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Of the Goose Tree, Barnacle Tree, or the Tree Bearing Geese

The Description.

HAving travelled from the Grasses growing in the bottome of the fenny waters, the Woods, and mountaines, even unto Libanus it selfe; and also the sea, and bowels of the same, wee are arrived at the end of our History; thinking it not impertinent to the conclusion of the same, to end with one of the marvels of this land (we may say of the World.) The history whereof to set forth according to the worthinesse and raritie 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 sufficiencie also considered; leaving the History thereof rough hewen, unto some excellent man, 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, certaine trees whereon do grow certaine shells of a white colour tending to russet, wherein are contained little living creatures: which shells in time of maturity doe open, and out of them grow those little living things, which falling into the water do become fowles, which we call Barnacles; in the North of England, brant Geese; and in Lancashire, tree Geese: but the other that do fall upon the land perish and come to nothing. Thus much by the writings of others, and also from the mouthes of people of those parts, which may very well accord with truth.

But what our eies have seene, and hands have touched we shall declare. There is a small Island in Lancashire called the Pile of Foulders, wherein are found the broken pieces of old and bruised ships, some whereof have beene cast thither by shipwracke, and also the trunks and bodies with the branches of old and rotten trees, cast up there likewise; whereon is found a certaine spume or froth that in time breedeth unto certaine shells, in shape like those of the Muskle, but sharper pointed, and of a whitish colour; wherein is contained a thing in forme like a lace of silke finely woven as it were together, of a whitish colour, one end whereof is fastned 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 lumpe, which in time commeth to the shape and forme of a Bird: when it is perfectly formed the shell gapeth open, and the first thing that appeareth is the foresaid lace or string; next come the legs of the bird hanging out, and as it groweth greater it openeth the shell by degrees, til at length it is all come forth, and hangeth onely by the bill: in short space after it commeth to full maturitie, and falleth into the sea, where it gathereth feathers, and groweth to a fowle bigger than a Mallard, and lesser than a Goose, having blacke legs and bill or beake, and feathers blacke and white, spotted in such manner as is our Magpie, called in some places a Pie-Annet, which the people of Lancashire call by no other name than a tree Goose: which place aforesaid, and all those parts adjoyning do so much abound therewith, that one of the best is bought for three pence. For the truth hereof, if any doubt, may it please them to repaire unto me, and I shall satisfie them by the testimonie of good witnesses.

Moreover, it should seeme that there is another sort hereof; the History of which is true, and of mine owne knowledge: for travelling upon the shore of our English coast betweene Dover and Rumney, I found the trunke of an old rotten tree, which (with some helpe that I procured by Fishermens wives that were there attending their husbands returne from the sea) we drew out of the water upon dry land: upon this rotten tree I found growing many thousands of long crimson bladders, in shape like unto puddings newly filled, before they be sodden, which were very cleere and shining; at the nether end whereof did grow a shell fish, fashioned somewhat like a small Muskle, but much whiter, resembling a shell fish that groweth upon the rockes about Garnsey and Garsey, called a Lympit: many of these shells I brought with me to London, which after I had opened I found in them living things without forme or shape; in others which were neerer come to ripenesse I found living things that were very naked, in shape like a Bird: in others, the Birds covered with soft downe, the shell halfe open, and the Bird ready to fall out, which no doubt were the Fowles called Barnacles. I dare not absolutely avouch every circumstance of the first part of this history, concerning the tree that beareth those buds aforesaid, but will leave it to a further consideration; howbeit, that which I have seene with mine eies, and handled with mine hands, I dare confidently avouch, and boldly put downe for verity. Now if any will object that this tree which I saw might be one of those before mentioned, which either by the waves of the sea or some violent wind had beene overturned as many other trees are; or that any trees falling into those seas about the Orchades, will of themselves beare the like Fowles, by reason of those seas and waters, these being so probable conjectures, and likely to be true, I may not without prejudice gainesay, or indeavour to confute.

The Place.

The bordes and rotten plankes whereon are found these shels breeding the Barnakle, are taken up in a small Island adjoyning to Lancashire, halfe a mile from the main land, called the Pile of Foulders.

The Time.

They spawn as it were in March and Aprill; the Geese are formed in May and June, and come to fulnesse of feathers in the moneth after. And thus having through Gods assistance discoursed somewhat at large of Grasses, Herbes, Shrubs, Trees, and Mosses, and certaine Excrescences of the earth, with other things moe, incident to the historie thereof, we conclude and end our present Volume, with this wonder of England. For the which Gods Name be ever honored and praised.

THE NOTES.

LIB. I. 1. "Our Author" (as his Editor, Johnson, would always say) first leads us to his grass plot, where we find as strange an assortment of grasses as ever mortal eyes beheld at once. Some he shows us, little or nothing known or touched before; and some he describes were never known, "feigned plants" still lacking place in the Hortus Kewensis.

The old names ring pleasantly. Windle-strawes--"The Grasse," says Johnson, popping in his inevitable word, "with which we in London do usually adorn our chimneys in Sommer time." The Elizabethan names are forgotten, "Amourettes," that is, Lonely-grasse, Shadowe-grasse, Lady's-laces. Flote-grasses swim in water. Kneed-grasse has joints like as it were to knees; Hedgehog-grasse has prickles. As to Feather-grasse, this is worn in lieu of a feather by "sundry Ladies and Gentlewomen." Some grasses have "Vertues," like those which, as Coles finely wrote in his "Art of Simpling," are enveloped within the compass of the Green Mantles wherewith Plants are adorned; thus, if a plaister be made of Dew-grasse, with hog's-grease and leaven of bread, it cureth the biting of mad dogs. Our Author makes up the names as he goes: "This I have thought good to call Silver-grasse."

Attention is soon riveted on a grass or rush growing from a pool, bearing at the top a bush of most pleasant cotton, like fine and soft white silk, while alongside it (in a relationship arbitrarily thrust upon them) grows the rush which of all others is the fairest and most pleasant to behold. Those who inquire into the history of plants as given in such records as Loudon's "Encyclopaedia of Plants" or the "Botanical Magazine" will observe that a remarkable number are stated to have been introduced to Britain about the year of the publication of the "Herball." As if in compliment to Gerard, credit for a plant's introduction seems to have been given to the year 1596, or 1597, whenever exact dates were uncertain.