hey fell
upon it, and killed and devoured it. The animals complained again, and
the dogs were pronounced guilty; but they appealed to the license, in
which it was not stated whether the fallen animals should be dead or
alive. When the sheep-dog and the cat sought for the document, they
could not find it, for the mice had nibbled it away.

The cats were so angry with the mice that they began to kill and eat
them, and have done so ever since; but the dogs likewise became enemies
of the cats, as they are at present.

The sheep-dog did not venture to return to his fellows without the
license. They waited for him in vain, and at last followed him, and
sought for him everywhere, but could not find him. So whenever a dog
sees another he runs to ask him whether he has not got the missing
document with him.

THE ORIGIN OF THE SWALLOW.

The wife of a drunkard was sitting weaving with her child on her lap.
She wore a black cloth on her head, a red neckerchief, a white shift,
and a coal-black petticoat. When her husband came home, he pushed his
wife away, and destroyed the loom with an axe. Then he killed the child
with a blow of his fist, and beat his wife till she fell senseless. But
Ukko took pity on her, and changed her into a swallow. As she was trying
to escape, the man struck at her with a knife, but only cleft her tail.
Since that time she flies about twittering her misfortunes, and does not
shun men like other birds, but builds her nest against their houses.

THE SPIDER AND THE HORNET.

Once upon a time some boys burned a hornet's nest because the hornet
stung them so badly. Then the hornet went to God to complain that the
boys despised His gifts, and scattered broken victuals about in the
fields. But God objected that she had no witnesses. So she went to the
king of the spiders, and made him return with her to God, who asked if
he had seen the boys scatter food about the fields. But the spider said
that it was not their fault, for they had no table to put their bread
on. Then God praised the spider for speaking the truth, and condemned
the hornet for telling lies and hating her neighbours without a cause.
He then struck her on the back with his staff, and cast her down from
heaven to earth, so that she broke in two with the fall. But he let the
spider down with a cord, because he had spoken the truth. Since then the
spider has had a net and a web, by which he can climb up and down as he
likes, as on