170 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSS IP. 



tion of Albion," prefixed to the "History and 

 Chronicles of Scotland " of Hector Boece. In Bel- 

 lenden's translation the following account of the 

 Barnacle Goose is given : — 



" Rests now to speak of the geese engendered of 

 the sea, named Claiks. Some men believe that thir 

 (these) claiks grow on trees by the nebbis (bills), 

 but their opinion is vain ; and because the nature 

 and procreation of thir (these) claiks is strange, we 

 have made no little labour and diligence to search 

 the truth and verify thereof. We have sailed 

 through the seas where thir (these) claiks are bred, 

 and find by great experience that the nature of 

 the seas is more relevant cause of their procreation 

 than any other thing. And howbeit thir (these) 



Fig'. 103. Goose-tree (Anseres arborei), from the " Cosmographia 

 Universalis" of Sebastian Munster, printed at Basil, 15/2. 



geese are bred many sundry ways, they are bred ay 

 allanerly (only) by nature of the seas. Por all trees 

 that are cassin (cast) into tbe seas by process of 

 time appear first worm-eaten, and in the small 

 bores and holes thereof grow [small worms. First 

 they show their head and feet, and last of all they 

 show their plumes and wings. Finally, when they 

 are coming to the just measure and quantity of 

 geese, they fly in the air as other fowls do, as was 

 notably proven in the year of God one thousand 

 IIII. hundred LXXX, in the sight of many people, 

 beside the Castle of Pitslego : one great tree was 

 brought by alluvion and flux of the sea to land. 

 This wonderful tree was brought to the laird of the 

 ground, quhilk (who) soon after gait (caused) divide 

 it by one saw. Appeared then one multitude of 

 worms, throwing themselves out of sundry holes 

 and bores of this tree. Some of them were rude as 

 they were but new shapen. Some had both head, 

 feet, and wings, but they had J no feathers. 



Some of them were perfect shapen fowls. At last 

 the people having ylk (each) day this tree in more 

 admiration, brought it to the Kirk of St. Andrews, 

 beside the town of Tyre, where it remains yet to 

 our days. And within two years after happened 

 such one like tree to come into the Firth of Tay 

 beside Dundee, worm-eaten and holed, full of young 

 geese in the same manner. Suchlike into the port 

 of Leith, beside Edinburgh, within few years after 

 happened such one like case. One ship named 

 Christopher (after she had lain III years at one 

 anchor in one of thir (these) isles was brought to 

 Leith. And because her timber (as appeared) 

 failed, she was broken down. Incontinent (imme- 

 diately) appeared (as afore) all the inward parts of 

 her worm-eaten and all the holes thereof 

 full of geese, on the same manner as we 

 have shown. Altoure (moreover) if any 

 man would allege by vain argument, that 

 this Christopher was made of such trees as 

 grew allanerly (only) in the Isles, and that 

 all the roots and trees that grow in the 

 said Isles are of that nature to be finaly 

 by nature of seas resolved into geese ; 

 we prove the contrary thereof by one 

 notable example, shown before our eue 

 (eyes). Master Alexander Galloway, par- 

 son of Kinkell, was with us in thir (these) 

 Isles, giving his mind with much earnest 

 business to search the'verity of thir (these) 

 obscure and misty doubts. And by ad- 

 venture lifted up one sea-tangle [Lami- 

 narici sacchariiia ? Lamoiiroux), hanging 

 full of mussel- shells from the root to the 

 branches. Soon after he opened one of 

 thir (these) mussel-shells, but then he 

 was more astonished than afore. For he 

 saw no fish in it,'but one perfect shapen 

 fowl small and great ay efferying (propor- 

 tional) to the quantity of the shell. This clerk, 

 knowing us right desirous of such uncouth (un- 

 common) things, came hastily with the said tangle, 

 and opened it to us with all circumstance afore 

 rehearsed. By thir (these) and many other reasons 

 and examples we cannot believe that thir (these) 

 claiks are produced by any nature of trees or roots 

 thereof, but allanerly (only) by the nature of the 

 ocean sea, quhilk (which) is the cause and produc- 

 tion of many wonderful things. And because the 

 rude and ignorant people saw oftimes the fruits 

 that fell off the trees quhilkis (which) stood near 

 the sea, converted within short time into geese, 

 they believed that thir (these) 'geese grew upon 

 trees hanging by their nebbis (bills), suchlike as 

 apples and other fruits hang by their stalks ; but 

 their opinion is nought to be sustained. For as soon 

 as thir (these) apples.or fruits fall oS" the tree into 

 the sea flood, they grow first worm-eaten, and by 

 short process of time are altered into geese," 



