever. 



2. CYCLOGASTKR. These have one dorsal fin, of 

 the same length as the animal. Their bodies are 

 smooth, elongated backwards, and considerably com- 

 pressed, and they are much more active than the 

 former subgenus. 



SEA MOUSE (Cyclopterus muxciilus). This is a 

 small fish, about seven or eight inches in length, 

 found on the shores of the Channel ; and gets its 

 common name from its colour and the activity of its 

 motions. 



THE LIPARIS (Cyc/opterus liparis). This species 

 grows to a much greater size than the former, being 

 frequently eighteen inches in length. It is a very 

 northerly fish, and found on the icy coasts, though it 

 sometimes makes an excursion as far southward as 

 the shores of England and France. Its muzzle is 

 rounded ; its head broad and flat ; its mouth large 

 with two small fleshy beards to the upper lip. The 

 back and fins are brown, the sides yellow, and the 

 belly white. The flesh of this species is eaten by 

 some of the northern people, but it is of very inferior 

 quality. There is another species found in the north, 

 chiefly in the White Sea, which is different from this, 

 and has been called Cyclopterus linctus, the sides 

 of this species are striped longitudinally with brown 

 and white, and it differs from the former in a few 

 other particulars ; but it is a fish of no interest or 

 value. 



CYCLOSTOMA (modern authors), (Helix of 

 Linnaeus, Turbo of Mulier). The shells constituting 

 this genus are all of them terrestrial, and from the 



