MEMOIR OF PENNANT. 
b 
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 rvith 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 J ohn 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 
