56 THE HAUNTS OF LIFE 
seashore, and however big we make the in- 
verted commas we cannot persuade ourselves 
that the maternal care of the sea-snakes is not 
on the same line as that of any human mother, 
vastly finer as that usually is. 
The quaint fish called the Lumpsucker or 
Cock-Paidle (Cyclopterus lumpus) lays a big 
bunch of reddish eggs in a corner of a deep 
rock-pool low down on the shore, and over 
this the father mounts guard, driving away 
intruders. Every now and then he lashes with 
his tail very vigorously beside the mass of 
eggs, and this no doubt helps to aerate the 
eggs and to scatter away the minute particles 
of mud which might settle upon them. The 
Lumpsucker has had its hind fins (pelvic fins) 
shunted forwards and turned into a strong 
muscular sucker, and he can grip a rock when 
he is paddling vigorously with his tail. We 
suppose the Scots name Cock-Paidle refers to 
this paddling of the cock-fish. His paternal 
duties occupy him for several weeks, and ob- 
servers say that while he is on guard he neg- 
lects his own meals. 
There are sticklebacks on the shore as well 
as in fresh water, and the males make nests and 
mount guard over them, but this story will 
