BARNACLE GEESE— GOOSE BARNACLES. 121 



regard the word "barnacle," as applied to the cu-rhopod, 

 as a corruption of pernaatla, the diminutive of perna, a 

 bivalve mollusk, so-called from the similarity in shape of 

 its shell to that of a ham — pernactila being changed to 

 bernaaila. In some old Glossaries perna is actually spelt 

 henia. 



To arrive at the origin of the word "barnacle," or 

 "bernicle," as applied to the goose, we must understand 

 that this bird, Anser leiicopsis, was formerly called the 

 " brent," " brant," or " bran " goose, and was supposed to 

 be identical with the species, Anser torqnatns, which is now 

 known by that name. The Scottish word for " goose " is 

 *' clake," or " clakis," * and I think that the suggestion 

 made long ago to Gesner f (1558), by his correspondent, 

 Joannes Caius, is correct, that the word " barnacle " comes 

 from " branclakis," or "barnclake," "the dark-coloured 

 goose." 



Professor Max Miiller is of the opinion that its Latin 

 name may have been derived from Hibernicce, HiberniciilcB, 

 Bernicnlce, as it was against the Irish bishops that Geraldus 

 wrote, but I must say that this does not commend itself to 

 me ; for the name Bernicula was not used in the early times 

 to denote these birds. Giraldus himself described them as 

 BernaccB, but they were variously known, also, as Barliates, 

 Bernestas, Barnetas, Barbates, etc. 



I agree with Dr. John Hill,t that " the whole matter that 

 gave origin to the story is that the ' shell-fish ' (cirripedes), 

 supposed to have this wonderful production usually adhere 

 to old wood, and that they have a kind of fibres hanging 

 out of them, which, in some degree, resemble feathers of 



* See the quotation from Hector Boetius, p. loi. 

 t ' Historia Animalium,' lib. iii. p. no. 

 t ' History of Animals,' p. 422. 1752. 



K 



