The Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg Second Edition   By: Unknown

The

COMICAL CREATURES

from

WURTEMBERG.

From the EXAMINER, August 2d.

"The title page of this agreeable little volume sufficiently commends its pleasant contents. To whom, old or young, will it not be welcome? Who has not, young or old, seen, laughed at, revisited, and brought away, pleasant recollections of the Stuffed Animals from the Zollverein?

"It was a good notion, that of perpetuating these clever productions by means of daguerreotype and wood engraving. They are very nicely executed in this volume, and wonderfully like. It is needless to particularise where all is so graphic and faithful; but let the studious little rabbit over his arithmetic lesson at p. 32, with that demure conscience striken pair behind him wincing at the flogging of their idle brother, be especially admired.

"We must add that the letterpress is not unworthy of the humour and fidelity of the illustrations. The various Weasels, Rabbits, and Foxes, are brought into one little tale; the Wonderful Hare Hunt into another; the Tea Party of Kittens, and the Marten and Tabby, into a third; the Duel of the Dormice, and the Frogs, form two separate and ingenious anecdotes; and the story of Reynard the Fox is quaintly related in prose so far as was necessary to explain the six comical groups of Ploucquet.

"We predict a great run at Christmas for the Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg ."

From the MORNING CHRONICLE, August 12th.

"The book is a clever and a pleasant memento of the Great Exhibition. The drawings are careful and clever, and convey a very correct representation of the original creatures, with all, or nearly all, their subtlety of expression and aspect. The capital fatuity of the Rabbits and Hares, the delightful scoundrelism of the Fox, the cunning shrewdness of the Marten and Weasels, the hoyden visages of the Kittens, and the cool, slippery demeanour of the Frogs, are all capitally given. The book may lie on the drawing room table, or be thumbed in the nursery; and in the latter case we have little doubt that many an urchin still in petticoats will in future years associate his most vivid recollection of the Great Exhibition of 1851 with Mr. Bogue's perpetuation of the Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg ."

[Illustration: THE WONDERFUL HARE HUNT.]

The

COMICAL CREATURES

from

WURTEMBERG,

Including the Story of Reynard the Fox.

With Twenty Illustrations, Drawn from the Stuffed Animals contributed by Herrmann Ploucquet of Stuttgart to the Great Exhibition.

Second Edition.

London: DAVID BOGUE, FLEET STREET. 1851.

PREFACE.

To HERRMANN PLOUCQUET, Preserver of Objects of Natural History at the Royal Museum of Stuttgart, the capital of the kingdom of Wurtemberg, we are indebted for one of the cleverest and most popular displays in the GREAT EXHIBITION. Every one, from her Majesty the Queen down to the least of the charity boys, hastens to see the Stuffed Animals from the Zollverein; every one lingers over them and laughs at them as long as the crowd will allow; and every one talks of them afterwards with a smile and a pleasing recollection.

That these clever productions of Ploucquet's talent may be long perpetuated, we have had daguerreotypes of them taken by Mr. Claudet, and engravings made from them on wood as faithfully like as possible.

We must beg our readers to remember that, excepting "Reynard the Fox," our sketches have been written to illustrate the drawings, for on this plea we claim some indulgence; but as we know full well that the pictures will be the main attraction of the volume, we are not apprehensive of much criticism.