AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. 63 



author of the Ornithological Dictionary, Testacea Britannica, 

 a Treatise on Gunpowder and Fire-arms, and other works. 

 His various discoveries in this neighbourhood, particularly 

 of birds and nondescript marine animals, were detailed 

 in the papers of the Linnsean Transactions, and Memoirs 

 of the Wernerian Society. He was the younger son of a 

 gentleman of good family and fortune, and was born at 

 Lackham, in Wiltshire, the seat of his ancestors. He entered 

 early into the army, and served as a captain in the 15th 

 Regiment of Foot in the American war, till the year 1778, 

 when the death of his elder brother recalled him to Europe 

 to take possession of the paternal estates. He then 

 accepted a company in the militia of his native county, 

 under the command of the late Henry, Earl of Carnarvon, 

 in which he obtained the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He 

 quitted the service in 1799, and retired to this spot, 

 wholly devoting himself to those scientific pursuits which 

 rendered him so distinguished a member of the Linnsean 

 Society. He died on the 20th of June, 1815, in conse- 

 quence of a wound received in the foot, by accidentally 

 stepping on a rusty nail, which brought on lockjaw, and 

 speedily terminated his life. The valuable collection of 

 British birds and animals which the colonel had gathered 

 and preserved, was purchased after his death for upwards 

 of £1,100, by William Elford Leach, M.D., F.R.S., for the 

 British Museum.* 



JOHN CRANCH. 



In Notes and Queries for June 6th, 1868, appeared the 

 following account, which seems to have been drawn up 

 from information collected from different sources : — 



"John Cranch was bora at Kingsbridge, in Devon, on 



* Abbreviated from Hawkins. 



