he was
stripped of all his borrowed plumes.

Very much ashamed, the jackdaw went sadly home, meaning to join his
old friends as if nothing had happened. But they, remembering how he
had scorned them before, chased him away and would have nothing to do
with him.

"If you had been content," said one, "to remain as nature made you,
instead of trying to be what you are not, you would have neither been
punished by your betters nor despised by your equals."

* * * * *

THE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL

A fox lost his tail in escaping from a steel trap. When he began to
go about again, he found that every one looked down upon or laughed at
him. Not liking this, he thought to himself that if he could persuade
the other foxes to cut off their tails, his own loss would not be so
noticeable.

Accordingly he called together the foxes and said: "How is it that you
still wear your tails? Of what use are they? They are in the way, they
often get caught in traps, they are heavy to carry and not pretty to
look upon. Believe me, we are far better without them. Cut off your
tails, my friends, and you will see how much more comfortable it is.
I for my part have never enjoyed myself so much nor found life so
pleasant as I have since I lost mine."

Upon this, a sly old fox, seeing through the trick, cried, "It seems
to me, my friend, that you would not be so anxious for us to cut off
our tails, if you had not already lost yours."

* * * * *

THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING

A wolf put on the skin of a sheep, and getting in among the flock by
means of this disguise, killed many of the sheep. The shepherd, who
wondered why so many of his flock had disappeared, at last discovered
the deceit. He fastened a rope cunningly round the pretended sheep's
neck, led him to a tree, and there hanged him.

Some other shepherds passing that way and seeing what they thought was
a sheep hanging from a tree, said, "What, brother! Surely you do not
hang sheep?"

"No," answered the shepherd, "but I hang wolves when I catch them
dressed up in sheep's skins!"

Then he showed them their mistake, and they praised the justice of the
deed he had done.

* * * * *

THE CROW AND THE PITCHER

A crow, whose throat was parched and dry with thirst, saw a pitcher in
the distance. In great joy he flew to it, but found that it held only
a little water, and