CUCULUS CANORUS. 525 



happened. A ship named the ' Cristofir,' after having lain three years at 

 anchor, was brought to Leith, and being rotten, was broken down. As 

 before, all the inward parts were worm-eaten and all the holes full of geese 

 in the same manner as we have shown. And if any man allege by vain 

 argument that this ' CristohY was made of the trees that grew in these isles, 

 and that all the roots and trees that grow on these isles are of the nature to 

 be finally by nature turned into geese by the sea, we prove the contrary by 

 a notable example shown before our own eyes. Mr Alexander Galloway of 

 Kinkell was with us, who expressed a most earnest desire to search the 

 verity of these obscure and misty doubts, and by chance lifted up a sea 

 tangle hanging full of mussel shells from the root to the branches. He 

 opened one of the mussel shells, and was more astonished than before, for 

 he saw no fish in it, but a perfect shaped fowl. This person, knowing we 

 were desirous of such uncouth things, came hastily with the said tangle 

 and opened it before our eyes as said. By these and many other reasons 

 and examples we cannot believe that the claiks are produced by any trees 

 or roots, but always by the nature of the ocean sea, which is the cause of 

 many wonderful thiugs. And because rude and ignorant people, often saw 

 the fruit that fell from the trees (which stood near the sea) converted into 

 geese they believe that these geese grew upon the trees hanging by their 

 nebbs like apples or other fruits on their stalks ; but their opinion is not to 

 be sustained. For as soon as these apples or fruits fall off the tree in the 

 sea flood they grow first worm-eaten and by short process of time are altered 

 into geese." 



Can any faitli or belief be more tellingly absurd than this — 

 no matter whether it be natural history or priest-planned 

 theology, and only equalled by this extract from " Gerard's 

 Herbal" (page 1587), which also declares : — 



" What our eyes have seen and hands have touched we shall declare. 

 There is a small 'island in Lancashire called the Pile of Foulders, wherein 

 are found pieces of old ships and trunks of old rotten trees cast thither by 

 the sea, whereon is found a certain spume or froth that in time breedeth 

 certain shells of a whitish colour, wherein is contained a thing like a lace 

 of silk finely woven together, one end whereof is fastened unto the inside 

 of the shell, as the fish of oysters and mussels are. The other end is made 

 fast unto the belly of a rude mass or lump, which in time cometh to the 

 form and shape of a bird. When perfectly formed the shell gapeth open, 

 and the first thing that appeareth is the foresaid lace or string ; next 

 cometh the legs of the bird, hanging out, and as it groweth greater it 

 openeth the shell by degrees till it is all come forth, and hangeth only by 

 the bill. In short space after it falleth into the sea, where it gathers 

 feathers and groweth to a fowl bigger than a mallard and lesser than a 

 goose, having black legs and bill, and feathers black and white, spotted in 

 such a manner as our magpie — called in some places pie— Annet — which 

 the people in Lancashire call a tree goose, where they abound so much that 

 the best are bought for threepence. For the truth hereof, if any doubt, let 

 them write unto me and I shall satisfy them by the testimony of good 

 witnesses." 



Can any faith be more absurd, yet faithfully believed in, than 

 this 1 or could any " claik geese" exceed the human ones who 

 believed it 1 I merely introduce this as it may interestsome readers 

 to know the ignorance and alsolute faitli our forefathers had in 



