When I was a boy, I was given the above-titled book by an elderly neighbour. The book plate reveals that it was presented to Edgar Goodfellow, as a prize for reading, Xmas 1893. It consists of a series of, more or less, tall stories either collected or invented by Mrs R Lee (formerly Mrs T E Bowdich). The book was published by Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh and illustrated by Harrison Weir. It is those six line drawings which I have extracted, together with the anecdotes they relate to, and which can be accessed by clicking on the thumb nails below. Some of the attitudes expressed towards the natural world, a century ago, are somewhat at variance to current thought so I've also included the final paragraph of the book, on coral, even though there is no illustration with it.

'As one of my chief objects in writing on natural history, is the setting forth of God's great goodness and power, I will conclude the present work with an observation on that species of scarus, which is called the Parrot-fish, in consequence of its varied and beautiful colours; and which appears to me with quiet and apparently small workings, to influence the destiny of man. These fishes make no display of their labours, but silently and effectually prevent the baneful extension of those dangerous coral reefs, to whose progress there seems no other check. They are incessantly breaking up the new layers with their jaws and teeth, of immense strength; in fact, browsing upon coral, "digesting," says Dr. Carpenter, "the animal matter it contains, and setting free the carbonate of lime in a chalky state." Such are the simple, yet effectual means, used by Almighty wisdom, and such are a few of the claims which fishes lay to our interest.'