A Lark made her nest in a field of young wheat. If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But this only brought out the whole swarm. Soon a swarm of blood-sucking flies settled on him; but he lay quietly, still too weak to run away from them. How can it be, he sighed, that I should be cursed with such legs when I have so magnificent a crown. The Snake soon revived, and when it had enough strength, bit the man who had been so kind to it. In great fear the Mice scurried to a hiding place, where they lay quite still for a long time, hardly daring to breathe. But the Dog would not let them get near the manger, and snarled and snapped as if it were filled with the best of meat and bones, all for himself. But one night he found a sheep skin that had been cast aside and forgotten. But just as he cast the stone, the Ant stung him in the heel, so that the pain made him miss his aim, and the startled Dove flew to safety in a distant wood.
It is unwise to treat old friends badly for the sake of new ones.