All the birds were going on a pilgrimage to the sea-shore to worship the King of Birds, Garuda. A quail decided to go along in the company of a crow. On the way, there was a cowherd walking along with a pot of curds on his head. The crow would swoop down and dip into the pot and eat some of the curd repeatedly. The cowherd felt this once and looked up. The crow was scared and immediately flew off. The quail, unaware of the crow’s theft, was happily flying along. The cowherd saw the quail and thought that it was the quail who had been stealing his curd. He picked a stone up and hit the quail. The poor quail fell and was caught and killed by the cowherd. “Now Sir, you know what happens if we live with or travel with wicked people!” said the parrot.
The Quail and the Crow
