THE OAK. 15 



this tree. The word barnacle is said to be derived from 

 bairn, a child, and acle, the aac, or oak. The quaint old 

 botanist, Gerard, tells the story so faithfully, that I cannot 

 do better than transcribe his own words : " There are 

 found in the North of Scotland, and Islands adjacent, 

 called Orchades, certain trees whereon do grow certain 

 shells tending to russet, wherein are contained little living 

 creatures ; which shells, in time of maturitie, do open, and 

 out of them do grow those little living things, which, 

 falling into the water, do become fowles, which we call 

 barnakles ; in the North of England, brent-geese ; and in 

 Lancashire, tree-geese ; but the other that do fall upon the 

 land perish, and come to nothing. Thus much from the 

 writings of others, and also from the mouths of people 

 of those parts, which may very well accord with truth." 

 This he gives from the report of others ; now for what is 

 proved by the evidence of his own senses : " There is a 

 small island in Lancashire, called the Pile of Toulders, 

 wherein are found the broken pieces of old and bruised 

 ships, some whereof have been cast there by shipwracke ; 

 and also the trunks and bodies, with the branches, of old 

 and rotten trees, cast up there likewise, whereon is found 

 a certain spawn, or froth, that in time breaketh into 

 certain shells, in shape like those of the muskle, but 

 sharper pointed, and of a whitish colour, wherein is con- 

 tained a thing in form like a lace of silke, finely woven as 

 it were together, of a whitish colour, one end whereof is 

 fastened unto the inside of the shell, even as the fish of 

 oisters and irmskles ; the other end is made fast unto the 

 belly of a rude mass, or lumpe, which in time cometh to 

 the shape and form of a bird. When it is perfectly 

 formed the shell gapeth open, and the first thing that 

 appeareth is the foresaid lace, or string ; next come the 

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

 openeth the shell by degrees, till at length it is all come 

 forth, and hangeth only by the bill ; in short space after 

 it cometh to full maturitie, and falleth into the sea, where 



