FISHES. 



251 



related to fislies called Liparididse, which, in their turn, are related to the Cottidae, and 

 thus indirectly the affinities of the Cyclopteridse have been traced. 



The common lump-sucker — Gydopterus lumpus — is by far the largest of the 

 family. It rejoices in many names in addition to lump-sucker, such as lump-fish, sea^ 

 owl, cock-paidle, hen-paidle. It may be at once recognized by the tubercles which 

 cover the skin, some of which are enlarged, spiniferous, and arranged in seven longi- 

 tudinal rows, a median dorsal, and three on each side ; a hump becomes developed 

 with age on each side of the spinous dorsal, thus concealing it ; the ventral disk is 



Fig. 142. — Cyclopterus lumpus, luinp-flsh, and Zoarces viviparus. 



small. Sometimes it reaches a considerable size, a Massachusetts specimen eighteen 

 and three-fourths pounds having been reported, but the largest English one found 

 weighed only eleven and a half pounds. Both of these were giants, and the average 

 is very much smaller. 



The lump-sucker, in the well-considered words of Benecke, " lives on the bottom of 

 the sea, swims slowly and with difficulty, and in May and June comes into shallow water 

 to spawn. The male makes pits in the sand between the stones, in which the female 

 deposits its eggs. The male watches over the eggs, and later over the tender young. 



