CHAP. CV.

Coryla'ceac. sue'rcus.

1S29

states ‘ that certain trees grow in Voraonia, near Scotland, towards thenorth, whose fruit, falling into the water, is turned into a bird.’ Guadaguigua,an Italian author, affirms the like of the leaves of another tree; and Ruillius,in the 38th chapter of the 12th book of his History of Plants, mentions treesthat ‘ bear cockles of which birds are produced.’ This fable has been va-riously reported; and, among the Philosophical Conferences of the Virtuosi ofFrance, the subject is formally discussed, and many authorities cited, ‘ con-cerning those trees of the Hebrides; the wood whereof, being rotted in thesea, is turned into birds like ducks.’ /Eneas Sylvius, in his History of Eu-rope, says that he asked ‘ James VI. of Scotland touching those tree birdsreported to be bred there; and learned from word of mouth of that learnedking, that those trees grew not there, but in the Orcades ; whereupon /Eneastruly and handsomely replied, Miracula fugiunt.’ Our countryman, Gerard,however, gives an excellent version of this story; and his testimony shall bepreferred, as being that of an eyewitness; for his statement, he expresslydeclares, was drawn up in chief part from actual observation.” ( Amcen. Otter.,fol. 20.) The quotation from Gerard is as follows:—“There are found in thenorth of Scotland, and islands adjacent called Orchades, certain trees whereondo grow certain shells tending to russet, wherein are contained little livingcreatures ; which shells, in time of maturitie, do open, and out of them do growthose little living things, which, falling into the water, do become fowles,which we call barnahlcs ; in the north of England, brant geese; and in Lanca-shire, tree geese; but the other that do come fall upon the land, perish, andcome to nothing. Thus much from the writings of others, and also from themouths of people of those parts, which may very well accord with truth.”He then subjoins the following account of what he solemnly affirms he hadnot only seen, but touched : — “ There is a small island in Lancashire, calledthe Pile of Foulders, wherein are found the broken pieces of old and bruisedships, some whereof have been cast there by shipwracke; and also the trunksand bodies, with the branches, of old and rotten trees, cast up there likewise;whereon is found a certain spawn, or froth, that in time breaketh into certainshells, in shape like those of the muskle, but sharper-pointed, and of a whitishcolour, wherein is contained a thing in form like a lace of silke, finely wovenas it were together, of a whitish colour, one end whereof is fastened unto theinside of the shell, even as the fish of oisters and muskles; the other end is madefast unto the belly of a rude mass, or lumpe, which in time cometh to theshape and form of a bird. When it is perfectly formed, the shell gapeth open,and the first thing that appeareth is the foresaid lace, or string; next comethe legs of the bird hanging out; and, as it groweth greater, it openeth the shellby degrees, till at length it is all come forth, and hangeth only by the bill:in short space after it cometh to full maturitie, and falleth into the sea, whereit gathereth feathers, and groweth to a fowl bigger than a mallard, and lesserthan a goose, having black legs, bill, or beake, and feathers black and white,spotted in such a manner as our magpie; called in some places apie-annet;which the people of Lancashire call by no other name than a tree goose ; whichplace aforesaid, and the parts adjoining, do much abound therewith, that oneof the best is bought for three halfpence. For the truth hereof, if any doubt,let them repaire to me, and I shall satisfie themby the testimonie of good witnesses.” (Her-ball, p. 1588.) Gerard gives a curious cut ofthe barnacle, with the head of the goose peep-ing out. This extraordinary fable took itsrise from a mollusc (Lepas anatifera,y%s. 1653.and 1654.) being frequently found attachedto pieces of oak wood that had fallen intothe sea, and which animal had a kind offibrous beard, something like the feathers of abird. Fig. 1655., which represents a species ofLepas, supposed to be new, that was taken

6 c 4

1653