Transcriber's Note:
Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
In Holland, at the Hague, you know,
Well-regulated people go
To the Hotel Ozanimo.
(The spelling I've carnegified;
I often do this on the side).
Here all Creation lives in peace,
And therefore Wonders never Cease!
ERIC'S
BOOK OF BEASTS
DONE IN WATER-COLORS
AND ACCOMPANIED WITH APPROPRIATE
JINGLES BY
DAVID STARR JORDAN
INTERPRETED IN BLACK AND
WHITE BY
SHIMADA SEKKO
PAUL ELDER AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS·SAN FRANCISCO
Copyright, 1912
By Paul Elder & Company
Prefatory Note
These cartoons were made one by one in moments of leisure to please a small boy. They are now reprinted in the hope of pleasing other small boys and girls. They were originally in color, but for the present purpose they have been made over in black and white by a Japanese artist, who has given them life by occasional quaint touches of his own.
David Starr Jordan
Stanford University, California
January 19, 1912
L'Envoi
I write and paint in doggerel
Though all the Muses shriek and yell!
I go serenely on my way
Not caring what such folks may say!
Contents
| Page | |
| Aux Animaux | [Frontispiece] |
| Prefatory Note | [iii] |
| L'Envoi | [v] |
| Eric's Planet | [2] |
| The Caravan | [4] |
| Jack the Rabbit | [6] |
| An Elephant | [8] |
| The 'Potamus | [10] |
| My Crocodile | [12] |
| The Giraffe | [14] |
| A Goat | [16] |
| The 'Possum | [18] |
| Old Sea Catch | [20] |
| Quail | [22] |
| The Ptarmigan | [24] |
| The Pelican | [26] |
| The Man | [28] |
| The Fish | [30] |
| The Lion | [32] |
| Horned Toad | [34] |
| A Hospitable Reptile | [36] |
| A Social Lobster | [38] |
| Cats and Kings | [40] |
| Little Children | [42] |
| Six Kings | [44] |
| An Aspiring Monkey | [46] |
| Old Time Folks | [48] |
| The Wunx | [50] |
| Totem Poles | [52] |
| Organ and Organ Man | [54] |
| In Moonlight | [56] |
| Hunter and Deer | [58] |
| The Gazelle | [60] |
| A Bulldog by the River | [62] |
| The Squidgecumsquees | [64] |
| Road to Mandalay | [66] |
| Mitgard Serpent | [68] |
| Saint Georgeing the Dragon | [70] |
| Flotsam and Jetsam | [72] |
| The Atoll | [74] |
| Storm Wind | [76] |
| Eric in the Dark | [78] |
| Mars' Stars and Pa's | [80] |
| The Porcupine | [82] |
| The Purple Cow | [84] |
| I and Gnu | [86] |
| Bobo | [88] |
| The Lone Salmon | [90] |
| Bean Soup | [92] |
| A Lost Shadow | [94] |
| The Gazibou | [96] |
| In Junglest Africa | [98] |
| Eric Fishing | [100] |
| Eric's Bulldog | [102] |
| The Steering Gear | [104] |
| Brother Knight | [106] |
| My Daddy's Family | [108] |
| Christmas Past | [110] |
| The Last Act | [112] |
| Inca | Tail-piece |
ERIC'S BOOK OF BEASTS
ric's Planet
Eric said to Jupiter:
"Here I am. Good
morning, Sir,
What are your small
planets worth?
Give me one. I'll
take the Earth."
he Caravan
Van! Van! Caravan!
Who is the camel and
which is the man?
ack the Rabbit
Jack the Rabbit
Has the habit
When you look him
in the face
He is in some other
place.
n Elephant
I never saw an Elephant
But that's no symptom
that I sha'n't.
he 'Potamus
My little 'Potamus and I
Walk hand in hand when
roads are dry,
But when the clouds
begin to rain,
I creep into his mouth
again.
y Crocodile
My Crocodile is good to me—
He is as nice as he can be;
But when I go out for a ride,
I'd rather not come back
inside.
he Giraffe
If the Giraffe were not so tall
He'd be an Awful Cannibal,
But just before he goes to bed
He sits awhile upon his head.
Goat
This little beast is called
a Goat,
He isn't anything of note,
But give him a tomato can
And he's a match for any
Man.
he 'Possum
The 'Possum sees the
little boy;
It does not seem to
give him joy.
ld Sea Catch
Old Sea Catch comes out
on the shore
To Roar,
And then he thinks it's
time once more
To Roar,
And then he thinks he'll
have to roar
Some more!
uail
I would not like to be a
Quail,
And have Salt sprinkled
on my Tail.
he Ptarmigan
The Ptarmigan lives in
the Snow;
Can Eric see him? I
don't know.
he Pelican
If I were born a Pelican,
I'd try my best to be a Man!
he Man
If I were born a Man, I'd wish
I might associate with Fish.
he Fish
If I were born a fish—
but then,
No use to wish: Men
must be Men.
he Lion
The Lion looks like Santa
Claus,
I think that this should
give him paws.
When he on Lionizing's
bent,
He always looks benevolent.
orned Toad
Phryne is the beast, his name,
Eric loves him just the same;
On his back, see, if you please,
Eric's name in Japanese.
Hospitable Reptile
This Reptile is a hardened
sinner;
But when a friend drops in
for dinner,
He greets him with an
open smile,
And makes him merry
quite a while.
O let us, like this Reptile,
be
Renowned for Hospitality!
Social Lobster
The Lobster's home is in
the Sea;
It is as humble as may be.
But he has wandered far
afield,
And now his presence is
revealed
Within our best Society.
This Lesson to us all is
sent
To lend us due Encouragement.
ats and Kings
A Cat may look at any King,
If he cares for that sort of
thing;
And, if he likes the likes of
that,
Most any King can see a Cat.
ittle Children
Little children at their play,
Happy, scrappy all the day.
ix Kings
There were six Kings of
Yvetôt;
They stood up there all in
a row,
And every time they looked
around
They cast their eyes upon
the ground.
I do not like to look at
Kings—
They do such very awful
things;
For actions such as this
must tend
To make one's hair stand
up on end!
n Aspiring Monkey
Once a Monkey in Japan