TREE-GOOSE. 1 87 



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 Elizabeth. 

 "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 Ul version), 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 con- 

 tained 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 muskles are ; the other end is 

 made fast unto the belly of a rude masse or lump, 

 which in time cometh to the shape and form of a 

 bird; when it is perfectly formed, the shell gapeth 

 open, and the first thing that appeareth, is the 

 aforesaid lace or string ; next come the legs of the 

 * Herba^ p. 1587. 



