25 
shields with a phonetic value—the equivalent of the “ armes 
parlantes ” or canting arms of Europe, such as the three cocks 
of Cockayne, the Cranes of Cranstoun, three whelk shells of 
Shelley, and the spear in the Shakespeare coat—is one of the most 
interesting of Mrs. Nuttall’s many important discoveries in 
Mexican Archeology, and Miss Crane felt glad to have the 
pleasure of bringing it before this Society. 
Mr. Pankhurst exhibited a specimen of Paris Quadrifolia and 
Lathrea Squamaria found in the county; and Miss Nash some 
beautiful work in feathers, though she was unable to say from 
what part of the world it came. 
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8th, 1892. 
At the close of the Annual General Meeting an Ordinary Meeting 
was held, at which a Paper, entitled : 
FACTS AND FICTIONS . CONCERNING 
BARNACLES, 
WAS READ BY 
MR. E. J. PETITFOURT, B.A, E.CP. 
The myth with which the Barnacle (Lepas Anatifera) is 
associated consisted in the belief that the animal passed through 
two transformations—fruit to fish and fish to fowl ; this opinion 
prevailed for 500 years and the following are the leading authors 
who have referred to it. 
Giraldus Cambrensis (1147-1222), a great divine under 
Henry Il. inhis “ Typographia Hibernie ” describes barnacles 
as “ birds produced from fir-timber, surrounded by shells to make 
_ them grow more freely ; they have feathers and derive their food 
and growth either from the weed or the sea. They neither hatch 
_ nor lay eggs, now do they seem to have nests” Albertus Magnus 
(b. 1205) combated the popular belief but was unable to shake it. 
4 Sir John Maundeville, contemporary of Chaucer, in his 
_ “ Voiage,” dedicated to Edward III. (1856) tells us of a con- 
