104 HISTORY OF THE 



or roots thereof, but allanerly [only] by the nature of the ocean 

 sea, quhilk [which] is the cause and production of many wonder- 

 ful 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 be- 

 lieved that thir [these] Geese grew upon the trees hanging by 

 their nebbis [bills], such like 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 wortneatin. And by short process of 

 time are altered into Geese." 



And Wm. Turner, a distinguished English naturalist, born 

 about 1515, in speaking of two species of Geese mentioned by 

 Aristotle, 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 ashy color. It flies in the 

 manner of Geese, is noisy, frequents marshes, and is destructive 

 to growing corn. Its flesh is not very savoury, and is little es- 

 teemed by the wealthy. Nobody has ever seen the nest or egg 

 of the Bernicle; nor is this marvelous, inasmuch as it is with- 

 out parients, 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, something like fungus at first breaks out 

 thereupon, which at length puts on the manifest form of birds. 

 Afterwards these are clothed with feathers, and at last become 

 living and flying fowl. Should this appear to anyone to be 

 fabulus, we might adduce the testimony not only of the whole 

 people who dwell on the coasts of England, Ireland and Scot- 

 land, but also that of the illustrious histographer, Gyraldus, 

 who has written so eloquently the history of Ireland, that the 

 Bernicles are produced in no other way. But since it is not 

 very safe to trust to popular reports, and as I was, considering 

 the singularity of the thing, rather sceptical even witli respect 

 to the testimony of Gyraldus while I was thinking over the 

 subject I consulted Octavian, an Irish clergyman whose strict 

 integrity gave me the utmost confidence in him, as to whether 

 he considered Gyraldus worthy to be trusted in what he had 



