g6 NATURAL HISTORY. 



scientific descriptions of the figures were added and 

 systematically arranged by the eminent naturalist, Solander, 

 a pupil of Linnaeus. The work is therefore always 

 spoken of as ' Ellis and Solander's Natural History of 

 Zoophytes.' The figures of the corals described in this 

 classical treatise are remarkably good; and, to use the 

 words of Lamouroux, 'the beauty, the exactitude, and 

 the perfect execution of the plates placed this work at 

 the head of all those which had up to this time been 

 published.' 



The first to write a complete ' British Zoology ' was the 

 well-known naturalist and antiquary, Thomas Pennant, 

 one of the most energetic of men, and one of the 

 most voluminous of writers. Pennant was born on 

 the 1 4th of June 1726, at Downing in Flintshire. He 

 was a descendant of an ancient Welsh family, and as he 

 ultimately inherited the estate of Downing, he was 

 throughout his life an independent and indeed a wealthy 

 man. Very little is known of his personal life, beyond 

 what is revealed incidentally in his writings, or more 

 especially, in that most original and amusing memoir 

 which he published himself under the title of ' My Literary 

 Life.' This, however, is essentially a chronological record 

 of his tours and his principal writings. It is known, 

 however, that he was educated at Oxford ; and his taste 

 for natural history was of much earlier date than his going 

 to the university. He himself ascribes his love for the 

 study of nature to the fact that he had been presented, 

 when about twelve years old, with a copy of Willughby's 

 ' Ornithology 'the donor being the father of the celebrated 

 Mrs Piozzi. When he was twenty years old, he made the 



