Animal Alphabet, U through Z

The UNICORN
Had but one horn
To jab his foeman with;
It would not do
To search the zoo
For him, for he's a myth.

The toughest bird

Of which I've heard

Without doubt is the VULTURE.

He steals and slays,

And all his ways

Proclaim he has no culture.

The WILDCAT'S name

Shows he's not tame;

He's anything but mild.

His friends are few;

He knows it, too,

And that's what makes him wild.

Let's not discuss

The XIPHIAS,

I'm sure you would be bored.

the only thing

Interesting

About him is his sword.

It's well to stay

Quite far away

From YELLOW-JACKET'S nest.

For he can sting

Like anything;

That's what he does the best.

The old ZEBU

Would hardly do

To ride upon the street.

Though he knows how

To pull a plow,

He's anything but fleet.

Ross F. Taylor

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Animal Alphabet, N through T

 Some call the NEWT 
A savage brute,
And say we should avoid him.
But I've not seen
Him very mean,
Unless some one annoyed him.

 

The OYSTER'S brain
Weighs but a grain;
He's ignorant, and yet
He's very kind,
And you will find
He makes a lovely pet.

I would suggest

You don't molest

The prickly PORCUPINE.

His quills might be

Quite nice to see -

They do not feel so fine.

The mountain QUAIL

Likes snow and hail

And chilly weather most.

He's very good

Out in the wood;

He's better upon toast.

RHINOCEROS

Looks cross to us,

And rather loose and lumpy;

But I suppose

A horny nose

Would make us grim and grumpy.

The SNAIL, you know,

Is very slow;

He doesn't dare to roam

Without his shack

Upon his back,

So he'll always be at home.

The TIGER knows

A lot of foes;

'Most all the creatures fear him.

I you should meet

Him in the street,

You'd best not linger near him.

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Animal Alphabet, G through M

 The billy GOAT
Can't sing a note;
He has no education.
But it is said
He'll use his head
And cause great consternation.

 

The HIPPOPOT-

AMUS is not

The handsomest of creatures.

But then it would 

Be very rude

To criticize his features.

It's foolish, quite

To quake with fright

At the harmless, tame ICHNEUMON.

I must admit

I'm scared of it;

But then, I'm only human.

The JELLYFISH

Has no ambish;

He drifts around the sea;

He's satisfied 

To ride the tide;

He's wretched company.

The KANGAROO

Feels very blue

Because his legs don't mate.

Unless he trims

His long hind limbs,

He can't improve his gait.

Nobody thinks

Much of the LYNX;

In fact, he much berated.

He's very sly,

and that is why

He's not domesticated.

The MASTODON

Is dead and gone;

Quite naturally, I think

He made his home

Way up 'round Nome;

No wonder he's extinct.

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Animal Alphabet, A through F

 A New Animal Alphabet by John Martin
 

The ALBATROSS Can fly across
The sea in ninety days.
It is agreed
That such a great speed
Entitles him to praise.

 

The BEAVER'S bite

Must be a fright

If properly inflicted.

If he bites me

I hope to see

Him speedily convicted.

 

The sand-hill CRANE

Is very vain

Of his ability

To stand a week 

Out in the creek

On one extremity.

The first of four sheets for the illustrated Animal Alphabet.

A fearful beast, 
To say the least,
Was the ancient DINOSAURUS.
He was so great,
We're fortunate
He died long years before us. 

The slippery EEL

Would doubtless feel

Sincere humiliation,

Should you mistake

Him for a snake;

They're really no relation.

It seems to me

The little FLEA

Is very justly hated.

I know that I'd

Be satisfied

Had he not been created.

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The Oryx

The Oryx defends itself with deadly, beautiful horns.

       The  Oryx  is  famous  for  its  beautiful  horns.  These  weapons  have  a  graceful curl  to  them  and  are  often  three  feet  long.  They  are  covered  with  rings, while  the  ends  are  smooth  and  very sharp.  It  is  fairly  common  all  over  South Africa,  living,  like  the  gazelle,  in  bands.  It  is  not  nearly  so  timid  as  the  former, and  when  wounded  shows  considerable  spirit.  It  is  apt  to  lie  quite  still  until the  hunter  comes  near,  then  suddenly  charges  with  lowered  head  and  horns well  out.     These  wounds  usually  prove  fatal.
       In  the  early  days  of  South  Africa  the  oryx  used  to  wander  over  the  land in  huge  herds.  So  many  thousands  traveled  together  that  everything  green was  eaten  till  the  country  looked  as though  it  had  been  swept  by  locusts. 

The White-Bearded Diana Monkey

Diana monkeys have white beards.

       Who  has  visited  any  zoological  collection  and  failed  to  see  the  beautiful white-bearded  Diana  Monkey?  This  spotless,  fussy  little  creature  is  the most  beautiful  of  all  the  monkey  tribes. Although  the  Diana  monkey  is  a tropical  animal,  it  lives  well  in  captivity,  and,  from  the cleanliness  of  its  habits, makes  a  good  pet.     A  proof  of  its  fussy  habits  is  shown  in  the  following:
      A  Diana  monkey  was  once  given  a  peach  through  the  bars  of  its  cage,  and on  account  of  the angry  mutterings  of  the  monkeys  around  it,  the  little  creature feared  it  would  be  stolen  from  it.  After  the  peach  was  eaten,  the  stone  had been  cracked  and  the  kernel  extracted  and  finished,  the  white  beard  under  its chin  was  stained  with  peach-juice.  The  monkey  was  much  disturbed,  and went  to  work  and  cleaned  it  until  every  speck  of  dirt  and  stain  had  gone,  and its  fur  stood  out  as  fluffy  as  before.

• See how to make monkey hands using a human handprint or cut-out and funny monkey faces.

Billy's Whiskers

 

Billy's Whiskers

Billy Goat had whizzy whiskers

Underneath his chin and where
All the merry little breezes
Might just toss it here and there.

Billy loved his whizzy whiskers,

But he truly loved them best

When they covered up his bosom

Better than a fancy vest.

''Why wear vests when I have whiskers?

Wherefore even wear a coat,

When my whiskers serve the purpose?

Proudly whispered Billy Goat.

But one day a cross tornado

Whisked his whiskers off, I'm told;

Thus divesting Bill of whiskers.

Now he shivers with the cold.