40 HISTORY OF BOTANY. 



" Of the Goose tree, Barnakle tree, or the tree bearing 

 Geese. Chap. 167," 



" The Description. 



*'Hauing trauelled from the Grasses growing in the 

 bottome of the fenny waters, the woods, and mountaines, 

 euen vnto Libanus it selfe ; and also the sea, and bow^els of 

 the same : we are arriued to the end of our Historie, thinking 

 it not impertinent to the conclusion of the same, to end with 

 one of the maruels of this land (we may sa}^ of the world). 

 The Historie whereof to set foorth according to the 

 woorthines and raritie thereof, woulde not onely require a 

 large and peculiar volume, but also a deeper search into the 

 bowels of nature,' then my intended purpose wil suffer me 

 to wade into, my insufficiencie also considered ; leaning the 

 historie thereof rough hewen, vnto 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 vnpolished. There are founde in the 

 north parts of Scotland and the Hands adiacent, called 

 Orchades certaine trees, whereon doe growe certaine shell 

 fishes, of a white colour tending to russet; wherein are 

 conteined little lining creatures ; which shels in time . of 

 maturitie doe open, and out of them grow those little liuing 

 things; which falling into the water, doe become foules, 

 whom we call Barnakles, in the north of England Brant 

 Geese, and in Lancashire tree Geese ; but the other that do 

 fall vpon the land, perish, and come to nothing : thus much 

 by the writings of others, and also from the mouths of people 

 of those parts, which may very well accord w4th truth. 



" But what our eies haue scene, and hands haue touched, 

 we shall declare. There is a small Ilande in Lancashire 

 called the Pile of Foulders, wherein are found the broken 

 peeces of old and brused ships, some whereof haue beene 

 cast thither by shipwracke, and also the trunks or bodies 



