Glimpses of Ocean Life; Or, Rock-Pools and the Lessons they TeachHarper, John
Science
Glimpses of Ocean Life; Or, Rock-Pools and the Lessons they Teach
Harper, John
Animal behavior; Marine animals -- Juvenile literature
The Diminutive Sucker, in its adult state, is said to be from two to
three inches in length; consequently Colonel Montague's first specimen
must have been an extremely young one.
The usual colour is deep orange, varied with minute dark spots. The
under parts of the body and throat are of flesh colour; the centre of
the sucker being faintly tinged with crimson.
I have seldom met with specimens measuring more than one, or one and a
quarter inches. It is a marked peculiarity in this Sucker-Fish, that
when adhering to any substance it has a constant habit of curving the
tail towards the head. In such position it will remain motionless for
several hours.
There is little difficulty in capturing the Montague Sucker in its
native haunts. It does not possess the power of darting to and fro with
the speed of the Blenny, or most other fishes, but progresses through
the liquid element with a peculiar quivering motion.
It is not a fish that can be recommended for the aquarium. A fortnight
to three weeks is the longest time that I have been able to keep a
specimen alive; indeed, until I adopted the plan of allowing each
little captive to remain quiet and undisturbed in a dark and shady
place, death ensued in the course of one or two days.
My illustrations (Plate 12) having been carefully drawn and coloured
from a living specimen, the student will, I trust, find no difficulty
in recognising the Diminutive Sucker, should he be so fortunate as to
meet with it in a rocky pool.
'There is also a fish called the Sticklebag, a fish without scales, but
hath his body fenced with several prickles. I know not where he dwells
in winter, nor what he is good for in summer, but only to make sport
for boys and _women anglers_.' Thus contemptuously does dear old Izaak
speak of the Sticklebag, or Stickleback, as it is now termed, one of
the most amusing and interesting members of the finny tribe. I have
frequently transferred specimens of the Stickleback from fresh water to
salt water, and found them live quite as well in the latter as in the
former.
The contrast, however, between the appearance of the three spined
Stickleback, when first taken from the sea, and one captured in the
fresh water pond is very remarkable. The first is dressed in a gorgeous
coat of varied colours. Around the mouth and belly it is bright
crimson, on the upper part of its body various tints of green prevail;
while in the pond specimen no red colour is visible at all, but only
white blended with green.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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