27 
It was about this time that Ray brought the weight of his 
authority against the myth. Nevertheless, the life-history of 
the Barnacle has only been worked out within the last 50 years. 
In 1830 J. Vaughan Thompson published the results of his 
searching observations on the subject, and, lastly, Darwin’s 
“ Monograph on the Cirripedia ” (1851-53) settled all points 
of difficulty in the metamorphoses of the Barnacle beyond dis- 
pute. 
The origin of the myth is due to confusion between two 
similar but unconnected words,—A. Barnacle, Fr. Bernache 
and Bernacle, both used indifferently for the crustacean and the 
bird. These are derived from the Low Latin Pernacula, diminutive 
of Perna, ashellfish (Pliny).—B. Barnacle goose, Low Latin Bernaca 
Fr. Bernache. The persistence of the myth isdue (1) to the 
fact that the Barnacle goose breeds in North Europe and not in 
Britain ; (2) to the fancied resemblances ; (3) to the love of the 
marvellous, and to prejudice partly based on the authority of the 
learned. 
The Barnacle passes through four stages—(1) the egg,(2) the 
Nauplius stage,—here the animal is microscopic, free swimming, 
with a broad shield on its back, three pairs of legs, one eye, a 
mouth and a forked tail, (3) the short Cypris stage,—the shield 
folded over, forming two valves, a pair of suctorial feelers, six 
pairs of strong swimming legs with forked ends, a pair of com- 
pound eyes and a functionless mouth, (4) the mouth resumes its 
function, the two feelers unite into a fleshy adherent peduncle, 
the three remaining valves are formed and the swimming legs 
become predatory tentacles. Thus is developed the Barnacle, a 
creature briefly summed up by Huxley as “ a crustacean fixed by 
its head and kicking the food into its mouth with its legs.” 
