How To Tell The Birds From The Flowers And Other Wood-cuts

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 if the hop-vine hops away,

It's perfectly absurd.

I hence submit for your inspection,

This very new and choice collection,

Of flowers on Storks, and Phlox of birds,

With some explanatory words.

Not every one is always able

To recognize a vegetable,

For some are guided by tradition,

While others use their intuition,

And even I make no pretense

Of having more than common sense.

Indeed these strange homologies

Are in most flornithologies,

And I have freely drawn upon

The works of Gray and Audubon,

Avoiding though the frequent blunders

Of those who study Nature's wonders.