Goose barnacle migrate, it was thought that barnacle geese, "Branta leucopsis", developed from this crustacean, since they were never seen to nest in temperate Europe, hence the English names "goose barnacle", "barnacle goose" and the scientific name "Lepas anserifera" (, "goose"). The confusion was prompted by the similarities in colour and shape. Because they were often found on driftwood, it was assumed that the barnacles were attached to branches before they fell in the water. The archdeacon of Brecon, Gerald of Wales, made this claim in his "Topographia Hiberniae". Since barnacle geese were thought to be "neither flesh, nor born of flesh",
Barnacle Bill (song) Elks Rendezvous Band) recorded a clean version in 1938. In the first Fleischer "Popeye" cartoon, "Popeye the Sailor" (1933), "Barnacle Bill" was used as the recurring theme for the Bluto character. A later Fleischer "Popeye" cartoon, "Beware of Barnacle Bill" (1935), is a mock operetta based around a toned-down version of the song. Although versions differ in their content "Barnacle Bill" is structured as an exchange between Bill and a "fair young maiden." Each verse opens with inquiries by the maiden and continues with Bill's response. This version is credited to Anonymous and appears in "Immortalia" (1927). It is published