9. The Vain Jackdaw

    Once upon a time the Emperor of All the Animals in the World thought that the Bird-People would be the better off for a Vassal-King of their own.  So he sent out notices far and wide, telling the birds to present themselves before his throne; and saying that, when he had looked them well over, he would choose the most beautiful among them to reign over the rest.

    East and west and south and north went his messengers with the summons.  They went to the humming-birds that sip the flower-sweets, and to the great eagles that sweep over the tops of the highest rockiest hills-- to the owls, and the ostriches, the peacocks, the penguins, and the pigeons.  And all the birds began to preen their feathers, and cock their pretty heads, in readiness for the great day.

    The jackdaw, however, was very discontented.  He knew that he was an ugly sort of bird, and he saw no chance of being chosen as King.  However, he hit on what seemed to him to be a very happy idea.  What do you think he did?

    He went hunting over the fields and through the woods for the feathers that the other birds had dropped.  And, when he had collected as many as he could find, he dressed himself up in them!  There was every kind of feather you can think of, but perhaps the most beautiful of all were the long plumes, green and blue and gold, that had fallen from the peacocks' tails.  Then, when the great day came, he stuck these stolen feathers all over his body in what he thought was a very striking design, and set out for the palace of the Emperor, managing his finery with some difficulty, and rather nervous lest any of it should blow off.

    What a procession of lovely birds there was before the Emperor's throne!  It was a regular Court day in Bird-land.  One after another the pretty things arrived at the palace, some of them hopping or running up the paths, others alighting delicately from the sky.  Such a twittering and singing and chirping had never been heard before, and will certainly never be heard again.  And, one by one, the birds all passed in front of the Emperor, while he examined them carefully, and tried to make up his mind which was the most beautiful.

    At last he called the jackdaw to come and stand by the side of the throne.  Proud as the peacock, whose stolen feathers were trailing behind him, the jackdaw marched up and stood there for every other bird to stare at.  Then the Emperor told his herald to blow a trumpet, and to declare that the jackdaw, in his wonderful dress of feathers, was the finest inhabitant of Bird-land, and was to be crowned its King.

    This was too much for the rest of the birds.  A great commotion rose among them, and out dashed a pair of pigeons and tore their pretty feathers from the jackdaw's breast, followed by a screaming jay, who claimed the blue patch lost, long ago, from his wing.  Then came all the others whom the jackdaw had robbed.  Last of all, the peacock himself marched up, his great beautiful tail raised in anger, making a shining frame for his gleaming sapphire head.  He seized the mock tail of the robber and threw it on the ground at the Emperor's feet.  And there, all his fine feathers gone, stood the ugly jackdaw, black and foolish-looking, and making disgusted little croaking noises under his breath!

    So, instead of being made King, he was driven away in disgrace, while the other birds called and chirped and twittered after him:

    "Fine feathers don't make fine birds!"

    "Fine feathers never have made fine birds!"

    "Fine feathers never will make fine birds!"

    "Shoo!  Shoo!  Shoo!"