I Have heard that a sparrow was once flitting over a sheep fold, when he looked at it carefully and behold, he saw a great eagle swoop down upon a newly weaned lamb and carry it off in his claws and fly away. Thereupon the sparrow clapped his wings and said, "I will do even as this one did;" and he grew proud in his own conceit and mimicked a greater than he. So he flew down directly and lighted on the back of a fat ram with a thick fleece, that was become matted by his lying in his dung and stale till it was like woollen felt. As soon as the sparrow pounced upon the sheep's back he flapped his wings to fly away, but his feet became tangled in the wool and, however hard he tried, he could not set himself free. While all this was doing the shepherd was looking on, having seen what happened first with the eagle and afterwards with the sparrow; so he came up to the wee birdie in a rage and seized him. Then he plucked out his wing feathers and, tying his feet with a twine, carried him to his children and threw him to them. "What is this?" asked one of them; and he answered, "This is he that aped a greater than himself and came to grief." "Now you, O fox, art like this and I would have you beware of aping a greater than you, lest you perish.

This is all I have to say to you; so fare from me in peace!" When the fox despaired of the crow's friendship, he turned away, groaning for sorrow and gnashing teeth upon teeth in his disappointment; and the crow, hearing the sound of weeping and seeing his grief and profound melancholy, said to him, "O fox, what dole and dolour make you gnash your canines?" The fox answered, "I gnash my canines because I find you a greater rascal than myself;" and so saying he made off to his house and did not stop to fare till he reached his home. the Sultan said, "O Shahrazad, how excellent are these your stories, and how delightsome! Have you more of such edifying tales?" she answered:—They tell this legend concerning