THE TREE-GOOSE. 363 



birds, from an egg, it was produced from a shell which grew 

 on trees and rotten wood ; and the shell was, therefore, 

 called the Goose-bearing shell (Lepas anatifera) . For this 

 foolish idea there was no other foundation than pieces of 

 wood and decayed trees being often found in parts of the 

 sea frequented by these Geese, all covered over with these 

 shells, which seem to grow upon little stalks ; and as the 

 feelers of the fish within it are feathered, or fringed, they 

 were supposed to be the downy covering of the young 

 Goslings. 



As a curious specimen of ignorant reasoning and credulity, 

 we shall extract an account, written by the sage Gerard, as 

 he was called, author of a well-known book, called GERARD'S 

 Herbal, or History of Plants. This author was born at 

 Nantwich, in Cheshire, and lived in the time of Queen Eliza- 

 beth. " There is," says he, " a small island in Lancashire 

 called the Pile of Foulders (on the west side of the entrance 

 into Morecambe-bay, about fifteen miles south of Ulverston), 

 wherein are found the broken pieces of old and bruised 

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

 old and rotten trees, cast up there likewise ; whereon is 

 found a certain spume, or froth, that in time breedeth unto 

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

 pointed, and of a whitish 

 colour, wherein is contained 

 a thing in form like a lace 

 of silke, finely woven as it 

 were together; one end 

 whereof is fastened unto the 

 inside of the shell, even as 

 the fish of oisters and inus- 

 kles are; the other end is 

 made fast unto the belly of 

 a rude masse or lump, which 

 in time cometh to the shape Bemacle Goose-shell, 



and form of a bird: when it (Ze ^ as anatifera.) 



is perfectly formed, the shell gapeth open, and the first 

 "thing that appeareth is the aforesaid lace or string; next 



