Chapter 120
A farmer set up a net in his field to catch some cranes that had been constantly feeding upon his newly-sown corn. When he went to examine the net and to see what the cranes had taken, there was a stork among them.
“Spare me!” cried the stork. “I’m not a crane. Nor have I eaten any of your corn. As you can see. I’m a poor innocent stork, the most pious and dutiful of birds. I honor and respect my mother and father. I – ”
But the farmer cut him short. “All this may be true enough, but I only know that I’ve caught you with those birds who were destroying my crops, and since you were sharing their company, you must share their fate.”
Birds of a feather may flock together, but care for the company you keep.
