silent, supposed him to be one of themselves and admitted him to

their cote. But when one day he forgot himself and began to
chatter, they discovered his true character and drove him forth,

pecking him with their beaks. Failing to obtain food among the
Doves, he returned to the Jackdaws. They too, not recognizing

him on account of his color. expelled him from living with them.
So desiring two ends, he obtained neither.

The Horse and the Stag
AT ONE TIME the Horse had the plain entirely to himself. Then a

Stag intruded into his domain and shared his pasture. The Horse,
desiring to revenge himself on the stranger, asked a man if he

were willing to help him in punishing the Stag. The man replied
that if the Horse would receive a bit in his mouth and agree to

carry him, he would contriveeffective weapons against the Stag.
The Horse consented and allowed the man to mount him. From that

hour he found that instead of obtaining revenge on the Stag, he
had enslaved himself to the service of man.

The Kid and the Wolf
A KID, returning without protection from the pasture, was pursued

by a Wolf. Seeing he could not escape, he turned round, and
said: "I know, friend Wolf, that I must be your prey, but before

I die I would ask of you one favor you will play me a tune to
which I may dance." The Wolf complied, and while he was piping

and the Kid was dancing, some hounds hearing the sound ran up and
began chasing the Wolf. Turning to the Kid, he said, "It is just

what I deserve; for I, who am only a butcher, should not have
turned piper to please you."

The Prophet
A WIZARD, sitting in the marketplace, was telling the fortunes of

the passers-by when a person ran up in great haste, and
announced to him that the doors of his house had been broken open

and that all his goods were being stolen. He sighed heavily and
hastened away as fast as he could run. A neighbor saw him

running and said, "Oh! you fellow there! you say you can foretell
the fortunes of others; how is it you did not foresee your own?'

The Fox and the Monkey
A FOX and a Monkey were traveling together on the same road. As

they journeyed, they passed through a cemetery full of monuments.
"All these monuments which you see," said the Monkey, "are

in honor of my ancestors, who were in their day freedmen
and citizens of great renown." The Fox replied, "You have chosen

a most appropriate subject for your falsehoods, as I am sure none
of your ancestors will be able to contradict you."

A false tale often betrays itself.
The Thief and the Housedog

A THIEF came in the night to break into a house. He brought with
him several slices of meat in order to pacify the Housedog, so

that he would not alarm his master by barking. As the Thief
threw him the pieces of meat, the Dog said, "If you think to stop

my mouth, you will be greatly mistaken. This sudden kindness at
your hands will only make me more watchful, lest under these

unexpected favors to myself, you have some private ends to
accomplish for your own benefit, and for my master's injury."

The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog
A HORSE, Ox, and Dog, driven to great straits by the cold, sought

shelter and protection from Man. He received them kindly,
lighted a fire, and warmed them. He let the Horse make free with

his oats, gave the Ox an abundance of hay, and fed the Dog with
meat from his own table. Grateful for these favors, the animals

determined to repay him to the best of their ability. For this
purpose, they divided the term of his life between them, and each

endowed one portion of it with the qualities which chiefly
characterized himself. The Horse chose his earliest years and

gave them his own attributes: hence every man is in his youth
impetuous, headstrong, and obstinate in maintaining his own

opinion. The Ox took under his patronage the next term of life,
and therefore man in his middle age is fond of work, devoted to

labor, and resolute to amass wealth and to husband his resources.
The end of life was reserved for the Dog, wherefore the old man

is often snappish, irritable, hard to please, and selfish,
tolerant only of his own household, but averse to strangers and

to all who do not administer to his comfort or to his
necessities.

The Apes and the Two Travelers
TWO MEN, one who always spoke the truth and the other who told

nothing but lies, were traveling together and by chance came to
the land of Apes. One of the Apes, who had raised himself to be

king, commanded them to be seized and brought before him, that he
might know what was said of him among men. He ordered at the

same time that all the Apes be arranged in a long row on his
right hand and on his left, and that a throne be placed for him,

as was the custom among men. After these preparations he
signified that the two men should be brought before him, and

greeted them with this salutation: "What sort of a king do I seem
to you to be, O strangers?' The Lying Traveler replied, "You seem

to me a most mighty king." "And what is your estimate of those
you see around me?' "These," he made answer, "are worthy

companions of yourself, fit at least to be ambassadors and
leaders of armies." The Ape and all his court, gratified with the

lie, commanded that a handsome present be given to the flatterer.
On this the truthful Traveler thought to himself, "If so great a

reward be given for a lie, with what gift may not I be rewarded,
if, according to my custom, I tell the truth?' The Ape quickly

turned to him. "And pray how do I and these my friends around me
seem to you?' "Thou art," he said, "a most excellent Ape, and all

these thy companions after thy example are excellent Apes too."
The King of the Apes, enraged at hearing these truths, gave him

over to the teeth and claws of his companions.
The Wolf and the Shepherd

A WOLF followed a flock of sheep for a long time and did not
attempt to injure one of them. The Shepherd at first stood on

his guard against him, as against an enemy, and kept a strict
watch over his movements. But when the Wolf, day after day, kept

in the company of the sheep and did not make the slightest effort
to seize them, the Shepherd began to look upon him as a guardian

of his flock rather than as a plotter of evil against it; and
when occasion called him one day into the city, he left the sheep

entirely in his charge. The Wolf, now that he had the
opportunity, fell upon the sheep, and destroyed the greater part

of the flock. When the Shepherd returned to find his flock
destroyed, he exclaimed: "I have been rightly served; why did I

trust my sheep to a Wolf?'
The Hares and the Lions

THE HARES harangued the assembly, and argued that all should be
equal. The Lions made this reply: "Your words, O Hares! are

good; but they lack both claws and teeth such as we have."
The Lark and Her Young Ones

A LARK had made her nest in the early spring on the young green
wheat. The brood had almost grown to their full strength and

attained the use of their wings and the full plumage of their
feathers, when the owner of the field, looking over his ripe

crop, said, "The time has come when I must ask all my neighbors
to help me with my harvest." One of the young Larks heard his

speech and related it to his mother, inquiring of her to what
place they should move for safety. "There is no occasion to move