fely 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.

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