By other Nature books I’m sure, You’ve often been misled, You’ve tried a wall‑flower to secure, And “picked a hen” instead: You’ve wondered what the egg‑plants lay, And why the chestnut’s burred, And ...

Who is there who has never heard, About the Burdock and the Bird? And yet how very very few, Discriminate between the two, While even Mr. Burbank can’t, Transform a Bird into a Plant....

Some are unable, as you know, To tell the Crocus from the Crow; The reason why is just be‑caws They are not versed in Nature’s laws. The noisy cawing Crows all come, Obedient to the Cro’custom, A larg...

The Plover and the Clover can be told apart with ease, By paying close attention to the habits of the Bees, For En‑to‑molo‑gists aver, the Bee can be in Clover, While Ety‑molo‑gists concur, there is n...

The Gander loves to promenade, Around the farmer’s poultry yard, While as we see, the Oleander Is quite unable to meander: The Gardener tied it up indeed, Fearing that it might run to seed....

Lichens, regardless of conventions, Exist in only two dimensions, A life restricted to a plane, On rocks and stones a greenish stain, They live upon the simplest fare, A drop of dew, a breath of air. ...

The Panicle and Pelican have often been confused, The letters which spell Pelican, in Panicle are used. If you recognize this Anagram you’ll never go astray, Or make the careless blunder that was made...

To tell the Pewee from the Pea, Requires great per‑spi‑ca‑city. Here in the pod we see the Pea, While perched close by is the Pewee; The Pea he hears the Pewee peep, While Pewee sees the wee Pea weep,...

The Parrot and the Carrot one may easily confound, They’re very much alike in looks and similar in sound, We recognize the Parrot by his clear articulation, For Carrots are unable to engage in convers...

When you awake at half‑past‑two, And hear a “Cock‑a‑doodle‑doo,” No argument need then ensue, It is the Rooster, not the Rue, Which never thus disturbs our dreams, With ruthless rude nocturnal screams...

To recognize this bird‑of‑prey, The broody hen you should survey: She takes her chicks on daily walks, Among the neighboring Hollyhocks, While with the Hawk association, Is quite beyond her toleration...

Very few can Tell the Toucan From the Pecan⁠— Here’s a new plan: To take the Toucan from the tree, Requires im‑mense a‑gil‑i‑tee, While anyone can pick with ease The Pecans from the Pecan trees. It’s ...

The Cat‑bird’s call resembles that Emitted by the Pussy Cat, While Cat‑nip growing by the wall, Is never known to caterwaul: Its odor though attracts the Kits, And throws them in Cat‑nip‑tion fits....

The California Quail is said To have a tail upon his head, While contrary‑wise we style the Kale, A cabbage‑head upon a tail. It is not hard to tell the two, The Quail commences with a queue....

We seldom meet, when out to walk, Either the Orchid or the Auk. The awk‑ward Auk is only known To dwellers in the Auk‑tic zone, While Orchids can be found in legions, Within the equatorial regions. So...

Although the Cow’slips on this plant, Suggest perhaps a ru‑min‑ant, One never sees the opening bud, Devour the grass or chew its cud. The Cowbird picture, I suspect, Is absolutely incorrect; We make s...

The little Butter‑cup can sing, From morn ’till night like anything. The quacking of the Butter‑ball, Cannot be called a song at all. We thus the flower may learn to know, Its song is reproduced below...

Although I never took much stock, In Sinbad’s yarn about the Roc, And really must confess I am Inclined to think the Roc a sham: Take notice that, the Sham‑rock may Be seen upon St. Patrick’s day....

Of the fall of the Sparrow we often have heard, And I’ve here represented the fall of the bird: In the case of Asparagus though, I may mention, A fall such as this, is quite out of the question: For o...

The Insects, to avoid surprise By Birds, sometimes themselves disguise As leaves and twigs, and thus escape The appetizing Insect’s fate. Observe how cleverly this Vine Has forced its leaves and flowe...

To tell the Turnip from the Tern, A thing which everyone should learn, Observe the Tern up in the air, See how he turns, and now compare Him with this in‑ert veg‑et‑able, Who thus to turn is quite una...

You must not make ad‑verse remarks, About my drawing of the Larks. For, by the minor poet’s lore The Larks‑per‑pet‑ually soar. While Larkspurs, bordering garden walks, Are perched securely on their st...

Nobody but an imbecile Mistakes Sweet William for Cross Bill: And even I can scarcely claim, The skill to make them look the same. Some other shrubs and vines and trees, Express emotion much like thes...

The sacred Ibis, one might say, Was classified a “Bird-of-Pray” His body, after death, was dried, Embalmed in pitch, and mummyfied, And thus was handed down to us In some old King’s sarcophagus. The M...

Observe the hybrid Indian Pipe, Likewise the high‑bred English Snipe, Who is distinguished, as we see, By his superior pedigree....

The Blue Jay, as we clearly see, Is so much like the green Bay tree That one might say the only clue, Lies in their dif‑fer‑ence of hue, And if you have a color sense, You’ll see at once this differen...

The reason why this beetle gay, Is called the Lady‑bird, they say, Is just because he wastes his hours, In running after pretty flowers, Who, quite regardless of conventions, Most openly invite attent...

Upon this cake of ice is perched, The paddle-footed Puffin: To find his double I have searched, But have discovered⁠—Nuffin’....

Good Mr. Darwin once contended That Beetles were from Bees descended, And as my pictures show I think The Beet must be the missing link. The sugar‑beet and honey‑bee Supply the Beetle’s pedigree: The ...

The superficial naturalists have often been misled, By failing to discriminate between the tail and head: It really is unfortunate such carelessness prevails, Because the Bunnies have their heads wher...

The Octopus or Cuttle‑fish! I’m sure that none of us would wish To have him scuttle ’round the house, Like Puss, when she espies a mouse: When you secure your house‑hold pet, Be very sure you do not g...

The marked aversion which we feel, When in the presence of the Eel, Makes many view with consternation, The Elephant’s front ele‑vation. Such folly must be clearly due To their peculiar point of view....

The ant is known by his ant‑ennae, Where‑as the pheas‑ant hasn’t any, And that is why he wears instead, A small red cap upon his head: Without his Fez, indeed the pheasant, Would be quite bald and qui...

The Harrier, harassed by the Hare, Presents a picture of despair; Although as far as I’m concerned, I love to see the tables turned. The Harrier flies with all his might, It is a harum‑scare’m flight:...

We have for many years been bored By that old saw about the sword And pen, and now we all rejoice, To see how Nature made her choice: She made, regardless of offendin’, The Sword‑fish mightier than th...

The Gnu conspicuously wears His coat of gnumerous bristling hairs, While, as we see, the modest Newt Of such a coat is destitute. (I’m only telling this to you, And it is strictly “entre gnu”) In poin...

I always sing the hymn of hate, When I perceive the Ray (or skate) His ugly mouth I can’t abide, His eyes are on the other side, His features are all out of place He hasn’t even any face. I do not min...

The Apes, from whom we are descended, Hang ape‑x down from trees suspended, And since we find them in the trees, We term them arbor‑ig‑i‑nes. This quite explains the monkey‑shines Cut up by those who ...

The Doe and her phonetic double, No longer are a source of trouble, Because the Dodo, it appears, Has been extinct for many years: She was too haughty to embark, With total strangers in Noah’s ark, An...

To smoke a herring is to make A most lam‑en‑table mistake, Particularly since there are The pipe‑fish and the long Sea‑gar. Bear this in mind when next you wish To smoke your after‑dinner fish....

A roar of welkome through the welkin Is certain proof you’ll find the Elk in; But if you listen to the shell, In which the Whelk is said to dwell, And hear a roar, beyond a doubt It indicates the Whel...

The striking similarity of this P‑Q‑liar pair, No longer need en-cumber us, or fill us with despair: The P‑cock and the Q‑cumber you never need confuse, If you pay attention to the Eyes and mind your ...

See what a fix the Sloth is in, He has been captured by the gin: This gin is not the same gin though, In which we sometimes find the Sloe. This shows how careful one must be, To treat the gin most gin...

The Cowry seems to be, somehow, A sort of mouth‑piece for the Cow: A speaking likeness one might say, Which I’ve endeavored to portray....

If you will tap the Cantelope reposing on the ground It will not move, but just emit a melon‑choly sound But if you try this method on the antlered antelope, His departure will convince you that he is...

Observe how Nature’s necromancies Have clearly painted on the Pansies, These almost human counten‑ances, In yellow, blue and black nu‑ances. The face however seems to me To be that of the Chim‑pan‑zee...

The Argo‑naut or Nautilus, With habits quite adventurous, A com‑bin‑a‑tion of a snail, A jelly‑fish and paper sail. The parts of him that did not jell, Are packed securely in his shell. It is not stra...

I do not wish to at‑tri‑bute Importance to the common Coot, Or mud-hen, whom most persons scorn, Because she chanced to be “Earth-born.” The small Australian Bandicoots Are said to spring from Kanga‑r...

The Pitcher Plant we may define, The flower of the base‑ball nine; This name perhaps the plant belies, For Pitcher Plants sometimes catch flies; The “Fly”-Catcher we educate To firmly stand behind the...

The Yellow-Hammer, or the Flicker, More briefly “Golden-winged Wood-picker,” My drawing of which striking bird May seem to you perhaps absurd, You even may suspect I stole The idea from some Totem-pol...

If you have read my former words, And learned to recognize the Birds, And how to tell them from the Flowers, And know these Analogues of ours, You never need be led astray By Darwin, Audobon, or Gray,...

This word, of air is emblematic, Greek, pneumos⁠—air⁠—compare “Pneumatic.” ↩ The Bandicoot and Kangaroo, As well as the Opossum too, Are relative because all three Belong to the same family. ↩...