R"s for Rhinoceros. You see His clothing does not fit; Yet so indifferent is he, He doesn"t care a bit.
Although it does not seem to us The unconcerned Rhinoceros Has any claim to wit or grace, We must admire his earnest face.
S stands for Sponge. You"d scarce suppose This could be called a creature; It hasn"t any eyes or nose-- Indeed, it has no feature.
And, though this may cause some surprise, The mermaids, I dare say, Will set a Sponge at night to rise, And make sponge-cake next day.
T stands for Tiger. In the south He roams his native heath.
He has a wide, capacious mouth, And long and glistening teeth.
"Tis not worth while your time to spend To cultivate him as a friend; But to your house, so warm and snug, Invite the Tiger as a rug.
U is for the Unicorn, The dearest little thing; Though he has but a single horn, And not a single wing.
A Unicorn of any age Is nicer, so I"ve heard, To keep within a gilded cage Than a canary-bird.
V is for Vervet. From his name You"d be inclined to think This creature rather mild and tame, In color somewhat pink.
But not at all; the Vervet"s green, And very cross and s.p.u.n.ky; In fact, it"s plainly to be seen The Vervet"s just a monkey!
W is for Whale. He"s in The oceans, north and south.
He doesn"t have a dimpled chin, Nor yet a rosebud mouth.
Yet he is very fond of fun, And has wide smiles for every one.
X stands for Xiphias; he"s a fish.
If you a Xiphias should wish, Don"t let him roam around the gra.s.s, But keep him in a globe of gla.s.s.
His name, as everybody knows, Is _Xiphias Gladius_. I suppose That means the Xiphias is glad Because he wasn"t born a Shad.
Y is for Yak, Who is not very tidy; And he"s lazy, alack!
He sleeps all day Friday.
About a yard wide The Yak is, precisely; With fringe on each side He"s trimmed very nicely.
Z stands for Zibet. I"ve been told This beast was much esteemed of old; But, latterly, most people think They"d rather have a moose or mink.
In a museum that"s in Tibet They have one stuffed--he"s an Ex-Zibet!
A WAS AN ARCHER
A was an Archer, who shot at a frog; B was a Butcher, and had a great dog.
C was a Captain, all covered with lace; D was a drunkard, and had a red face.
E was an Esquire, with pride on his brow; F was a Farmer, and followed the plough.
G was a gamester, who had but ill-luck; H was a Hunter, who hunted a buck.
I was an Innkeeper, who loved to carouse; J was a Joiner, and built up a house.
K is the King, who governs England; L was a Lady, who had a white hand.
M was a Miser, and h.o.a.rded up gold; N was a n.o.bleman, gallant and bold.
O was an Oyster-Girl, who went about town; P was a Parson, and wore a black gown.
Q was a Queen, who wore a silk slip; R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.
S was a Sailor, and spent all he got; T was a Tinker, and mended a pot.
U was an Usurer, a miserable elf; V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.
W was a Watchman, and guarded the door; X was expensive, and so became poor.
Y was a Youth, that did not love school; Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.