BIMACULATED SUCKER. 



269 



" In this situation they always adhered to the sides of the 

 glass by the apparatus termed the sucker, and frequently 

 remained fixed till they died ; and even after death the power 

 of adhesion continues ; the wet finger being applied to the 

 part, the fish becomes suspended : when alive they instantly 

 attach themselves to the hand if taken out of the water." 



Mr. Couch says it keeps in deeper water than the prece- 

 ding species ; but is occasionally found under stones at low- 

 water mark. 



In this species, of which I possess several examples, varying 

 in length from three-quarters of an inch to one inch and three- 

 quarters in length, the head is depressed ; the posterior por- 

 tion of the body compressed ; the head is shorter, compared 

 to the whole length, than in the preceding species : the 

 mouth wider ; but the jaws not so much produced ; the teeth 

 similar ; no filaments before the eyes ; the irides pink and 

 gold ; the pupils blue : the additional rays at the inferior 

 part of the pectoral fin, and the connecting membrane on 

 each side, making up the lateral portions of the anterior disk, 

 are much longer : the ventral fins form the sides of the second 

 or posterior disk, and are also elongated ; the dorsal and anal 

 fins of equal size, opposite, short, placed far back ; commenc- 

 ing and ending on the same planes : not connected with the 

 tail, between which and the two fins just named there is a 

 considerable space : tail rather elongated. 



The fin-rays in number are 



D. 6 : P. 19 : A. 6 : C. 10. 



The general colour carmine red ; pale flesh colour under- 

 neath, with a light-coloured patch between the eyes, and 

 otherwise liable to some variation in the markings ; the two 

 spots on the sides not always very obvious ; young specimens 

 are without these lateral markings. 



