Life, 1927-01-06 · page 9 of 39
Life — January 6, 1927 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is a humorous poem celebrating the armadillo through exaggerated, rhyming verse. The text describes the creature's various peculiar behaviors and characteristics in absurdist detail—rolling into balls, digging, warbling songs, drinking without spilling, sleeping with its tail as a pillow, and other oddities. The satire appears to mock overly-earnest nature writing and educational verse popular in the era. The repeated "oh!" exclamations and forced rhymes create comedic excess. Accompanying illustrations show armadillos in ridiculous scenarios (serving as cannonballs, playing croquet, jungle golfing). The final illustration caption notes "The armadillo, an absolutely unexpected species"—suggesting the joke is partly about the armadillo's sheer strangeness as a creature worthy of such elaborate, dignified poetic treatment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life ee A N_E_ N_T AR M A DiI.tt oO S$ HAT ho! ’Tis the squat Armadillo! Rolled vp in 2 ball like a pill, oh! His feet on his face, Like a rat saying grace, With nary a whisker or quill, oh! OrAllidt Cla WY He digs in the dirt with much skill, oh! and wacilas his song wien 2 trill, oh? is hide, since you ask it, ’s r i The toughest of baskets; Peete of Much tougher than hiccups, or willow! live armadillo. He’s hard as the dickens to kill, oh! 3 ge His peeling would dull a steel drill, oh! \¢ a e laughs at the whack y CL de If you lambaste his back drmadillos serving as cannonballs Or bash him a bat on the bill, oh! in 2 ceatral american revolution. Abroad in the nocturnal still, oh! When taking a fall Ger which they trot back to be He rolls upin a ball. . SOS Tne shot again. That's better than Jack did, or Jill, oh! ““upercsroquee bali. Me aux He ambulates gully and hill, oh! A = .9 He nibbles the sweet daffydil, oh! And_doodle-nuts give him a thrill, oh! Consumes Cheshire cheese Just as brash as you please And sighs when he's guzzled his fill, oh! He drinks jungle gin by the gill, oh! And nary:a ms joes he spill, oh! He caches the makings For these undertakings . And waits for the stuff to distill, oh He sleeps with his tail for a pus? hill To keep it from having a c He spits on his hands, When occasion demands, And watches his diaphragm billow! 6, 3» SMe == An Armadill seldom is ill, oh! At least not in Armadillville, oh! fore Puree shite 5 C sas eds the rain and the dirt. be le moskay-tail billiards. If that wont suffice nothing will, oh! ‘"uniipected species.” , oh! comicbooks.com.