THE BIMACULATED SUCKER. 213 



" Notwithstanding the existence of these and some other points of mhior differ- 

 ence between the specimens in question and the C. bimaculatiis, as described, 

 I conceive, from their agreement in other characters and in economy, that they 

 are of one species. 



" In length these specimens are respectively 1 inch 10 lines, and 1 inch 5 lines. 

 The former has 5 rays in the dorsal, about 18 in the pectoral, 4 in the ventral, 

 and about 12 in the caudal tins. The latter has a similar number in the dorsal, 

 pectoral, and ventral, but the caudal presents at least 13, and the anal (owing 

 possibly to its being injured) only 3. 



" The prevailing colour of the larger fish is pale ' reddish orange,' that of the 

 smaller dark reddish orange, in both specimens varied with round spots and 

 irregular markings of white ; the latter also exhibits large blotches of pale 

 Vermillion along its back. In both, the belly and organ of adhesion are yel- 

 lowish. 



" These specimens agreed with Montagu's observations on the C bimaculatus 

 by 'instantly attaching themselves to the hand when taken out of the water,' 

 and by ' preserving their beautiful pink colour in spirits,' or I should rather 

 say simply of preserving their colour, as, although difl'ering in this respect, they 

 have retained their original brightness unimpaired. 



" Besides the above diflerences, there is not any other observable between these 

 fishes and the descriptions and figures of the C. bimaculatus in the works quoted 

 that seems to demand attention." 



I was pleased to find, on the subsequent publication of Mr. Templeton's 

 Catalogue, that this species was known to him. He notes " two specimens 

 found in a dredge, August, 1811." By subsequent deep dredging in Bel- 

 fast Bay and Strangford Lough, specimens have been obtained. On one 

 occasion I took upwards of a dozen specimens of this fish at the former 

 locality, on some of which the spots were wanting. The species is noted 

 in the Ord. Surv. as " from Larne." 



Mr. Hyndman, when dredging (20th June, 1844) off St. John's Point, 

 County of Down, brought up from a depth of fifteen fathoms, a perfect 

 and full-grown specimen of the bivalve shell, Venus virginea, in which 

 were a L. bimaculatus, with its ova and young, some only of M'hich had 

 made their appearance ; and the same gentleman, at the end of August in 

 the same year, dredged in Belfast Bay a single full-grown valve of Pectim- 

 culus pilosus, the hollow of which was close studded over for the s])ace of 

 a square inch with the ova of this species, each ovum touching or close to 

 the next one. These ova are deposited singly over the surface of the shell on 

 which every one rests, each ovum globular, about l-Kith of an inch in dia- 

 meter, which is remarkably large for a species Avhich I have not known to 

 exceed 2 inches in length. 



I had frequently seen this species when brought up in the dredge with- 

 in old single valves of bivalve shells, but until the instances just men- 

 tioned occurred I was not aware of the cause of its partiality to them. 



3Iarch 30, 1846. A specimen about 2 inches long was brought to me 

 alive in Belfast market, having been found among Killinchy oystei's 

 (probably taken from the water twenty-four hours before). The whole 

 upper surface of the living fish was of a dark ])urplisli brown colour, with 

 minute yellow spots disposed over it : the under suri'ace was whitish fiesh 

 colour, but pinkish with darker spots of red in the hollow portion to- 

 wards sucker. 



Eye projjer dark blue with brilliant orange irides. 



Api'il, 184(). After being in spirits for some little time, this s])ecimen is 

 of the usual red colour on the upper surface. 



In 1839, I saw in Dr. Ball's collection a specimen dix-dged Ijy him off 



