174 ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAF. 



under any conditions under which I might have 

 lived." (a, e) 



(20) " I cannot trace the origin of my interest 

 in geology. I believe it to have been innate. 

 I began collecting birds and studying them be- 

 fore I went to school, and without any induce- 

 ment. I was always told by my relations that 

 my scientific pursuits would stand in my way, 

 but adhered to them notwithstanding. They 

 were not at all determined by events occurring 

 after I reached manhood ; they simply increased 

 as I grew older." (a) 



(21) "I perceive no evidence of their being 

 innate [? hereditary], unless I derived any ten- 

 dency from my mother, who was at one time 

 much with her great-uncle [. . . . the founder 

 of one of our great industries] and greatly in- 

 terested in his pursuits. She worked a good 

 deal at chemistry, and was well acquainted with 

 many of the processes in pottery. I belonged 

 to an industrious family and saw everyone work- 

 ing. The attraction I have for chemistry (which 

 is a strong one, only my profession has never 



