366 HABITS OF BIRDS. 



by the nature of the ocean sea, quhilk (which) is the 

 cause and production of many wonderful things. 

 And because the rude and ignorant people saw 

 oftimes the fruits that fell off the trees (quhilkis 

 (which) stood near the sea) converted within short 

 time into geese, they believed that yir (these) geese 

 grew upon the trees hanging by their nebbis (bills), 

 suchlike as apples and other fruits hangs by their 

 stalks, but their opinion is nought to be sustained. 

 For as soon as thir (these) apples or fruits falls off 

 the tree into the sea flood, they grow first worm- 

 eatin. And by short process of time are altered 

 into geese *." 



Passing over for the present a number of foreign 

 authorities, we shall take in preference that of Tur- 

 ner, the most distinguished English naturalist of his 

 day, and who peculiarly devoted himself to the study 

 of birds, upon which he has left us a little volume in 

 Latin, collected from the ancients, with comments 

 upon each species from what he himself had actually 

 observed. Speaking of two species of geese men- 

 tioned by Aristotle, Turner says, " The first goose is 

 now by us called brant or bernicle, and is less than the 

 wild goose, the breast being of a black and the 

 other parts of an ash colour. It flies in the manner 

 of geese, is noisy, frequents marshes, and is de- 

 structive to growing corn. Its flesh is not very 

 savoury, and is little esteemed by the wealthy. 

 Nobody has ever seen the nest or egg of the ber- 

 nicle ; nor is this marvellous, inasmuch as it is with- 

 out parents, and is spontaneously generated in the 

 following manner. When at a certain time an old 

 ship, a plank, or a pine-mast rots in the sea, some- 

 thing like fungus at first breaks out thereupon, which 

 at length puts on the manifest form of birds. After- 



* Hector Boece, Cosmographie of Albioun, by Bellenden, 

 black letter, Edinburgh, (supposed) 1541, cap. xiiii. 



