d not believe; (3) What is past you
should not trouble about"--He sets the Quail free--Says the Quail, "I
have in my stomach a gem weighing 1 1/4 seers, and worth lakhs of
rupees; had you not let me go you would have that gem"--Fowler falls on
the ground in misery--Says the Quail, "You forget my teaching: (1) You
set me free; (2) You did not ask how a body so light could contain such
a gem; (3) You are troubled about what is past"--Flies away--Fowler
returns home a wiser man.

Compare the "Laughable Stories of Bar-Hebraeus," E. A. W. Budge (Luzac,
1897), No. 382, where a Sparrow acts as this Quail does. See also the
"Three Counsels worth Money" in No. 485.

9.--The King of the Kites

Told by RAM DEO, Brahman, of Mirzapur.

Frog and Mouse dispute, each saying he is King of the Kites--The dispute
lasts for several years--They refer it to a _Panch_ (Committee of
Five)--The other three are Bat, Squirrel, Parrot--They cannot decide--A
small Kite appears--Carries off both Frog and Mouse, and eats them--The
rest depart--The dispute does not arise again.

The belief that each species of bird and beast has a king of its own is
common. Thus, we have a king of the serpents, of mice, of flies,
locusts, ants, foxes, cats, and so on (Frazer, "Pausanias," iii. 559).
Also see No. 27 of this collection.

10.--The Jackal and the Camel

Told by HAR PRASAD, Brahman, of Saraya Aghat,
District Etah, N.W.P.

Camel grazing, entangles nose-string in a tree--Confused in mind,
appeals to Jackal--"Brother, I will free you for one _seer_ of
flesh"--He agrees--Jackal asks the tongue--"Have you a witness?"--Jackal
tries all the beasts, offering half of all he gets--Wolf refuses--Jackal
explains that the Camel will die, and they will get all his body--He
then agrees, and swears it--Camel opens his mouth, curls back
tongue--Jackal cannot catch the tongue--Wolf tries--When the head is
well in, Camel closes his jaws--"O _Dada_ (father), what is this?"--Says
Jackal, "The result of lying," and runs away--Wolf dies.

In Oriental folk-lore the jackal takes the place which the fox occupies
in the Western world, and numerous tales are told of his cunning. This
fact has formed the base of an argument to prove that the European Beast
tales originated from the East (Tawney, "Katha Sarit Sagara," ii. 28).

11.--The Wise Old Shepherd

Told by MUNSHI FAZL KARIM of Mirzapur.

A Naga (Snake) goes out of his