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MONTAGUE'S SUCKER . 
The Lump-fish is said to make a kind of home, and to hover about the spot where the 
eggs are placed, toi the purpose of guarding them from foes. When thus engaged, it is a 
brave and combative fish, permitting no other finny inhabitant of the water to pass within a 
certain distance of its charge, and, in cases of necessity, biting fiercely with its short but sharp 
teeth. It is said that after the young have attained some little size, they attach themselves to 
their careful parent, who conveys the young family into deep water. 
The dimensions of this fish are variable, but the average length is about sixteen inches. 
The Lump-suckers ( Cyclopteridce ) are included in two genera, four species being known. 
Cyclopterus lumpus is rather common off the coasts of both Europe and America, though never 
abundant. A species is found in the North Pacific. 
LUMP-FISH .— Cyclopterus lumpus. VIVIPAROUS BLENNY.- Zoarces viviparus. 
There are only two genera in this small family, and both find examples in the seas. 
Of the second genus, the Unctuous Sucker, or Sea- Snail {Lip arts vulgaris ), is a good 
illustration. 
This species appears to be less common in the south than in the north. It derives its 
names of Unctuous Sucker and Sea-Snail from the soft and slime-covered surface of its body. 
It seems to prefer the rocky coasts, and may be found in the water-pools at low tide. The 
color of this fish is pale brown streaked irregularly with a darker tint. Both the dorsal and 
anal fins are low, long, and reach to the commencement of the tail fin. It is a little fish, 
seldom exceeding four or five inches in length. 
Montague’s Sucker {Liparis montagui) is remarkable for its habit of adhering to a stone 
or rock by the disc, and then curving its body to such an extent that the tail and the head 
almost meet. Even when merely lying at rest, and not employing the sucker, it assumes this 
remarkable attitude. It is smaller than the last species, rarely exceeding three inches in 
