His Beginnings 



19 



having been unjustly accused of canvassing the 

 town of Penrith with a view to tempting pupils 

 away from other schools, so that they might be 

 sheltered under his own denominational wing. 

 There was thus also some trouble of the indwelling 

 spirit, some little local tea-pot storm, but it at 

 least helped to tear up his weakened English roots. 

 After all, a touch may launch an ocean liner, so 

 why should this gentle * breeze ' not have been 

 enough to waft that tiny bark across those 

 Permian seas ! 



The second entry in his journal minutes 

 Brown s last solemn day in Penrith, a day of 

 church attendance, of prayer and parting meetings, 

 and a dedication to some High Calling. 



In the third entry he plunges into his magnum 

 opus, Memoranda on a species of Monitor or 

 Varan, styled by me * The Cape Monitor,* and 

 being either the Monitor albogularis or a variety 

 of it." 



This is the high resounding title he adopts for 

 the record of his sixty years of research into the 

 habits of that rather large South African lizard, 

 popularly known as the iguana or likkewaan. 

 Thus bluntly are we introduced to one of the major 

 passions of Brown's life, his love for reptiles. 

 But he is too impetuous, far too impatient to 

 expound the virtues and, with charity, the vices 



