Appendix 195 



of the water, and therein floats as if stunned, in order that it 

 may more readily become a prey to the winged creature. 

 And therefore is its fat preserved with greater keenness by 

 our fishermen because it is believed to have the same virtue. 

 They are abundant with us on sea-coasts and in the Isle 

 of Wight. Our people call it an Osprey. In its habits it is 

 quiet and amenable, and most patient of hunger. For it has 

 lived with me for seven days without food, in deep repose; 

 unless indeed it was not habit that caused this, but hunger, 

 which tames all things. It refused flesh when offered to it; 

 I did not offer fish, because I understood that it lived on it. 

 Its flesh is dark. 



Of the Brent Goose. 



The Brent Goose is a web-footed sea-bird, of the appear- 

 ance of a Goose, but a little less in size, with the head small 

 and short and white, but the beak black, from which a black 

 line reaches to either eye ; the neck dusky, the lower half of 

 the body from the breast to the tail white ; the flank mouse- 

 coloured above (like the colour of a common Pigeon or 

 Crane), dusky towards the neck, and also the intermediate 

 parts towards the tail mouse-coloured ; the wings also mouse- 

 coloured, equal in length to the tail, but with the feathers 

 darkened at the tip. The tail is black from a white base, the 

 foot black and webbed. It is a gregarious and noisy bird. 

 It lives on fish, and is common with us in Britain about the 

 coasts. The common people of the Britons who live on the 

 coast, name it a Brendgose from the varied nature of its 

 colouring. The London bird-dealers call it Bernacle, yet I 

 should think that it ought to be named Berndclac or 

 Brendclac, because the Britons of old, as also the Scots, 

 called all the Geese whether of the sea, marshes or lakes 

 " Clakes," though at the present day we corruptly say Fen- 

 lakes and Fenlagges \ when we should say Fenclakes. The 

 same people, moreover, call anything variegated Brend or 

 by metathesis Bernd. Whence an animal is said to be 

 bernded or brended which is variegated with white upon 

 a mouse-coloured ground 2 , like this Goose. It is not, there- 



1 According to this notion ' Grey-Lag ' would be for ' Grey-Clak.' 

 - Possibly, then, 'Bergander' is for ' Bernd-gander.' 



13—2 



