1768 NATUKALISTS HAPPY MEN 165 



instruction to me to be able to accompany you in your 

 pursuits after natural knowledge." 



Letter XXL to Pennant, written at this time, 

 November 28th, 1768, originally commenced — 



" Your obliging and communicative letter of October 23rd 

 lies before me; and ought not any longer to remain un- 

 tmswered. It is a great pleasure to me to find that amidst 

 your various and extensive correspondence, and the daily 

 labours of your work in hand, you still afford time to pay 

 regard to my trifling remarks, and discoveries ; which a man 

 cannot avoid stumbling upon now and then, if he lives 

 altogether in the country, and gives any attention at all 

 to the works of Nature. Happy the man! who knows, 

 like you, how to keep himself innocently and usefully 

 employed ; especially where his studies tend to the advance- 

 ment of knowledge, and the benefit of Society. And happy 

 would it be for many more men of fortune if they knew 

 what to do with their time; if they knew how to shun 

 ' the pains and penalties of Idleness,' how much dissipation, 

 riot, and excess would they escape; not without the com- 

 placency of finding themselves growing still better neigh- 

 bours, and better commonwealths-men ? " 



Further on the following passage occurs : — 



" I have also written to my South country correspondent 

 in Gibraltar, and urged him to take up the study of Nature a 

 little ; and to habituate his mind to attend to the migrations 

 of birds and fishes ; and to the plants, fossils, and insects of 

 that part of the world. I have also sent him your ' British 

 Zoology' that he may see what is going on at home : and my 

 Brother has sent him Eay's Synopsis avium & piscium, 

 the Systema Naturce, Eay's Synop. animalium quadrup'^ &c. 

 As to birds I fear that the concourse and din of a garrison 

 will not prove very inviting to such timid animals: and 



