BARNACLE GEESE GOOSE BARNACLES. 315 



as a corruption of pernacula, the diminutive of perna, a 

 bivalve mollusk, so-called from the similarity in shape of 

 its shell to that of a ham pernacula being changed to 

 bernacula. In some old Glossaries perna is actually spelt 

 berna. 



To arrive at the origin of the word "barnacle," or 

 "bernicle," as applied to the goose, we must understand 

 that this bird, Anser leucopsis, was formerly called the 

 " brent," " brant," or " bran " goose, and was supposed to 

 be identical with the species, A nser torquatus, which is now 

 known by that name. The Scottish word for " goose " is 

 " clake," or " clakis," * and I think that the suggestion 

 made long ago to Gesnerf (1558), by his correspondent 

 Joannes Caius, is correct, that the word " barnacle " comes 

 from " branclakis," or " barnclake," " the dark-coloured 

 goose." 



Professor Max M tiller is of the opinion that its Latin 

 name may have been derived from Hiberniccz, Hiberniculce 

 Berniculce, as it was against the Irish bishops that Giraldus 

 wrote, but I must say that this does not commend itself to 

 me ; for the name Bernicula was not used in the early 

 times to denote these birds. Giraldus himself described 

 them as Bernacce, but they were variously known, also, as 

 Barliates, Bernestas, Barnetas, Barbates, &c. 



I believe that Dr. John Hill,{ following Deusingius, gave 

 the true explanation of the origin of the story, as follows. 

 The Branclake, or Brent Goose, abounds at certain times 

 of the year in the Western Islands of Scotland, and some 

 other parts of the British dominions, but rarely breeds 



* See the quotation from Hector Boetius, p. 289. 

 t Historia Animalium, lib. iii. p. no. 



j 'Review of the Works of the Royal Society of London,' 1751, 

 p. -105 ; and ' Natural History of Animals,' 1752, p. 422. 



