“Excited the spleen of the birds and the beasts;”

How the peacock and turkey “flew into a passion,”

On finding that insects “pretended to fashion.”

Now, I often have thought it exceedingly hard,

That nought should be said of the beasts by the bard;

Who, by some strange neglect, has omitted to state

That the quadrupeds gave a magnificent fête;

So, out of sheer justice I take up my pen,

To tell you the how, and the where, and the when.

The place which they chose was a wild chestnut ground,