186 THE WILD-FOWLER. 



very sociable in their habits, both among their own and other 

 species. 



The sportsman, however, will find them shy, and difficult of access. 

 The best and most successful means of approaching them is under 

 sail, when they may, with large shot, be killed at a considerable dis- 

 tance if fired at on the wing : and it is not very often that a sitting- 

 shot will be obtained at a gaggle of barnacles. 



A ridiculous notion once prevailed, that this bird was not produced 

 from an egg, but from a shell or crustaceum which grew on wood 

 long immerged in salt-water, and that the gosling was hatched 

 from this shell without the warmth of the parent bird's body setting 

 upon it. This ignorant delusion arose from the circumstance that 

 these birds are frequently seen at sea swimming near and among 

 pieces of decayed wood covered with barnacles, containing downy or 

 fringed spawn of fish, which were fabulously supposed to be goslings. 

 Another notion was prevalent to the effect that they grew on trees, 

 and were hatched by the warmth of the sun. In the " Cosmographe 

 and description of Albion,' ' prefixed to the history and chronicles of 

 Scotland of Hector Boece, the author takes pains to contradict an 

 assertion as to " claik geis " (barnacle geese) growing on trees, and 

 then proceeds with a lengthened statement, to the effect that he has 

 sailed through the seas where these birds are bred, and finds, by 

 " gret experience," that " the nature of the seis is mair relevant caus 

 of thair procreationn than ony uthir thing." He then goes on to 

 state that trees being cast into the sea, in process of time become 

 worm-eaten, " and in the small boris and hollis thereof growis small 

 wormis ; first thay schaw their heid and feit, and last of all thay 

 schaw their plumis and wingis ; finaly, quwhen thay ar cumin to the 

 just mesure and quantite of geis, thay fle in the aire as othir fowlis 

 dois." We quote from the translation of old Bellenden. 



According to ancient tradition, which is asserted to have been 

 notably proved in the year 1490, in the presence of many people at 

 the castle of Petslego, a large tree was said to have been brought 

 by alluvion and flux of the sea to land ; and on dividing it with a 

 saw, there appeared " a multitude of worms thrawing thaim self out 

 of sindry hollis of this tre. Sum of thaim war rude, as they war hot 

 new schapin ; sum had baith heid, feit, and wingis, hot they had na 

 fedderis j sum of thaim war perfit schapin fowlis." 



The chronicles alluded to also record the circumstance of other trees 



