When [he saw that] this Crow had perched on the back of the Deer, that Gamarala says to the Jackal, "To-day indeed he has died."

When this Gamarala was going near the Deer, the Deer, having said "Hu," bounded away. Then the Gamarala struck the Jackal [with his axe]. The Jackal says, "Not being obedient [to the Precepts], an axe-thunderbolt struck me," [and died].

Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.

In The Jataka, No. 16 (vol. i, p. 49), a deer that was snared is described as shamming death [7] as in the second of these tales, and escaping when the hunter unfastened the noose.

In the Jataka tale No. 216 (vol. ii, p. 106), when an antelope, a woodpecker, and a tortoise (turtle) lived near a lake, a hunter caught the antelope in a leather noose. While the tortoise endeavoured to gnaw through the leather, the woodpecker went off to make evil omens and delay the hunter in the early morning. It did this by uttering a cry, flapping its wings, and striking him in the face as he opened the front door of his hut. He thought "Some bird of evil omen has struck me," so he turned back and lay down for a short time. By repeating this at the back-door the bird made the man remain at home till sunrise. When at last he approached the antelope the tortoise had gnawed through all but one thong; the antelope burst this and escaped. The jackal is not introduced into this version, which being illustrated in the early Bharahat reliefs is of earlier date than 250 B.C.

In Le Pantcha-Tantra of the Abbé Dubois, a crow, a rat, a turtle, and a gazelle formed a friendship together. When the gazelle was caught the rat brought others and gnawed through the nets and saved it. Afterwards when the rat and turtle were likely to be seized, the gazelle led the hunters away, and its friends escaped. The jackal is not mentioned.

In the Hitopadesa a crow, a rat, a turtle, and an antelope were friends; a hunter caught the turtle and tied it to his bow in order to take it home. By the rat’s advice the antelope feigned death, the crow perched on it, and while the hunter went with his knife to the antelope the rat gnawed in two the string that held the turtle, which at once plunged into the water; the antelope then ran off. In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. ii, p. 52, a mouse takes the place of the rat.

NO. 180

THE FOOLISH BIRD [8]

In a certain country a hen bird laid eggs on a rock; when she was there a considerable time young ones were hatched from the eggs. While the young ones are on the rock, the bird having come [after] seeking food, gives it to the young ones.

One day, when the bird was going seeking and seeking food, there was a Mi tree [9] in the jungle. The Mi flowers of that Mi tree had fallen on the ground. The bird, gathering the flowers, and having come and spread them out on the rock on which were the young ones, said to the young ones, "Children, until the time when I come [after] seeking food for you, look after these."

Afterwards the young ones, having said "Ha," stayed looking in the very direction of the Mi flowers. The bird went to seek food.

The sun’s heat having fallen on them, [through their] drying and drying up the Mi flowers became extremely less; when one looked the Mi flowers were not even to be seen.

The bird seeking food and having come, when she looked there were no Mi flowers. Having said, "The young birds ate them, indeed," she asked the young ones about it. The young birds said, "We did not eat them."

The bird having become angry and said, "If ye did not eat them, who ate them?" struck all the young birds on the rock and killed them.

Then the white lotus throne of Sakra, the Divine King, having become hot, he rained a rain. When it was thus raining it soaked those Mi flowers that had dried up, and [as they expanded again] the rock was filled with them in the same manner as before.

The bird having been looking on, said, "Ane! My foolishness in killing my children!" and called her children. She called them in the manner of verse:--

They dried and dried until they shrank; my children on the rock I’ve slain. King Sakra’s eyes divine beheld; he rainèd down a flowery rain. Then in the very form they had, a rock was filled with flowers again; But crying, "Son! My callow ones!" your mother called to you in vain.

That indeed. Now also, those birds saying "Kuturun, Son, Son!" [10] call them.

North-western Province.

The text of the verse is:--

Weli weli adu-wena turu, daruwan gale gaesuwa. Saek rajune diwas bala, mal waessak waessa. Etakota mal tibunu lesama galen ekak piruna. "Pubborun, pute," kiya, amma anda-gaesuwa.

In a variant by a Tom-tom Beater the verse is:--

Blossoms of jungle tree I saw and brought, and on the rock I strew. They dried and dried until they shrank; my children then I beat and slew. Now, crying, "Kuturu, Son, ku!" your mother vainly calls to you.

Kaele gase pub daekala, gale genat waenuwa. Weli weli adu-wena turu, daruwan gasala maeruwa. "Kuturu, pute, ku,"[10] kiya, amma a[n]da-gasati.