Part 4 (1/2)

”_Ornithorhynchus_ Paradoxus, if you please,” insisted the little creature ”Hoould you like it if your name was Jones-Smith-Jones, and I called you one Jones, or one Smith, and did not say both the Jones and the Smiths? You have no idea how sensitive our race is You Hus at all coer than a usted accents

”She did not ly

”Is there anything we can do toyou can do,” sighed the Platypus, nowOnlya little threnody coood old days of this world before the Flood” And as it spoke, the Platypus rass, and after a little cough opened its bill to sing

The Kangaroo kept very close to Dot, and warned her to be very attentive to the song, and not to interrupt it on any account Alaroo had ceased to whisper in her ear, Dot heard this strange song, sung to the most peculiar tune she had ever heard, and in the funniest of little squeaky voices

The fairest Iguanodon reposed upon the shore; Extended lay her beauteous form, a hundred feet and more

The sun, with rays flammivomous, beat on the blue-black sand; And sportive little Saurians disported on the strand; But oft the Iguanodon reproved thee is not what it should be!”

Then, forth from that archaic sea, the Ichthyosaurus Uprose upon his finny wings, with neocouanodon!” he cried, as he approached the shore, ”Why art thou thus dysthynic, love? Come, rise with me, and soar, Or leave these estuarian seas, and wander in the grove; Behold! a bird-like reptile fish is dying for thy love!”

Then, through the dark coniferous grove they wandered side by side, The tender Iguanodon and Ichthyosaurian bride; And through the enubilious air, the carboniferous breeze, Awoke, with _their_ ahs, the silence in the trees

”To think,” they cried, botaurus-toned, ”when ages intervene, Our osseous fossil for thus, by durowth, And ress of them both

And when they reached the estuary, the excandescent sun Was setting o'er the hefted sea; their saurian day was done

Then raised they paraseline eyes unto the fla all too soon!

O Iguanodon! O Earth! O Ichthyosaurus!

O Melanocephalous saurians! Oh! oh! oh!

(Here the Platypus was sobbing)

Oh, Troglyodites obscure--oh! oh!

At this point of the song, the poor Platypus, whose voice had tre in each verse, broke down, overcome by the extreme sensitiveness of its fifth pair of nerves and the sadness of its song, and wept in terrible grief

The gentle Kangaroo was also deeplythe Platypus in such sorrow, and Dotcold, damp fur, and stroked the little creature's head

The Platypus seemed much soothed by their sympathy, but hurriedly bid them farewell It said it must try and restore its shattered fifth pair of nerves by a few hydrophilus latipalpus beetles for lunch, and a sleep

It wearily dragged itself down to the edge of the pool, and looked backwards to the Kangaroo and Dot, who called out ”Good-bye” to it Its eyes were diuanodon and Ichthyosaurus, and of the good old days before the Flood

”It breaks my heart to think that they are all fossils,” it exclai its head ”Fossils!” it repeated, as it plunged into the pool and say ”Fossils!” it cried once more, in far, faint accents; and a second later it dived out of sight

For several aroo and Dot remained just as it had left thearoo,” said she, ”as that song about?”

”I don't know,” said the anis about”