First of all in the circus was the grand parade. A great big gilded band-wagon drawn by gayly caparisoned Sea-Horses went first, and then Jimmieboy could judge how much better electric circus books were than those he had in his nursery, for this book was able to do what his had never done--it furnished music to go with the band--and such music as it was! It had all the pleasant features of the hand-organ; was as soft and sweet in parts as the music-box in the white-and-gold parlor, and once in a while would play deliciously out of tune like a real circus band. After the band-wagon there followed the most amusing things that Jimmieboy ever saw, the Trick Oysters, twelve in number, and all on foot. Next came the mounted Scallops, riding ten abreast on superbly groomed Turtles, holding the bridle of each of which walked Lobsters dressed as Clowns. Then came the menagerie, with great Sea-Lions swimming in tanks on wheels; marine Giraffes standing up to their necks in water forty feet deep; four-legged Whales, like the Oysters, on foot, and hundreds of other queer fish, all doing things Jimmieboy had never supposed they could do. When the parade was over a great circus ring showed itself upon the canvas, and as strains of lovely music came from the left of the tent the book on the shelf began to recite: "The Codfish walks around, The Bass begins to sing; The Whitebait 'round the Terrapin's cage Would better get out of the ring. The Gudgeon is the fish That goes to all the shows, He swims up to the Teredos And tweaks him by the nose." "That Gudgeon must have been a sort of Van Amberg," thought Jimmieboy. "He did brave things like that." Then the book went on again: "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 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."