"The Oyster now will please come forth And show the people here Just how he stands upon his head And then doth disappear." This interested Jimmieboy very much, and he watched the canvas intently as one of the Trick Oysters walked out into the ring, and after kissing his hand to Jimmieboy and bowing to the rest of the audience--if there were any to bow to, and Jimmieboy supposed there must be, for the Oyster certainly bowed--he stood upon his head, and then without a word vanished from sight. "Hooray!" shouted Jimmieboy, whereupon the book resumed: "Now watch the ring intently, for The Sea-Giraffe now comes, And without any effort turns A plum-cake into crumbs." "Huh!" cried Jimmieboy, as he watched the Sea-Giraffe turn the plum-cake into crumbs. "That isn't anything to do. I could do that myself, and make the plum-cake and the crumbs disappear too." The book, of course, could not reply to this criticism, and so went right on. "The Lobster and the Shark will now Amuse the little folks By making here, before their eyes, Some rhymes and funny jokes." When the book had said this there appeared on the canvas a really handsome Shark clad in a dress suit and a tall hat on his head, followed closely by a Lobster wearing a jester's coat and cap and bells, and bearing in his hand a little stick with Punch's head on the end of it. "How do you do?" the Lobster seemed to say, as he reached out his claw and grabbed the Shark by his right fin. "Sir," returned the Shark, "If you would really like to know, I'm very glad to say That I am feeling pretty fine, And think 'twill snow to-day." [Illustration: "I'M VERY GLAD TO SEE YOU, SHARKEY," SAID THE LOBSTER.] "I'm very glad to see you, Sharkey," said the Lobster. "It is exceedingly pleasant to one who is always joking to meet a Fish like you." "I pray excuse me, Lobster dear, If I should ask you why? Pray come and whisper in my ear, What your words signify." "Certainly, my dear Shark," replied the Lobster. "It is always exceedingly pleasant for a droll person to tell his jokes to a creature with a mouth as large as yours, because your smile is necessarily a tremendous one. I never like to tell my jokes to people with small mouths, because their smiles are limited, while yours is as broad as the boundless ocean." "Thank you," returned the Shark. "That reminds me of a little song, and as I see you have a bass-drum in your pocket, I will sing it, if you will accompany me." Here Jimmieboy had the wonderful experience of seeing a Lobster take a bass-drum out of his pocket. I shall not attempt to describe how the lobster did it, because I know you are anxious to hear the Shark's song--as also was Jimmieboy--which went as follows:--that is, the words did; the tune I cannot here reproduce, but any reader desirous of hearing it can do so if he will purchase a bass-drum set in G-flat, and beat it forty times to the second as hard as he knows how.