L UMP-SUCKERS. 
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adhesive disc on the lower surface of the chest, surrounded by a fringe of skiu, 
and supported by the rudimental pelvic fins, the gill-opening being narrow. All 
the members of the family, which are arranged under two genera, are carnivorous 
and coast-dwelling fishes, restricted to the colder seas of the Northern Hemisphere, 
and ranging into the Arctic Ocean. They derive their name from their habit of 
attaching themselves to rocks by means of the adhesive disc. 
The members of the typical genus Cyclopterus are ugly “ lumpy ” fishes, with 
the thick, short body covered with a viscous tuberculated skin; the large head 
LUMP-SUCKER AND VIVIPAROUS BLENNY (g nat. size). 
has a very short, blunted muzzle; and there are rows of villiform teeth in the 
jaws, but none on the palate. The skeleton is remarkable for its softness, owing 
to the small amount of mineral matter entering into the composition of the bones. 
In the British species ( C . livmpus), represented in the upper figure of the accom¬ 
panying illustration, the skin is so thick as to almost conceal the first dorsal fin ; 
and in the adult the large rough tubercles are arranged in four longitudinal series 
on each side of the body. In the young, however, these tubercles are not developed. 
Although these fishes may reach a length of a couple of feet, they do not usually 
measure more than 12 or 14 inches. Yarrell writes that “in the month of March 
the colours of the lump-fish are in the highest perfection, combining various 
