Vole: 4 Primary Facts

A vole is a creature belonging to the rat species.

Vole, an English name applied to several species of the rat family. 

4 Primary Facts About Voles:

1. The voles are widely distributed, being found in Europe, Africa, Asia and in North and South America.
2.  The water vole is about the same size as the brown rat, and it is often called a rat. 
3. It has dark brown or black fur, a tail about half the length of the body, and very strong hind feet, with five rounded pads on the lower surfaces. 
4. It burrows by the banks of streams and feeds for the most part on vegetable food. 

2 More Types of Voles:

1. The field vole, or short-tailed field mouse, is about the size of a common mouse, but the body is stouter and the tail shorter. It has brownish-gray fur; its hind feet have six pads. It lives in fields and woods, feeds on vegetable food, is very prolific and often does much damage to grain and other crops. 
2. The hank vole is like the field vole, but it has a rusty-colored back, larger ears and a longer tail.

Watch young voles by seahue.

Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose Facts by Animal Fact Files.

       A barnacle goose is a wild goose common in Europe as a summer visitant in the North Sea. Its forehead and cheeks are white and the upper body and neck black. It takes its name from an old superstition that it was produced from the barnacles that grow on rocks.

Learn More About Barnacle Geese From The Web:

• Watch Arctic Geese Chicks Jump Off Cliffs!
• Goslings jumping - Sandpoint webcam

Woodpecker: 6 Fascinating Facts

Woodpeckers often feed on insects that
burrow inside trees.

Woodpecker, the name of a large group of climbing birds, of which there are  a number of different species. 

6 Facts About Woodpeckers:

1. They have long, straight, angular beaks, adapted to perforating the bark of trees.
2. Their tongues are long, slender and armed with a barbed, horny tip. 
3. They can thrust their tongues far out of their mouths and so spear insects in the depths of their burrows. 
4. Their tongues are also covered with a sticky, slimy substance, that helps to hold their prey. 
5. When feeding, they usually ascend the tree spirally, aided by the spiny points which terminate their tail feathers. 
6. They tap here and there on the tree-trunk, searching for the holes in which insects are hidden, and often tear aprat large parts of rotten trees, for the larvae concealed in them.

5 More Types of Woodpeckers:

       The sop slicker is a species that is fond of the sap of trees and bores round holes, which it arranges with geometrical exactness in broad bands around the trunk of a tree. It especially favors the pines, and in feeding it moves about over the checkerboard of holes, taking the sap from them regularly, as it accumulates. 

       The ivory-billed woodpecker of the southern United States is a large bird, about twenty-one inches long, bright black and white in color, the male having a large bright scarlet crest. Like most of the other woodpeckers, this one excavates its nest in suitable dead trees. 

       The red-headed woodpecker, the black and white woodpecker, the hairy woodpecker and the downy woodpecker are well known in the Northern states. The redheaded woodpecker often lights on the shingles of houses or on a hollow branch and strikes his bill in a noisy clatter, stopping now and then to call out his hoarse, rough note. The woodpeckers are found in almost every temperate part of the globe, except that none ever existed in Australia and Egypt. 

More About Woodpeckers From The Web:

• Woodpeckers: Menace or Misunderstood?
• Woodpeckers Begin Springtime Drumming
• How do woodpeckers avoid brain injury?

Walrus

The biggest danger for walrus today is climate change.

       Walrus is a marine flesh-eating mammal, related to the seal, and inhabiting the colder climates. It has two large, pointed  tusks, from fifteen inches to two feet in length, directed downward and slightly outward from the upper jaw. The tusks are used in digging up clams and other food from the bottom of the sea. The animals were valuable to hunters at one time because of their hides and oil. They were either killed with rifles or taken with harpoons.

More About Walrus From The Web:

• All about walrus from WWF Arctic
• Cruise the oceans to view walrus!
• Learn about the Pacific Walrus from Marine Mammal Commission

Barnacle

       Barnacle is the name of a family of marine crustaceans, or water-breathing animals, having a crust-like shell or scab enclosing them. This mantle or shell is composed of five principal valves and several smaller pieces, joined together by a membrane attached to their circumference; and they are furnished with a long, flexible, fleshy stalk, provided with muscles, by which they attach themselves to ships' bottoms, submerged timber, rocks and the like. One species, the acorn barnacle, has no stalk, but has a hard, acorn-shaped shell of many leaf-shaped valves.
       The structure of the barnacle can best be seen in the goose barnacle. It has a leathery stalk and six pairs of jointed feet. At the base of the shell is a cement-gland containing a secretion which enables the barnacle to adhere to any substance. These forms are widely distributed and are common in salt waters everywhere; they are not found in fresh water.
       Barnacles feed on small marine animals brought within their reach by the water and secured by their tentacles. Some of the larger species are edible. According to an old fable, these animals produced barnacle geese.

Gooeneck barnacles booming of B. C. coast.

Baboon: 5 Fast Facts

The largest baboon, known as a
Mandrill is nearly the height of
a man when erect.

       Baboon, a common name applied to a division of Old-World apes and monkeys.

Five Fast Facts About Baboons:

1. They have long, abrupt muzzles like a dog, strong tusks or canine teeth, usually short tails, flabby cheek-pouches and small, deep eyes, with large eyebrows. 
2. Their hind and fore feet are well proportioned, so that they run easily on all fours, but they do not maintain themselves in an upright posture with facility. 
3. They are generally of the size of a moderately large dog, but the largest, the mandrill, is, when erect, nearly the height of a man. 
4. They are almost all confined to Africa and are ugly, sullen, fierce and gregarious, defending themselves by throwing stones or dirt. 
5. Baboons live on fruits and roots, eggs and insects.

3 More Types of Baboons:

• The cliacma or pig-tailed baboon, is found in considerable numbers in parts of the South African colonies, where the inhabitants wage war against them on account of the ravages they commit in the fields and gardens. 
• The common baboon, of a brownish yellow color, inhabits a large part of Africa farther to the north. 
• The hamadryad of Abyssinia is characterized by long hair, forming a sort of shoulder cape. 

See the new Hamadryas Baboon

 Troop at the San Diego Zoo.

Badger

Badgers survive on a diet of veggies and quadrupeds.

       A badger is a carnivorous (flesh-eating) mammal allied both to the bears and to the weasels. The common badger is about the size of a dog, but is much lower on the legs and has a flatter and broader body, a very thick, tough hide and long, coarse hair. It inhabits the north of Europe, Asia and America, is indolent and sleepy, feeds by night on vegetables and small quadrupeds, and burrows in the ground. Its flesh may be eaten, and its hair is used for artists' brushes in painting. 

       "Badger baiting," or "drawing the badger," was a barbarous sport formerly practiced. A badger was put in a barrel, and one or more dogs were put in to drag him out. When this was effected he was returned to his barrel, to be similarly assailed again. From this cruel sport came the word badgering, which means worrying.

More About Badgers From The Web:

• Why honey badger are so fearless?
• World's Most Adorable Badger
• The amazing secret life of badgers by BBC

Greyhound

Greyhounds are some of the fastest dogs on earth.

       The greyhound is a long, lean dog, distinguished by a long muzzle, very low forehead, short lips, thin and long legs, small muscles and contracted abdomen. There are several varieties, as the Irish, the Scottish, the Russian, the Italian and the Turkish. The common greyhound is universally known as the fleetest of dogs. The name appears to have no reference to the color, but is derived from the Icelandic - grey, a dog. The chief breeds are the Newmarket, the Lancashire and the Scotch.

More About Greyhound From The Web:

• Greyhound after the race - retirement and recreation
• Become a volunteer at a greyhound rescue center.
• Greyhound puppies play tug-of-war

Beaver: 12 Facts About

"As busy as a beaver." 

       The beaver is a small, furry animal, whose industry has passed into a proverb and has been the subject of many literary allusions. "As busy as a beaver" is a compliment to a man and a tribute to this little gnawing animal.

1. The beaver was once common in all northern latitudes, but trappers preyed incessantly upon it for its valuable fur, and it is now necessary to protect it by law in many places.
2. The beaver usually lives in North America, but it occurs solitary in central Europe and Asia.
3. It has short ears, a blunt nose, small forefeet, large webbed hind feet and a flat tail covered with scales on its upper surface.
4. The food of the beavers consists of the bark of trees, leaves, roots and berries. 
5. Their favorite haunts are rivers and lakes which are bordered by forests.
6. In winter they live in houses, about three feet high and seven feet across, substantially built of branches of trees and of mud, on the water's edge so that the entrance can be under water.
7. These dwellings are called beaver lodges, and each accommodates a single family.
8. The teeth of beavers are very strong, and they cut down quite large trees by gnawing around them.
9. Trees around them are felled for food, and also that their branches may be used in building their houses.
10. Beavers are most peculiar, in that sometimes many families work together in communities practically as one. If the stream on which they have located is not deep enough, or if the water does not cover land enough for them, the colony will unite and build an ingenious dam of wood, stones and mud across the stream.
11.  In the pond thus created, each member has its own home.
12. The beavers hold among animals somewhat the same position the bees have among insects, in this remarkable instinct of working in common.

More About Beavers From The Web:

• How Beavers Build Dams by PBS
• Rescue Beaver Loves Building Dams in His House
• Beavers As Engineers from the dollcoloringbook.blogspot

Baltimore O'riole

See the vivid colors of the o'riole from 

American Bird Conservancy

       Baltimore O'riole, Hangbird, Firebird, or Golden Robin, one of the most beautiful of the birds that nest in Northern United States, a relative of the blackbird. It is about seven inches long, has a black head and upper parts and brilliant orange under parts. It weaves a long, graceful, pouch-like nest, usually far out on the tip of a high limb, where it is shaded by overhanging leaves. The Baltimore oriole is a courageous bird, and is quite able to protect its nest from much stronger and larger birds. Its song is sweet and clear, and this, with its bright colors and its destructiveness to insects, makes it a great favorite with every one. It is called the Baltimore oriole because black and orange were the colors of Lord Baltimore.

More About Baltimore O'rioles From The Web:

• Wild Bird House - O'rioles Everywhere
• How to attract o'rioles
• Bird of the week: lcterus galbula or Baltimore o'rioles

Alpaca

The alpaca has soft silky wool.

        Alpaca, a cud-chewing animal of the camel tribe, a native of the Andes, especially of the mountains of Chile and Peru, and so closely allied to the llama that by some it is regarded rather as a smaller variety than a distinct species. It has been domesticated, and remains also in a wild state. In form and size the alpaca approaches the sheep, but it has a longer neck. It is valued chiefly for its long, soft and silky wool, which is straighter than that of the sheep, and very strong. The wool is woven into fabrics of great beauty. All of these are known as alpaca, and they are used for shawls, clothing for warm climates, coat-linings and umbrellas. The flesh of the alpaca is pleasant to eat and is wholesome. 

More About Alpacas From The Web:

• Cute Alpacas from The Cute Show
• Llamas vs. Alpacas by Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas
• 8 Cute Alpaca Crafts from The Gingerbread House

Adder

       Adder a name given to certain poisonous vipers, as well as to certain harmless snakes. In the United States the term is applied to the copperhead and to the water moccasin, but in general, when the name is used without qualification, the adder of Great Britain, the only poisonous snake in the islands, is referred to.
       The puff adder or asp is a snake of South Africa whose bite is always fatal. The name is derived from the serpent's power of puffing out the upper part of its neck when irritated or alarmed. It is very thick and attains a length of four or five feet. The natives poison their arrows with its venom.

The Brave Crew teaches kids about the deadly puff adder!

Agouti

Agouti are found in South America and the West Indies.

       Agouti is the name of several rodents, forming a family by themselves. There are eight or nine species, all belonging to South America and the West Indies. The common agouti, or yellow-rumped cavy, is of the size of a rabbit. It burrows in the ground or in hollow trees, and lives on vegetables. It grunts like a pig, and is as greedy, so that where it is common it does much injury to crops. The agouti's flesh is white and palatable.

More About The Agouti From The Web:

• Meet The Agouti, The Giant Yet Lovable Rodent of The Amazon

Alligator: 14 Facts

Above are two crocodiles, American on top,
Chinese on bottom. 

The alligator a large reptile resembling the crocodile, dwelling in waters of tropical regions of the western hemisphere.

1. Alligators frequent swamps and marshes and may be seen during the day basking on the ground in the heat of the sun. 
2. Alligators are slow in growth and as they age, their growth rate slows down even more. Males are generally larger than females.
3. Nearly fifty years are required for them to reach their full, potential length.
4. They are active animals, and they prey upon whatever game comes their way. 
5. Whenever they have captured an animal, they take it into the water and eat below the surface. 
6. They are rather timid, in spite of their size, but defend themselves viciously if attacked. 
7. When on shore, they rush with open mouth at their enemies and thrash their powerful tails from side to side. 
8. The young are hatched by the sun from eggs, of which the female lays 200 or more in great heaps of vegetable matter.
9. The alligators of South America were very often called caymans. 
10. One species is known as the spectacled cayman, because of the high bony rim surrounding the orbit of each eye. 
11. In the United States the alligator is not often seen north of Florida, but at one time it was not uncommon from North Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico. 
12. There are several alligator "farms" in Florida. 
13. Millions have been killed for sport and because of their hide and ivory. 
14. The flesh of the alligator is often eaten, and the leather made from its hide is beautiful and costly.

More Alligator Facts From The Web:

• Gator Fact Sheet (pdf.) by Savannah River Ecology Labroratory
• Alligator vs. Crocodiles by What Lurks Below
• Crocodiles, Gavials, Caimans, and Alligators
• Everglades National Park
• Alligator Farming: regulations by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Supperclass Tetrapoda: Class II Reptilia

Albatross: 10 Facts About

The albatross is a large web-footed sea bird of which there are a number of species.

1. The bill of the albatross is straight and strong, the upper mandible hooked at the point and the lower one cut off squarely.
2. In color its upper parts are grayish-white and the belly white.
3. It is the largest sea bird known, some measuring seventeen and a half feet from tip to tip of their expanded wings.
4. The albatrosses are found at the Cape of Good Hope and in other parts of the southern seas, where they have been known to follow ships for whole days without ever resting.
5. They are met at great distances from the land, where they settle down on the waves at night to sleep.
6. Whenever food is abundant the birds gorge themselves to such a degree that they can neither fly nor swim.
7. Their food consists of small marine animals, carrion, fish spawn, etc. Only one large egg is laid, and that is placed in a rude nest made by scraping the earth into a ridge.
8. The young are entirely white and covered with beautiful woolly down.
9. Sailors regard the albatross with superstition and think that to kill one brings bad luck.
10. Coleridge used this belief as the foundation of his poem, The Ancient Mariner.

Learn More About The Albatross From The Web:

• The Amazing Albatrosses by Smithsonian Magazine
• 7 Ways You Can Help Albatrosses
• How to fold an origami albatross craft by Michael LaFosse
• A is for Albatross Preschool Animal Alphabet Craft

Adjutant

The adjutant is a species of stork common in India, where it is protected by law because of its habit of destroying small noxious animals and acting as a scavenger. The adjutant has slate-colored back and wings, with white body and a nearly naked flesh-colored neck marked with black. It stands about five feet high, and has an enormous bill and an inflatable pouch under its neck. It was called adjutant bird because of the pompous airs it assumes, such as might be shown by a conceited army officer.

More About The Adjutant From The Web:

• The Fall & Rise of Greater Adjutant Stork by Wildlife Trust of India
• Mongooses vs. Giant Storks 
• Greater Adjutant Storks and Other Birds Forage at A Landill in Guwahati
• Birds of India - Greater Adjutant Nesting Colony by David Stanton

Addax

The horns of an addax are beautifully twisted.

Addax or Addas, a species of antelope of northeastern Africa. The horns of the male are about four feet long, beautifully twisted into a wide sweeping spiral of two turns and a half, with the points directed outward. The addax has tufts of hair on the forehead and throat, and large broad hoofs.

More About The Addax From The Web:

• The Addax Will Soon Be Extinct! 
• Read more about the Addax Conservation Fund
• Addax Calf Born at The Brookfield Zoo

Animal Adventure Park Teach About Addax Antelope

Aardwolf

An aardwolf resembles a hyena.

       An aardwolf is a South African carnivorous animal, fox-like in size and habit, but having longer ears and a less bushy tail. It resembles a hyena in its sloping back and in its color, the body being gray, irregularly striped with black, but it has five toes on the fore feet, and the head is much more pointed and civet-like. It feeds on carrion, white ants and the like, but not on living vertebrates. It is timid and nocturnal in its habits, social but quarrelsome in its life, and tolerably swift in its pace, though usually trusting rather to burrowing than to flight.

More About The Aardwolf From The Web:

• Proteles cristata aardwolf from Animal Diversity Web
• Aardwolf - Animal of the Week from Ben G. Thomas
• Meet the Aardwolf: a cute animal you never knew existed!

Aardvark

       An aardvark is an ant-eater found in South Africa. It is a stout animal, with long pig-like snout, tubular mouth, the usual termite-catching tongue, large ears, fleshy tail and short, bristly hair. The limbs are short and very muscular; on the fore feet are four, on the hind five, powerful claws, used in burrowing and in excavating the hills of the white ants on which it feeds. It is nocturnal in its habits and is very inoffensive and timid. When pursued, it can burrow itself out of sight in a few minutes, working inward with such rapidity as to make it almost impossible to dig it out. Its total length is about five feet, of which the tail is about one foot nine inches. Its dwelling is a burrow at a little distance from the surface, and thence it may be observed creeping at dusk. The flesh was considered a delicacy by indigenous peoples.

More About Aardvarks From The Web:

• View slideshow at National Geographic Kids
• See aardvarks at Animal Tales on YouTube
• See a 3D paper aardvark by Picaruelo
• The Anteaters

See the baby aardvark at the Cincinnati zoo.

The Ostrich

The ostriches dining on cucumbers and milk.

The Ostrich 

by Burges Johnson

A QUEERER bird has ne'er occurred
Than is the ostrich, so I've heard.
Though women flock from west and east
To pluck him for their finery,
He differs much from man, for he
Don't care for plucking in the least.
(His hide is thick, his speed is quick,
And jiminy! how he can kick!)

His special pride is his inside:
It's double-lined with Bess'mer hide.
He has no fear of golden bucks
Or other dainties of that ilk;
He laughs at cucumbers and milk
O'er pie and Neuburg gayly clucks.
(There is no strife in his home life
O'er biscuit builded by his wife.)

His motto is, "I mind my biz,
Whatever troubles have ariz."
When, overcome with shame, he tries
To shun the glaring public light,
He thinks he's wholly hid from sight
If he has merely shut his eyes.
(That frame of mind you'll often find
Has currency with humankind.)

Ostriches play hide and seek.

 

The Gnu Wooing

"The Gnus Who's Who"

 
The Gnu Wooing 

by Burges Johnson

There was a lovely lady Gnu
Who browsed beneath a spreading yew
Its stately height was her delight;
A truly cooling shade it threw.
Upon it little tendrils grew
Which gave her gentle joy to chew.
Yet oft she sighed, a-gazing wide,
And wished she knew another Gnu
(Some newer Gnu beneath the yew
To tell her tiny troubles to).

She lived the idle moments through,
And days in dull succession flew,
Till one fine eve she ceased to grieve
A manly stranger met her view.
He gave a courtly bow or two;
She coolly looked him through and through:
" I fear you make some slight mistake
Perhaps it is the yew you knew!"
(Its branches blew and seemed to coo,
" Your cue, new Gnu; it's up to you!") 

Said he: "If guests you would eschew,
I'll say adieu without ado;
But, let me add, I knew your dad;
I'm on page two, the Gnus' Who's Who."
"Forgive," she cried," the snub I threw!
I feared you were some parvegnu!
'Tis my regret we've never met
I knew a Gnu who knew of you."
(This wasn't true what's that to you?
The new Gnu knew; she knew he knew.)

"Though there are other trees, 'tis true,"
Said she, "if you're attracted to
The yews I use, and choose to chews
Their yewy dewy tendrils, do!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The end is easily in view:
He wed her in a week or two.
The "Daily Gnus " did quite enthuse;
And now, if all I hear is true,
Beneath that yew the glad day through
There romps a little gnuey new.

The two gnus meet and greet.

Concerning The Slowness of The Sloth

A sloth hangs by the branches of a tree.

 
CONCERNING THE SLOWNESS OF THE SLOTH
by Burges Johnson

MY child, how doth
The gentle Sloth
Improve each hour where'er he go'th?
'Tis true that he,
Unlike the Bee,
Seeks not for honey ceaselessly.

He's not inclined
To slave, I find,
For others, like the faithful hind;
Nor as the ant
To toil and pant
He either won't or else he can't.

Yet there are chaps
Like him, perhaps,
Crushed down 'neath heavy handicaps,
And 'tis our place
The facts to face
And honestly to view his case.

Where'er he goes,
He always knows
He has no full supply of toes;
That's why he's not
Inclined to trot,
Lest he should harm the few he's got.

The very crown
Of his renown
Is walking branches upside down.
It is a ruse
That don't conduce
To hurry. Also, what's the use?

And if you'll look
In any book
You'll find him, if I'm not mistook,
Entitled thus:
Didactylus,
Or A-i Arctopithicus.

That name, I guess,
You will confess,
Would render you ambitionless!
So, goodness knowth,
That's why I'm loath
To cast aspersion on the Sloth.

A sloth dreams of sleep...

Two Illustrated Rhymes from The 1800's

Illustrated rhyme from St. Nicholas Book anthologies.

 "Angelina Titherington

Was not at all too smart.

She bought some cheese

and butter-beans

To make an Apple tart."

Illustrated rhyme from St. Nicholas Book anthologies.

"My little dog's 

quite clever,

When we go 

for a lark,

He's smarter then

than ever,

He'll bark and bark

and bark."

Toys At Night

Putting the toys back in the cupboard.

Toys At Night

by Fred E. Weatherly

Good-night, dear Dolly, do not fear,

For good old Dobbin's watching near,

And now and then he'll give a bray

And that will keep the ghosts away.

Good-night, dear Dobbin, stay awake

And watch o'er Dolly for my sake;

Don't let her fear - you understand,

But keep good watch in Cupboard Land.

Good-night, my dear old buther's shop,

Good-night, dear drum, and flag, and top;

When day returns we'll have such fun,

Good-night, good-night, to every one!

The Proud Miss O'Haggin

Silhouettes used to illustrate the poem.

The Proud Miss O'Haggin

by John Bennett.

The proud Miss O'Haggin

May ride in her wagon,

Her landau, or drag, in

The park all the day;

But she'd give all her leisure

And wealth beyond measure

For one half the pleasure

Down Haggerty's way,

When young Danny Gilligan

Drives Maggie Milligan

Down Murphy's hill ag'in

In his "coopay."

Choosing A Name

Name a doll of your very own!

Choosing A Name

by Charles Lamb

I have got a new-born sister;

I was nigh the first that kissed her.

When the nursing woman brought her

To papa, his infant daughter,

How papa's dear eyes did glisten!

She will shortly be to christen:

And papa has made the offer,

I shall have the naming of her.

Now I wonder what would please her,

Charlotte, Julia, or Louisa.

Ann and Mary, they're too common;

Joan's too formal for a woman;

Jane's a prettier name beside;

But we had a Jane that died.

They would say, if 'twas Rebecca,

That she was a little Quaker.

Edith's pretty, but that looks

Better in old English books;

Ellen's left off long ago;

Blanche is out of fashion

now.

None that I have named as yet

Are as good as Margaret.

Emily is neat and fine.

What do you think of Caroline?

How I am puzzled and perplexed

What to choose or think of next!

I am in a little fever.

Lest the name that I shall give her

Should disgrace her or defame her
I will leave papa to name her. 

The Cloud House

The Cloud House

by Adrian Mott

A little old man lived up in a cloud,
And he was as poor as he was proud.

When the sun came out, and the day was bright,
His dear little house was all shining white.

When evening came, and the sun went to bed,
His dear little house turned a lovely red.

When the stars came out, and they winked at him,
His dear little house was all grey and dim.

When the moon came out, shining soft and clear,
His dear little house looked ever so dear!

But the sun was so hot one very fine day
That the cloud and the little man melted away!
And where they melted to - no one can say!

The Hedgehog

The Hedgehog

by Edith King

The hedgehog is a little beast
Who likes a quiet wood,
Where he can feed his family
On proper hedgehog food.

He has a funny little snout
That's rather like a pig's,
With which he smells, like us, of course,
But also runts and digs. 

He wears the queerest prickle coat,
Instead of hair or fur,
And only has to curl himself
To bristle like a burr.

He does not need to battle with
Or run away from foes,
His coat does all the work for him,
It pricks them on the nose.

The Fowls

THE FOWLS 

by M. Nightingale

Black hens, white hens, speckled hens and

brown.

Clucking in the sunshine, strutting up and

down;

Very vain and happy they for were the truth but

known

Each thinks the loudest cackle in the farm-yard is her

own,

And each declares the egg she's left behind her in the nest

Is bigger and much better than the eggs of all the rest.

"Cackle-cackle! Cluck-a-club!

Cock-a-doodle-do!

The cock is king of Farm-yard Land,

But I am queen there, too."

White hens, brown hens, speckled hens and black,

With lots of little yellow chicks a-toddling at their

Back;

Father cock must come and look, his red comb on his head;

"Cheep at him, my pretties! Sir, be careful how

you tread!

Now are they not a lovely brood? Just see them peck

and run;

And see how my two soft warm wings will cover

every one.

Cackle-cackle! Cheepie-cheep!

Ah, Cock-a-doodle-do,

Although you're king of Farm-yard Land

I'm prouder far than you!"

Acorns

Acorns by Edith King

Oh, when the ripe acorns,
So smooth and so brown,
Get loose from their cups
And come pattering down,

What work is in store
For the girls and the boys,
First of all to collect them,
And then to make toys.

For they can make thimbles,
And tiny dolls' cradles,
And thorn-handled saucepans,
And egg-cups and ladles,

Extinguishers, flower-pots,
Baskets and rings,
And barrels and buckets,
And all kinds of things.

They can Stock a whole shop,
If they have any brains,
And use a small penknife,
And plenty of pains.

The Mole

The Mole by Edith King

The burrowing mole lives under the ground
Day in and day out, all the changing year round;
Like a train in a tunnel, in darkness he goes,
And makes his own track with his feet and his nose.

He lives upon worms as content as can be
For breakfast and supper, for dinner and tea,
Yes, just as they are, as a matter of course,
He gobbles them up, without cooking or sauce.

If you lived where he does, in a very short time
I fear you'd be covered completely with grime;
But though he works hard all day long for his meat
And has but one coat, he is perfectly neat.

It's not very often he visits the light,
Except when he's angry and anxious to fight;
Then he and his enemy leave their dark holes,
And in warfare there's nothing more savage than moles.

Their virtues are great, but their tempers are bad,
Biting and scratching, they scuffle like mad,
And over and over they roll in the ditch,
Until it's a puzzle to see which is which. 

But if they discover you watching the fray,
They leave off at once to get out of the way,
And burrow so quickly, scarce making a sound,
That before you count ten they're gone into the ground.

Silhouette Paper Cuts by Baroness Maydell

The two sisters by Baroness Maydell

A lady or a bride by Baroness Maydell

Sheet of Simple Valentine Clip Art

       We have some new crafts for St. Valentine's Day coming up in February on one or two of our blogs so these little hearts will sure come in handy. The same terms of use apply for this set of Valentines as does all of the clip art on our blogs. It is free for personal use or use in the classroom only folks.

This clip art is not to be redistributed from any other web resource. Just make a link to our post here folks.

Sheet of Simple Shamrocks

       We have some new crafts for St. Patrick's Day coming up in March on one or two of our blogs so these little shamrocks will sure come in handy. The same terms of use apply for this set of shamrocks as does all of the clip art on our blogs. It is free for personal use or use in the classroom only. 

This clip art is not to be redistributed from any other web resource. Just make a link to our post here folks.

Grasshopper Green

Grasshopper Green

by George Cooper

Grasshopper Green is a comical chap;
He lives on the best of fare.
Bright little trousers, jacket and cap,
These are his summer wear.
Out in the meadow he loves to go,
Playing away in the sun;
lts hopperty, skipperty, high and low -
Summer's the time for fun.

Grasshopper Green has a dozen wee boys,
And soon as their legs grow strong
Each of them joins in his frolicsome joys,
Singing his merry song.
Under the hedge in a happy row
Soon as the day has begun
lts hopperty, skipperty, high and low -
Summer;s the time for fun.

Grasshopper Green has a quaint little house.
It's under the hedge to stay.
Grandmother Spider, as still as a mouse,
Watches him over the way.
Gladly he's calling the children, I know,
Out in the beautiful sun;
It's hopperty, skipperty, high and low -

Summer's the time for fun.

How The Little Kite Learned to Fly

 How The Little Kite Learned to Fly

by Katherine Pyle

"I never can do it," the little kite said,

As he looked at the others high over his head;

"I know I should fall if I tried to fly."

"Try," said the big kite; "only try,

Or I fear you never will learn at all."

But the little kite said, "I'm afraid I'll fall."

The big kite nodded: "Ah, well, good-by;

I'm off "; and he rose toward the tranquil sky.

Then the little kite's paper stirred at the sight,

And trembling he shook himself free for flight.

First whirling and frightened, then braver grown,

Up, up, he rose through the air alone,

Till the big kite looking down could see

The little one rising steadily.

Then how the little kite thrilled with pride,

As he sailed with the big kite side by side.

While far below, he could see the ground,

And the boys like small spots moving round.

They rested high in the quiet air,

And only the birds and clouds were there.

"Oh, how happy I am," the little kite cried;

"And all because I was brave, and tried."

Poems About Birds...

Time To Rise

by Robert Louis Stevenson

A birdie with a yellow bill
Hopped upon the window-sill;
Cocked his shining eye, and said,
"Ain't you 'shamed, you sleepy-head?"

Seven Little Chicks

by Wilhelmina Seegmuller

Seven little chicks go,

"Peep, peep, peep,"

Hunting where the grasses grow

Deep, deep, deep.

Then the mother hen calls,

"Cluck, cluck, cluck,"

Wishing every little chick

Luck, luck, luck.

Once I Saw a Little Bird

Once I saw a little bird
Come hop, hop, hop.
So I cried, "Little bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?"

I was going to the window
To say, "How do you do?"
But he shook his little tail,
And far away he flew.

Little Cock-Sparrow

Mother Goose Rhyme

A little cock-sparrow sat on a green tree,
And he chirruped, he chirruped, so merry was he;
A little cock-sparrow sat on a green tree,
And he chirruped, he chirruped, so merry was he.

A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow,
Determined to shoot this little cock-sparrow.
A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow,
Determined to shoot this little cock-sparrow.

"This little cock-sparrow shall make me a stew,
And his giblets shall make me a little pie, too." 

"Oh, no!" said the sparrow, "I wont make a stew.
So he flapped his wings, and away he flew. 

There Was A Little Robin

by Wilhelmina Seegmuller

There was a little robin

Sat singing in a tree;

From early morn till dark he sang -

"The world was made for me."

Little Jack Frost

Little Jack Frost

by Charles Sangster

Little Jack Frost went up the hill,
Watching the stars and the moon so still -
Watching the stars and the moon so bright
And laughing aloud with all his might.
Little Jack Frost ran down the hill,
Late in the night when the winds were still,
Late in the fall when the leaves fell down
Red and yellow and faded brown.

Little Jack Frost walked through the trees; 

"Ah," sighed the flowers, "we freeze, we freeze!" 

"Ah," sighed the grasses, "we die, we die!"
Said little Jack Frost, "Good-by, good-by."
Little Jack Frost tripped 'round and 'round
Spreading much snow on the frozen ground,
Nipping the breezes, icing the streams,
Chilling the warmth of the sun's bright beams.

But when Dame Nature brought back the spring,
Brought back the birds that chirp and sing,
Melted the snow and warmed the sky,
Little Jack Frost went pouting by.
The flowers opened their eyes of blue,
Green buds peeped out and grasses grew;
It was so warm and scorched him so,
Little Jack Frost was glad to go.


Jack Frost
by Celia Thaxter
Rustily creak the crickets.
Jack Frost came down last night.
He slid to the earth on a star beam,
Keen and sparkling and bright.

Windy Poems

Little Wind

by Kate Greenaway

Little wind, blow on the hill top,
Little wind, blow down the plain;
Little wind, blow up the sunshine,
Little wind, blow off the rain.

The North Wind Doth Blow

 a Nursery Rhyme
The north wind doth blow
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then?
Poor thing!

He'll sit in a barn,
And to keep himself warm,
Will hide his head under his wing.
Poor thing! 

Blow Wind Blow

Author Unknown

Blow, wind, blow!
And go, mill, go!
That the miller may grind his corn;
That the baker may take it,
And into rolls make it,
And send us some hot in the morn. 

Winter Night

by Mary F. Butts

Blow, wind, blow!
Drift the flying snow!
Send it twirling, whirling overhead!
There's a bedroom in a tree
Where, snug as snug can be,
The squirrel nests in his cozy bed.

Shriek, wind, shriek!
Make the branches creak!
Battle with the boughs till break o' day!
In a snow-cave warm and tight,
Through the icy winter night
The rabbit sleeps the peaceful hours away.

Call, wind, call!
In entry and in hall!
Straight from off the mountain white and wild!
Soft purrs the pussy-cat,
On her little fluffy mat,
And beside her nestles close her furry child.

Scold, wind, scold!
So bitter and so bold!
Shake the Windows with your tap, tap, tap!
With half-shut dreamy eyes
The drowsy baby lies
Cuddled closely in his mother's lap.

October Wood

OCTOBER WOOD

Have you ever seen the glories
Of a dark October wood?
Have you seen the oaks and maples
Covered with a crimson hood?
Have you searched for nuts of brown,
When the frost was cracking nigh?
Have you tramped for bittersweet,
Out beneath an October sky?

Have you seen the golden pumpkins
When they lay upon the ground?
Have you stood beside the cornshocks,
When the fall comes slyly round?
Have you picked the clustered grapes
From their place upon the vine?
Have you seen the great, round moon
Rise behind a stately pine?

If you haven't seen these wonders,
Then you haven't lived at all;
You have missed a thousand pleasures
That are right within your call.
You have missed the joy of living,
You have missed a gift most dear
That Mother Nature on us bestows,
Each October of the year.

Halloween Signs

HALLOWEEN SIGNS

Have you ever seen,
Upon Happy Halloween,
How brightly the stars do shine?
Have you ever seen,
Upon Happy Halloween,
How stately is each forest pine?

The full moon above
Looks down on its love,
The beautiful world far below;
As it sails on high
In the blue-gray sky,
It sends down its brightest glow.
 

While the witches ride
And the goblins hide
All over the land and the sea,
The black cats prowl
And the night winds howl,
As the children laugh in their glee.

Did you ever know
A time could go
As quickly as Happy Halloween,
When witches and cats
And goblins and bats
Are everywhere sure to be seen?

Then hip, hip hurrah!
For Halloween
The delight of each girl and boy;
May ever it be
For both you and me
A time that all folks can enjoy!

The Unbeliever...

THE UNBELIEVER
[Recitation for a small child ]

I don't believe in ghosts, you know,
But still, the other night.
When everything was awfully quiet,
I had an awful fright.

Snug beneath the covers warm,
I'd been tucked an hour or more,
When I heard a rumbling racket,
Something like a muffled snore.

I wasn't scared, but, oh, my heart
Simply wouldn't stop a-jumping!
It bobbed about so in my bosom
That my very head was thumping.

Once again the grumbling, rumbling,
Sounded and it nearer seemed;
A light so white and scary-like
Upon my chamber wall gleamed.

Shadows seemed a-moving 'bout
And I felt a smothering fear
That I couldn't shake till safe
I was with Mother dear.

Now I don't believe in ghosts, you know,
And I'm not scared of any sound;
But I just don't take chances
When old Halloween's around.

My Choice

MY CHOICE

[Recitation for a lower-grade boy ]

Now, Christmas is a lot of fun,
When old Santa comes around,
And Christmas trees and holly
Deck 'most every store in town.
I like'to hear the lovely carols
And the tinkling of each bell;
But there's something coming now
I like more than I can tell.

Thanksgiving is a glorious day
On which to thank our Lord
For the blessings he has given,
From out his lavish hoard.
I like Grandma's good dinner, too,
On that bounteous fall day;
But there's another day, I'd pick.
If I were to have my say.

Old Halloween's the day I like,
With witches, owls and cats!
I like the shaky scarecrows,
With their queer old coats and hats!
I like the jack-o-lanterns,
With faces funny as can be.
In fact, I like, on Halloween,
Every single thing I see.

Is It?

IS IT?

Is that the wind a-howling
Round about my window pane?
Is that tapping, tapping made
By the steady drop of rain?

Is that rustling of leaves
I hear outside of the door?
Was that some one walking
On the upstairs bedroom floor?

Is that some one a-crying,
Or was it just the hoot of owl?
Was that some one moaning there,
Or was it just the wind's howl?

These and other questions
About things heard and seen
Keep a-crowding in my mind
Each year at Halloween.

The Merry Breeze

The Merry Breeze

by Enid Blyton

Round about the orchard went the merry

little breeze,

Playing with the butterflies and teasing all

the bees,

Sending showers of apple-blossom down upon

the ground,
And spilling half the dew-drops from the
grasses all around.

He ruffled up the feathers of the ducks a-sailing
by,
And hustled all the lazy clouds that floated in
the sky,
He swung the beeches to and fro, then darted
off again
To dry the shiny puddles scattered down along
the lane.

The chimney smoke he twisted in the queerest
kind of way,
Until at last the little breeze was weary of his
play;
He crept back to the orchard, where the
daffodillies peep,
And there it was I found him lying, curled up
fast asleep!