Tulchan Bishops

Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 10: Swastika to Zyrianovsk and Index, p. 319

Tulchan Bishops, a term of contempt given to the titular bishops in Scotland, who in 1572 agreed to hold office, letting all the revenues of their charge, except a miserable pittance, be absorbed by the nobles as lay patrons. 'Tulchan' was a calf's skin stuffed with straw, used to induce a cow to give her milk freely.

Source scan(s): p. 0338