Lump Fish
or SUCKER (Cyclopte. rus lumpus), an acanthopterygious fish, so named from the clumsiness of its form. The back is arched and sharp, the belly flat, the body covered with numerous bony tubercles, the ventral fins modified into a su sucker, by means of which it adheres with great force to any substance to which it applies itself. Before the spawning season it is of a brilliant crimson color, mingled with orange, purple, and blue, but afterward changes to a dull blue or lead color. It sometimes weighs seven pounds, and its flesh is very fine at some seasons, though insipid at others. It frequents the N. seas, and is also called cock paddle, lump sucker, and sea owl.