gill] tiik lumpsucker 183 



and remains inactive for a long' time — many minutes. However, it 

 is by no means restricted to such, but, according to Smitt, "may 

 sometimes be found swimming freely about in the open sea. This does 

 not depend entirely on the circumstance that it attaches itself to 

 floating objects and drifts about in their company, for it also displays 

 considerable activity in the pursuit of its prey and in its migrations 

 to the spawning place." 



It nevertheless frequently avails itself of foreign objects. "Ek- 

 strom mentions its habit of attaching itself to the wooden floats or 

 buoys used to support the herringnets" in Sweden, but individuals 

 may even make use of living fishes. An instance was published by 

 Couch of one that had secured a hold on a mackerel, the two having 

 been caught together in a drift net in water of considerable depth. 

 Probably in this instance the attachment resulted from fright. The 

 tenacity with which a Lumpsucker can adhere to another body is 

 remarkable. Pennant long ago told that, when put "into a pail of 

 water," by its sucker 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." Mcintosh found this observation to be quite 

 accurate. "The whole can be lifted by seizing the fish, and a greater 

 weight than 43 pounds (which was that of pail and water) could 

 readily be raised in this manner." 



The Lumpsucker's movements in progression are characteristic. 

 Buckland (1880) considered that, "though an awkwardly built fish, 

 it is a good swimmer. The tail is the propelling power, and the fish 

 moves it with great velocity and an action not unlike a clumsy woman 

 running." Such a course, however, could only be maintained for 

 a short time, and while good for a rush, would not suffice for a long 

 tour. The rushes are most observable during the season of incuba- 

 tion, when the male assumes charge of a bunch of eggs. Then the 

 usual lethargic and peaceful fish becomes an active as well as vigilant 

 guardian of the future progeny. He rushes at an intruder, especially 

 an intruding male of his own kind, "with the utmost fury" and won- 

 derful agility. One, like Fulton, could scarcely believe "that so 

 clumsy and usually sluggish a fish could swim so fast." 



The feeding habits of the Lumpsucker are peculiar. The fisher- 

 men of some places, especially along the coast of Belgium, according 

 to Van Beneden (1876), maintain that "the Cyclopterns htmpus feeds 

 on nothing but the excreta of other fishes," and Van Beneden even 

 endorsed this belief to the extent of affirming that "the examination 

 of the animal's stomach confirms their assertion," and consequently 

 he ranked the fish among "crotophagous species." Later (1902) 



