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diff --git a/25681.txt b/25681.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1e72e3b --- /dev/null +++ b/25681.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1015 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Quadrupeds' Pic-Nic, by F. B. C. + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Quadrupeds' Pic-Nic + +Author: F. B. C. + +Release Date: June 2, 2008 [EBook #25681] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE QUADRUPEDS' PIC-NIC *** + + + + +Produced by David Wilson and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + + + + + + + + +THE QUADRUPEDS' PIC-NIC + + +LONDON +WILLIAM PICKERING +1840 + +C. Whittingham, Tooks Court, +Chancery Lane. + + + + +ADVERTISEMENT + +The "Quadrupeds' Pic-Nic" is a very humble imitation of Mrs. Dorset's +"Peacock at Home." Even in my imitation I find I am not original. The +Quadrupeds, it appears, have already had an "Elephants' Ball," and a +"Lions' Masquerade." + + F. B. C. + + + + +THE QUADRUPEDS' PIC-NIC. + + No doubt you have heard how the grasshoppers' feasts + "Excited the spleen of the birds and the beasts;" + How the peacock and turkey "flew into a passion," + On finding that insects "pretended to fashion." + Now, I often have thought it exceedingly hard, + That nought should be said of the beasts by the bard; + Who, by some strange neglect, has omitted to state + That the quadrupeds gave a magnificent fete; + So, out of sheer justice I take up my pen, + To tell you the how, and the where, and the when. + + The place which they chose was a wild chestnut ground, + (And many such spots in the new world are found,) + Where the evergreen oak and the cucumber trees + Rear aloft their tall branches, and wave in the breeze; + Where the hickory, cypress, and cabbage-tree grow, + And shade the sweet flowers that blossom below; + And the creepers and vines form a beautiful sight, + As they climb the tall shaft, and hang down from a height; + Or they mix with the long pendant moss which is found + Growing high on the branches, yet touching the ground: + From amidst the dark foliage the mocking-birds sing, + Or mimic the hum of the honey-bees' wing, + As they whirl round a flower enjoying the feast, + So unsparingly spread for bird, insect, or beast. + From afar the bald eagle is seen in the sky, + Now darting below, and now soaring on high; + Now he takes from the fish-hawk his newly caught prey, + And with speed to the forest he bears it away; + Whilst the wood is alive with a feathery throng, + Who from morning till night fill the air with their song. + On one side is the lake where the wild cattle drink, + And trample the rice which grows wild on its brink; + The freshness untouch'd of earth's beauties declare, + Neither pride, pomp, nor envy, have ever been there; + Here Nature resides--nothing human is seen; + Foot of man hath not pass'd o'er that prairie I ween, + Unless some few wandering Indians have pass'd-- + Of their sorrowing tribe perhaps nearly the last. + + I should fail to describe in a picturesque manner + The splendid repose of that grassy Savanna; + Tall shadows swept out from the forest of pine, } + The site was a fair one, the weather so fine, } + That even a quadruped thought it divine. } + + To this wild grassy spot, on the long look'd for day, + Merry parties of beasts made the best of their way; + There were bears, long and short-legg'd, black, brown, grey, and white, + From different parts, to enjoy the fine sight. + The polar bear came in a sledge, and she said + That the journey had caused a sharp pain in her head: + For, although well protected from snout to her tail, + She thought she had got a slight "coup-de-soleil;" + So she hastily called for a gallon of ice, + Which a monkey in waiting served up in a trice. + Then the jaguar, the couguar, and fierce Ocelot, + And Sir Hans Armadillo, who came at full trot, + Brother Jonathan Beaver, escaped from the trappers, + Sloth, Tortoise, and Dormouse, notorious nappers. + That beau, the musk-Ox, with his long scented hair, + And John Bull just arrived on his travels, were there; + Messrs. Martin, Hare, Squirrel, the Ermine, and Stoat, + And the rock-mountain sheep, with his cousin, the goat; + Then the sociable marmot, and tiny shrew mouse, + The raccoon and agouti from hollow-tree house. + Chinchilla the soft, musk and Canada rats, + Hounds, mastiffs, wolves, foxes, and wild tiger cats; + Jerboa just roused from his long winter nap, + Opossum, with four little babes in her lap. + The morse, seal, and otter--amphibious group! + And of bisons (the humpbacked) there came a whole troop. + It seems that the elk out of pride staid away, + Having just shed his horns, which he does about May. + The fallow and red-deer were gone to a lick, + With a numerous party, who thought themselves sick; + But the antelope, stag, and the Wapiti deer, + Notwithstanding the age of the latter, were there. + The Esquimaux dogs, red, white, brindled, and black, + Who, for fear of the wolves, had arrived in a pack, + Were not heard to speak in the course of the day, + And were thought by the rest "to have nothing to say." + But if they were silent, 'twas clear they could growl, + And on meeting the wolf, gave a wild dismal howl; + For although 'twas supposed they were slightly connected, + In quarrels and fights they'd been often detected; + Though 'tis true, all dislikes for this day were forbidden, + Yet mutual antipathies could not be hidden. + Noble horses of Spanish extraction there came, + The chief of whose party was terribly lame; + For it seems that in one of his frolicsome scampers, + Beneath a hot sun in the wide spreading Pampas, + By the rich purple fruit of the Cactus allured, + And feeling a thirst that could not be endured, + He approach'd it to eat, but his nose was not proof + Against the sharp thorns, so he struck with his hoof, + When they pierced his bare foot, and so now he limp'd in + With his fetlock bound up in a garter-snake's skin: + The vampire-bat, surgeon, now offered to bleed it, + In case as he thought his poor patient would need it; + And added, at least it could do him no harm + To try his specific, the juice of the palm. + + From the South came the puma, American lion, + Of the old house of Leo degenerate scion. + The tapir, and also that excellent diver, + Alligator, or Cayman, from Amazon river; + And with him the Llama, whose sad trick of spitting + Was thought by the company very unfitting. + But, to shorten my tale, all the New World were there, + From the tiny shrew mouse to the fierce grisly bear; + Though it seems that the peccary was not invited, + For he as a nuisance had just been indicted. + From the Old World, the lion and tiger with glee + Would have join'd them, but dreaded the journey by sea. + + Beneath some fine trees, on the beautiful green, + A knot of philosophers was to be seen + Looking gravely about, and conversing together; + Some on learning and science, and some on the weather. + Dr. Mole on geology talk'd in high strain, + And declared his researches had not been in vain, + And that many geologists would have been glad + To have found opportunities such as he had; + For whilst searching for food in his underground travel, + Midst fossils, roots, shells, hid in chalk, sand, or gravel, + He the monstrous remains of great mammoths had seen, + Who no longer existed, but who once had been; + "The theories about them are various," said he, + "As to how they came there, and what they may be; + But not one of these I incline to receive, + For that they were elephants, who can believe? + There was one Mr. Cuvier, who talk'd of the sloth, + But to listen to nonsense like this I am loth; + From the strength of their limbs, and the make of their paws, + From the shape of their bodies, and length of their claws, + I am firmly convinced they're related to me, + And to this all philosophers ought to agree; + For how could such creatures have got into holes, + Unless, ('tis my theory,) they had been moles?" + He ceased, then just turn'd his diminutive eyes, + First round to the company, then to the skies, + And receiving applause from all who sate round, + He threw up his hill, and escaped underground. + Signor Greyhound, a foreigner, talk'd of the swamps, + Of the ague and fever, both caused by the damps; + Then quickly proceeded the climate to quiz, + And exclaim'd, "In Italia we've nothing of this!" + + Mr. Hog said that he had sent over his daughter + To England, to have all the sciences taught her; + And learned she was, all the world must allow, + For the Savants pronounced her a wonderful sow. + She was heard to grunt forth an unwilling apology, + For daring to boast of her skill in Nosology, + And presuming to hint what a dab she'd been found, + At extracting the root, whether square root, or round. + + Some beavers complain'd of that biped call'd man, + Who does to their race all the harm that he can, + Some of whom, not long since, came to kidnap and pillage + The whole of their neighbouring water-bound village, + And they guess'd the snake-Indians caught many a score, + To stew down the tails for their great Sagamore. + + The hedgehog, who always lies snug in his nest, + Till his fourfooted neighbours betake them to rest, + Now changed his old custom for once in a way, + Unroll'd his warm nose, and came forth in the day. + He sought for the cow, and implored the good dame + Would find out some means to restore his fair fame, + For there still was prevailing a cruel belief + That oft in the night he came forth as a thief; + So he lived in continual danger and strife, + Though he never had tasted her milk in his life. + On the faith of a hedgehog he dared to affirm, + That he seldom found courage to injure a worm. + Mrs. Cow was astonish'd; she never had heard + A report more untrue, a belief so absurd. + She urged that his mouth was too little by half + To steal the sweet milk that she meant for Miss Calf; + And concluded by saying, "'Tis surely enough + To mention (excuse me) your coat is so rough, + If even supposing that you should not fear me, + I never could suffer your skin to come near me." + + An old porcupine, too, just begg'd leave to observe, + That reports had been spread which he did not deserve; + To say he was "fretful," was using him ill, + He would prove the reverse to his very last quill; + Though he now bristled up at the simple idea, + This was often, with him, but a symptom of fear. + As he spoke, a poor toad, who had sate quite aloof + In a hovel of earth, with a stone for a roof, + Now slowly, on tiptoe, crept out of his hole, + And into the midst of the company stole; + The quadrupeds gazed as the reptile drew nigh, + Half afraid of his looks, though they could not tell why. + Mouse's hair stood on end, and, still stranger to say, + Miss Chameleon changed colour, and fainted away. + Poor bufo confess'd, as he sate in the dark, + He had listen'd to porcupine's brilliant remark, + And had thought it was due to himself and posterity, + T' expose a new case of the poets' temerity. + The poets, who kindly, but falsely, had said, + That he carried a beautiful gem in his head; + A jewel he thought would be quite out of place, + With his rustic brown coat, and his sallow green face, + And he knew not how people could think it was true, + Unless they had seen him when spangled with dew. + His Surinam friend could they possibly mean, + Who carried her little ones set in her skin. + Those alone were the jewels his friend ever wore, + Like Cornelia's, the good Roman matron of yore. + Having stated the case with regard to attire, + He said, with some warmth, that he did not spit fire: + And he ask'd why the wise ones omitted to hint + Where he carried his tinder, his steel, and his flint: + That his time was more usefully spent, he might say, + In chasing the vagrants and spectres away. + Every member of reptile society knew + That of insects and grubs he destroy'd not a few: + His wife had just miss'd a huge pioneer spider, + Who fled to his home, and then rudely defied her, + And e'en bang'd his door in her face to deride her. + + The marmot was "tchatting" away without end, + With a burrowing owl, his old neighbour and friend, + Who, being a bird in whom marmot confided, + Had hired his cottage, in which he resided. + The landlord just hinted, that when he lived there, + He had kept the old hovel in charming repair; + The walls neatly mended, the parlour swept clean, + And never a cobweb nor grain to be seen; + But that now this once pleasant and rural retreat, + By his tenant, the owl, was no longer kept neat; + That the little round chamber, and long slanting hall, + For the want of attention, were likely to fall; + Such a mess and confusion he could but deplore, + And he thought, at the least, she might plaster the floor, + Just turn out of doors all the shells of her eggs, + And those heaps of dried beetles' and butterflies' legs. + The poor owl, who spoke well in the prairie-dog tongue, + Now found an excuse, in the care of her young; + Alleged the hard times; that is, beetles were few, + So to find them in food she had plenty to do. + + The raccoon stood apart in a beautiful glade, + Much disturb'd by the noise that the company made, + And there with a friend he stay'd fretting and pining, + To hear such a bellowing, howling, and whining. + "Oh! those red-monkeys' shrieks," his old friend would begin, + "Niagara surely don't make such a din; + Let us get in this tree, 'tis the squirrel's old barn, + And (as Captain Seal says) I'll there spin a yarn. + I awoke very early to come to this feast, + Ere the sun warm'd the top of that hill in the east, + And forth from my lodging proceeded to creep, + For the wild turkey's 'gobble' had broken my sleep. + Then I climb'd some tall maize plants, and ate up the ears, + And enjoy'd the repast, notwithstanding my fears; + For great is my awe of the red Indian's gun, + And I thought I had caught a slight glimpse of one. + I saw, too, a rattlesnake creeping hard by, + And heard his tail clatter, and mark'd his red eye. + He coil'd himself up, for he spied me right soon, + And was wishing, no doubt, for a bit of raccoon; + Then, thinking the risk of a rifle in truth, + Was better by far than his poisonous tooth, + I hasten'd away from the much dreaded place, + That I might not be coil'd in his slimy embrace. + I rambled along to our nook in the beach, + And swallow'd the oysters that lay within reach. + Then traversed in haste the Savanna so wide, + Till I found the tall pine where you usually hide. + Then I scamper'd away o'er the Indigo fields, + Soon pass'd the old maple, (what sugar it yields!) + I travell'd along to the cabbage-palm quay, + Turn'd short by the far-spreading tall tulip tree. + Through forest and plain, and through dark dismal swamp, + And lighted alone by the firefly's lamp, + Which, fluttering around me, now here and now there, + Rings of gold to my fancy seem'd form'd in the air, + Till now at the brink of the lake I arrive, + Reconnoitre the spot, and prepare for a dive, + Then plunged in the water, and over I swam, + Quickly climb'd the green bank, and so now here I am! + + "But I will not detain you with tales of the north, + Of the riches and beauties that nature brings forth; + I should fail in describing what flowers abound, + Rhododendrons and kalmias empurpling the ground; + How the laurels' gay berries, of deep coral red, + Hang far out from their cones on a bright silver thread; + How white lilies, azalias, enliven the green, + But will speak of the south, which will vary the scene. + + "The Puma, the Llama, and tapir elate, + Tell their tales of the Mexican gardens and state; + That in midst of a lake those bright swimming isles float, + Which are paddled about like a raft or a boat; + Then they boast of the flowers, the pepper, and maize, + And give one accounts of the natives' strange ways: + If a man be annoy'd by his neighbour, they say, + He will take his plantation and row it away. + The trees are luxuriant, the mora, whose size + Fills the wanderer's mind with delight and surprise; + The ebony, green-heart, and letter-wood tree, + The locust and parasite fig you may see; + On the Concourite's branch Ara parrots assemble, + Whose blue and red feathers the rainbow resemble. + There the trumpeter's sounds and the goatsucker's moans + Are mistaken sometimes for the dying man's groans: + And faintly is heard near the Essequibo + The sad 'whip-poor-will,' and the 'willy-come-go.'" + + Here a seal shuffled up, and, just waving his fin, + Requested permission a word to put in. + "Though the beauties of plain and of forest you know, + Yet who can describe all the wonders below? + On a soft bed of sponge in the deep sea I lie, + And watch the huge shark and the grampus glide by; + Or amidst groves of coral I play at bo-peep, + Or I float where the porpoise and flying-fish leap. + I have seen the thin nautilus trimming her sail, + And the Geyser-like waterspout made by the whale; + To this lord of the ocean there clung a whole bevy + Of parasite barnacles waiting his 'levee.' + I have seen the small soldier-crab coated in red, + With the shell of a whelk for a home overhead; + And the limpet, who, cased in a house of his own, + Shuts out all the air, and sticks fast to a stone; + And the fights of the quarrelsome swordfish and shark, + Which have lasted from morning until it was dark. + + "Bright clusters of zoophite flowers I've seen, + Sea anemonies, purple, red, orange, and green, + That with petal-like fingers waylay the small fry + Who gaze on their hues, but gaze only to die; + Like the flower that buries a fly in its cup, + They draw in their feelers, and swallow them up. + One day, after lingering long in that place, + The cuttlefish spurted some ink in my face, + As it enter'd my eyes, for a time I was blind, + From a fish with three hearts this was very unkind. + + "In the course of my travels I often have seen + Th' effects of the dreadful electric machine; + Of the gymnotus eel, with one stroke of his tail + He would make the stout African elephant quail, + Or the heart of the horny rhinoceros quake, + Oh! may he ne'er visit this land or this lake. + The small swimming spider, with silky lined cell, + I have seen her manoeuvre her own diving-bell. + They are endless the wonders of shallow and deep, + But I spare you the list, you are falling asleep." + + The rest of the party amused themselves well, + Seeking insects and fruits in each dingle and dell: + Some stroll'd in the shade, others bask'd in the sun, + Whilst some with the cubs had a good game of fun. + The much injured hedgehog was hunting for plants, + The ant-bears, both greater and lesser, caught ants; + With their long slimy tongues hanging out from the mouth, + Though they thought they preferr'd the great grubs of the south. + Some traced out the store of the wild honey-bee, + Hoarded up in the trunk of an old hollow tree, + Then but sparingly tasted, although it was good, + Being told by their dams it was dangerous food. + The sloths, two and three toed, were hardly awake; + The fox caught his tail, and the Caiman a snake, + Which was wriggling along to a lark's low-built nest, + To tear the soft young from the mother's warm breast. + The sheep and the cow, in apparent dejection, + Were quietly chewing the cud of reflection. + The cavies and ermines were running a race, + Armadillo was off to a grasshopper chace. + The cat was surprised to see animals roam, + And she purr'd when she thought of her kitten at home. + + Report said, a puppy got into a scrape, + By making remarks on the walrus's shape, + On her great staring eyes, and her ugly thick lips, + Her small head, her short neck, and the breadth of her hips; + But he said, "upon honour he meant no offence," + And she, by forgiving him, shew'd her good sense. + The fox (cunning rogue!) too, complain'd of opossum, + For smuggling her young to the feast in her bosom; + For, as he was peeping and prying about, + "He had seen the young scapegraces get in and out." + + The land mouse, the water, and long-tail'd mouse, too, + Tiny field mouse, that turn'd up nose vixen the shrew, + The harvest mouse, fresh from a settler's rick, + Were condemn'd by the great ones as not of their clique; + These reclined round a mole hill, and each dipp'd his paw + In a cocoa-nut bowl fill'd with rice, "en pillau." + And the harvest mouse took most exceeding great pains + To squeak them a stanza in honour of grains. + + +MOUSE'S SONG. + + "An ear of corn, a grain of rice, + Banquet rich for simple mice; + A leaf his bed, a hole his house, + Who could hurt a harmless mouse? + + "Grasshopper, so green and gay, + See him as he bounds away! + Without bridle, spur, or stirrup, + Oh! what music in that chirrup! + + "Mosquito humming merrily, + Glads us all most cheerily; + Admire his transparent wing, + But as you look, avoid his sting. + + CHORUS. + + "Squeak! squeak! beware the owl's beak, + Our hearts, like our voices, are so very weak." + + +THE SUPPER. + + "Hark! hark! to the sound now my comrades rejoice, + 'Tis the bell-bird who calls us, I know well his voice; + Campanero, who graciously offer'd his song + When the feast was prepared, 'tis his ding-a-dong-dong;" + So exclaim'd a poor turnspit, their cook, who'd been toiling + All day very busily roasting or broiling. + At this moment that spoiler of pic-nics, a shower, + Obliged them to rush to the vine-cover'd bower, + Where in it--oh! joy to the hungry! they found + The repast long expected laid out on the ground. + They had raised to the office of "maitre d'hotel" + The glutton, (and who could perform it so well?) + Who with excellent taste, and an eye to a share, + Had collected the following luxuries there:-- + The cat-fish, the sturgeon, and hickory shad, + Bass and gar in such plenty it made their hearts glad; + The sun and the moon-fish, the star-fish and dab, + The sting-ray and sheepshead, drum, grooper and crab; + Turkey-buzzards, swans, eagles, form'd excellent hashes, + When flavour'd with tallow-nuts, pompions, and squashes; + Baked frogs, "en surprise," from a forest on fire, + Flamingoes, removed by a huge Lammergeyer; + Gulls, ravens, herons, boobies, bald-coots, water-hens, + And yards of strung ortolans, linnets, and wrens; + Loons, noddies, and nuthatches cook'd in a stew, + Whale blubber "en gras," and guanas "au bleu;" + Jerk'd beef from the south, and large watersnake broth, + And a great dish of pemmican brought from the north; + Green branches of trees from the beaver's damp hut, + Bowls of milk from the cow-tree and hickory-nut; + Then venison "en cache," maize, wild rice, and, to boot, + Guavas, cranberries, mangoes, grapes, shaddock, breadfruit! + + Here they sate and discuss'd the magnificent fare + Which the glutton had superintended with care. + The monkeys in helping were very officious, + The bears suck'd their paws, and pronounced it delicious. + Of the noise-dreading Mr. Raccoon it was said, + That he sopp'd all his food, which was voted ill-bred; + And that, puff'd with conceit, he declared he look'd wise, + A distinction he owed to his spectacled eyes. + 'Twas observed too (you know how the gossips will talk,) + Master guinea-pig stuff'd till he hardly could walk, + Though which dainty was best it was hard to determine: + The meat was too fresh for the epicure ermine; + To which glutton answered, "That all he could say + Was, that it, like himself, was 'bien mortifiee.'" + + All the others declared themselves very well pleased, + Though it must be confess'd they were terribly squeezed + By the poor little cubs, whom their dams would insert + Between the grown quadrupeds' seats at dessert. + + The llamas departed while yet it was light, + As they always objected to travel by night, + And were trotting along, never thinking of harm, + When their friends heard the tree-frog foretelling a storm; + There he sate on a bough, with his keen glassy eye + Most sagaciously blinking and watching the sky, + Then he look'd to the east, and thus hoarsely he spoke, + "There's a terrible storm coming up, croak! croak! croak!" + + The soft cooing ground-dove creeps close to her mate + At this sound of alarm, which all living things hate; + The snake-bird is startled, and drops from her bough + To dive in the stream that runs swiftly below. + Whilst perch'd on a tree the wood-pelican's dreams + Are disturb'd by the crane's and the crying-bird's screams. + The tortoise made off at the mention of rain, + And troops of scared quadrupeds scour the plain! + + The rest quickly rise from their seats in affright, + To see if the warner has told them aright, + As they flatter themselves that it may be mere fancy, + Or put little faith in the toad's necromancy; + They find he speaks truly, the storm is approaching, + Dark clouds o'er the beautiful blue are encroaching, + The tempest lays low the tall grass in the field, + To the furious blasts even forest-trees yield; + All is silent at first, then the loud cracking thunder + Bursts at once o'er their heads, and o'erwhelms them with wonder! + His danger by instinct each quadruped knows, + Now confusion has taken the place of repose: + The bears shake their coats, and roll off with a growl, + Wolves, dogs, wolverenes, scamper off in full howl. + With their quills mounting guard, timid porcupines wait, + Whilst the Jaguar and Couguar crouch low and retreat. + The sloth gently draws himself up on a bough, + The raccoon slyly enters the hollow below. + Mice, hedgehogs, and tortoises creep to their holes, + And their fortified refuge is sought by the moles. + Seals and otters plunge silently into the lake, + Mrs. Beaver, too, dives with her young in her wake. + The tapir returns to his home in the fens, + The marmots are off to their underground dens, + And the wishtonwish marmot, the kind prairie dog, + Makes room in his hole for the tortoise and frog. + The hamster runs home, with the pouch in his cheek + Stuff'd with various provisions enough for a week; + Then stores in his dark lonely cell the rich pelf, + For, ill bred and greedy, he cares but for self. + No children, no wife, no companion had he, + With his very best friend he could never agree, + But lived by himself without pleasure or mirth, + In a hermit-like vault, five feet deep in the earth; + But the sentinel marmot's shrill whistle of fear + Echoes loud o'er the plain, and is heard far and near + By his joyous allies, for whose safety he cared, + And whose dangers, mirth, sorrows, and dwelling he shared. + And Mrs. Opossum, good dame, holds her breath, + Safely pockets her young, and as usual, feigns death; + Till the storm has blown over they lie in their sack, + Whilst the seal scrambles home with her cub pic-a-back. + Sir Hans Armadillo, coil'd up in a ball, + From the edge of a precipice lets himself fall; + Being arm'd "cap-a-pie," he rolls safely away, + And lives, without doubt, in his hole to this day. + The rein-deer most kindly was offer'd to share + In her cold wintry drive by the white polar bear; + And she proffers a seat in her sledge, for she knows + 'Tis a long weary way to her region of snows; + Besides, she is eager to join the dear child + She had left on an ice-floe alone to run wild. + Savage wolf, being greedy, fell into a trap, + Mr. Glutton was kill'd e'en whilst taking a nap; + And the badger, poor fellow! for shelter must roam, + For he finds the red fox has got into his home. + On an island of ice floats the walrus away, + With her cub in her fins, who upbraided her stay, + The joys of the feast deeply sank in her heart, + Like the rest of the guests she was loth to depart. + + And now, the repast being greatly diminish'd, + By ravens and vultures is speedily finish'd. + The tempest has ceased, the wilds beasts are at rest, + And each tiny quadruped lies in his nest. + Once more o'er the landscape the long shadows creep, + The repose and the darkness soon lull them to sleep, + For nothing is heard in the once noisy land, + Save the whip-poor-will telling that night is at hand. + + +MORAL. + + In life, as in prairies, there's danger abroad, + While love and kind hearts the best pleasures afford; + Though what we are seeking the pleasantest seems, + Disappointments and storms oft assail our best schemes. + + Howe'er we may plan them, wherever we roam, + Our comforts and joys we at last find at home; + There we live on in quiet with those we love best, + And the voice of affection there lulls us to rest! + + +C. WHITTINGHAM, TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Quadrupeds' Pic-Nic, by F. B. C. + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE QUADRUPEDS' PIC-NIC *** + +***** This file should be named 25681.txt or 25681.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/6/8/25681/ + +Produced by David Wilson and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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