Publisher's Synopsis
From the Intro-Duc-Tion
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 chestnuts burred,
And if the hop-vine hops away,
It's perfectly absurd.
I hence submit for your inspection.
This very neiw and choice collection.
Of flowers on Stork and Phlox of birds.
With some explanatory words.
Not everyone 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 draw upon
The works of Gray and Audubon,
Avoiding though the frequent blunders
Of those who study Nature's wonders.
