ostrils and parts of the face devoid of
hair. The Lion, trying to crush him, tore himself with his claws, until
he punished himself severely. The Gnat thus prevailed over the Lion,
and, buzzing about in a song of triumph, flew away. But shortly
afterward he became entangled in the meshes of a cobweb, and was eaten
by a spider. He greatly lamented his fate, saying: "Woe is me! that I,
who can wage war successfully with the hugest beast, should perish
myself from this spider, the most inconsiderable of insects!"

_Esteem yourself neither highly nor lowly, but walk humbly in the face
of the Unknown._

THE FROGS AND THE BULLS

Two frogs, sitting on the edge of a pond saw two Bulls fighting in a
meadow close by. "Alas!" cried one of the frogs. "Those dreadful beasts
are fighting. What will become of us!"

"There is no reason for fear," said the other frog. "Their quarrels have
nothing to do with us. Their lives are different from ours, and cannot
affect us."

"Alas!" said the first frog, "you are wrong. One of them will certainly
triumph. The vanquished will take refuge from the victor in our marshes,
and we shall be trampled under his feet."

_When the strong fall out, the weak are the greatest sufferers from
their quarrels._

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 proper strength, and attained the
use of their wings and the full plumage of their feathers, when the
owner of the field, overlooking his crop, now quite ripe, said, "The
time is come when I must send to all my neighbors to help me with my
harvest." One of the young Larks heard his speech, and told it to his
mother, asking her to what place they should move for safety.

"There is no occasion to move yet, my son," she replied; "the man who
only sends to his friends to help him with his harvest is not really in
earnest." The owner of the field again came a few days later, and saw
the wheat shedding the grain from excess of ripeness, and said, "I will
come myself to-morrow with my laborers, and with as many reapers as I
can hire, and will get in the harvest." The Lark on hearing these words
said to her brood, "It is time now to be off, my little ones, for the
man is in earnest this time; he no longer trusts to his friends, but
will reap the field himself."

_Self-help is the best help._

BELLING THE CAT

The mice who lived in the o