OF INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS, 409 



the outside of their shells some little white acorn-shaped bodies, looking some- 

 thing like young Oysters ; but they are not young Oysters ; they are, however, 

 animals belonging to the third section of the Molluscous class, and are called 

 Sea-acorns (Balanus). These, then, may be taken as the representatives of the 

 Multi valve Mollusca. This tribe is not very large, but it is interesting as con- 

 taining the Barnacle, a curious shell-fish, about which some singular opinions 

 have been entertained. If one of these animals be examined, there will be found 

 projecting from the shells a number of long slender organs called arms, which 

 are clothed with hairs or ciliae, so as to give them the appearance of feathers. 

 Now these organs — whose real use is to produce currents of water to enable the 

 animal to seize its prey — were at one time supposed to be the feathers of a young 

 Goose, which in due time would become fitted for a very different state of 

 existence. This wonder was perfectly believed by men of science a few centuries 

 back. The following is the account given of this " woonder of England," as it was 

 called, by Gerarde in his Historic of Plants : — " Having travelled," says he, 

 " from the Grasses growing in the bottome of the fenny waters, the woods, and 

 mountaines, even unto Libanus itself: and also the sea and the bowels of the 

 same, we are arrived at the end of our historie, thinking it not impertinent to 

 the conclusion, to end with one of the marvels of this land (we may say of the 

 world) ; the historie whereof, to set forth according to the woorthiness and rarity 

 thereof, would not only require a large and peculiar volume, but also a deeper 

 search into the bowels of Nature than my intended purpose will suffer me to 

 wade into, my insufnciencie also considered ; leaving the historie thereof rough 

 hewen unto some excellent men, learned in the secrets of Nature, to be both fined 

 and refined. In the meane space take it as it falleth out, the naked and bare 

 truth, though unpolished. There are found in the north parts of Scotland, and 

 the islands adjacent, called Orchades, certain trees whereon do grow certain shell- 

 fishes, of a white colour, tending to russet, wherein are contained little living 

 creatures ; which shells in time of maturitie doe open, and out of them grow those 

 little living things, which falling into the water doe become fowles whom we call 

 Barnakles, in the north of England Brant Geese, and in Lancashire Tree Geese ; 

 but the others that do fall upon the land perish, and come to nothing. Thus much 

 from the writings of others, and also from the mouths of people of those parts, 

 which may very well accord with truth." " But what our eies have seen and 

 hands have touched we shall declare.'' Our author then goes on to describe, in 

 all the minuteness of detail, the various stages of this strange transformation 

 from the time of the shell first opening to the period of the young bird dropping 

 into the sea, " where," he says, " it gathereth feathers and groweth to a fowle 

 bigger than a Mallard and lesser than a Goose." 



The last group of animals in the Molluscous division is that which contains 



