ng had a son called Moon, and by the advice of the parrot this
prince married the daughter of the king of the Magadha country; and her
name was Moonlight. Now this princess had a thrush named Moony, who was
like the parrot, because she had learning and intelligence. And the
parrot and the thrush lived in one cage in the palace.

One day the parrot eagerly said to the thrush: "My darling, love me,
and share my bed and my chair and my food and my amusements."

But the thrush said: "I will have nothing to do with men. Men are bad
and ungrateful."

Then the parrot said: "Men are not bad. It is only women who are bad
and cruel-hearted." And they quarrelled.

Then the two birds wagered their freedom with each other and went to
the prince to have their quarrel decided. And the prince mounted his
father's judgment throne, and when he had heard the cause of the
quarrel, he asked the thrush: "How are men ungrateful? Tell the truth."
Then she said, "Listen, O Prince," and to prove her point she started
to tell this story illustrating the faults of men.

There is a famous city called Kamandaki, where a wealthy merchant lived
named Fortune. And in time a son was born to him and named Treasure.
Then when the father went to heaven, the young man became very unruly
because of gambling and other vices. And the rascals came together, and
ruined him. Association with scoundrels is the root from which springs
the tree of calamity.

So in no long time he lost all he had through his vices, and being
ashamed of his poverty, he left his own country and went to wander in
other places. And during his travels he came to a city called Sandal
City, and entered the house of a merchant, seeking something to eat.
When the merchant saw the youth, he asked him about his family, and
finding that he was a gentleman, he entertained him. And thinking that
Gate had sent the young man, he gave him his own daughter Pearl,
together with some money. And when Treasure was married, he lived in
his father-in-law's house.

As time passed, he forgot his former miseries in the comforts of his
life, and longed for the old vices, and wanted to go home. So the
rascal managed to persuade his father-in-law, who had no other
children, took his wife Pearl with her beautiful ornaments, and an old
woman, and started for his own country. Presently he came to a wood
where he said he was afraid of thieves, so he took all his wife's
ornaments. Perceive, O Prince, how cruel