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174   ENGLISH MEN OF SCIENCE.   [czar.

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 before I went to school, and without any inducement. 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 tendency from my mother, who was at one time much with her great-uncle [. . . . the founder of one of our great industries] and greatly interested 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 working. The attraction I have for chemistry (which is a strong one, only my profession has never