And the learned gush of the Daily T.,
To be called a porpoise or ocean-calf,
Or a seven-foot slug from the deep blue sea.
Me a Manatee? Dickens a bit!
The Mermaid of fiction was something fine,
A fish-tailed Siren given to sit
On a handy rock, 'midst the breezy brine,
Each golden curl with a comb of pearl
Arranging in many a taking twirl,
Like a free-and-easy nautical girl.