OF INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS. 
400 
the outside of their shells some little white acorn-shaped lodies, looking some¬ 
thing like young Oysters; but they are not young Oysters ; they are, however, 
animals belonging to the third section of the Molluscous class, and are called 
Sea-acorns ( Balanus ). These, then, may be taken as the representatives of the 
Multivalve Mollusca. This tribe is not very large, but it is interesting as con¬ 
taining the Barnacle, a curious shell-fish, about which some singular opinions 
have been entertained. If one of these animals be examined, there will be found 
projecting from the shells a number of long slender organs called arms, which 
are clothed with hairs or cilise, so as to give them the appearance of feathers. 
Nov/ these organs—whose real use is to produce currents of water to enable the 
animal to seize its prey—were at one time supposed to be the feathers of a young 
Goose, which in due time v/ould become fitted for a very different state of 
existence. This wonder was perfectly believed by men of science a few centuries 
back. The following is the account given of this 44 woonder of England,” as it was 
called, by Gerarde in his Historie of Plants :— 44 Having travelled,” says he, 
44 from the Grasses growing in the bottome of the fenny waters, the "woods, and 
mountaines, even unto Libanus itself: and also the sea and the bowels of the 
same, we are arrived at the end of our historie, thinking it not impertinent to 
the conclusion, to end with one of the marvels of this land (we may say of the 
world) ; the historie whereof, to set forth according to the woorthiness and rarity 
thereof, would not only require a large and peculiar volume, but also a deeper 
search into the bowels of Nature than my intended purpose will suffer me to 
wade into, my insufficiencie also considered; leaving the historie thereof rough 
hewen unto some excellent men, learned in the secrets of Nature, to be both fined 
and refined. In the meane space take it as it falleth out, the naked and bare 
truth, though unpolished. There are found in the north parts of Scotland, and 
the islands adjacent, called Orchades, certain trees whereon do grow certain shell¬ 
fishes, of a white colour, tending to russet, wherein are contained little living 
creatures; which shells in time of maturitie doe open, and out of them grow those 
little living things, which falling into the water doe become fowles w T hom we call 
Barnakles, in the north of England Brant Geese, and in Lancashire Tree Geese; 
but the others that do fall upon the land perish, and come to nothing. Thus much 
from the writings of others, and also from the mouths of people of those parts, 
which may very well accord with truth.” 44 But what our eies have seen and 
hands have touched we shall declare/ Our author then goes on to describe, in 
all the minuteness of detail, the various stages of this strange transformation 
from the time of the shell first opening to the period of the young bird dropping 
into the sea, 44 where,” he says, 44 it gathereth feathers and groweth to a fowle 
bigger than a Mallard and lesser than a Goose.” 
The last group of animals in the Molluscous division is that which contains 
