MEMOIR OF PENNANT. O 



our young naturalist was sent to a neighbouring 

 farm-house, and a nurse, whose maiden name had 

 been Pennant, was selected; who, with her husband, 

 were proud of the honour, and laid aside their own 

 name to adopt that of their charge. 



We are not in possession of many incidents in 

 the early life of Pennant, or indeed with any part of 

 it unconnected with his literary labours. The life 

 of a person devoted to the acquirement of know- 

 ledge does not leave place for romantic incident ; 

 and where the works have been very voluminous, a 

 review of their contents is almost the best history of 

 the ideas and feelings of their author. Before the 

 death of his father, he resided principally at Bych- 

 ton, but was at this time possessed of little income 

 to follow what had been his favourite and earliest 

 pursuit. He tells us, " that a present of the Orni- 

 thology of Francis Willoughby, made to me when I 

 was about twelve years of age, by my kinsman the 

 late John Salisbury, Esq. first gave me a taste for that 

 study, and incidentally a love for that of natural his- 

 tory in general, which I have since pursued with my 

 constitutional ardour." 



At a very early period of his life he seems to have 

 enjoyed excursions, or, as he termed them, " Tours!' 

 to the different places of consequence in the vicinity 

 of his residence. His first was from Oxford to 

 Cornwall, when about the age of twenty, which 

 shewed him the valuable mining districts of that 

 country, and turned his attention to the study of 



