258 BIRDS IN LEGEND 



Arabs in Palestine tell how a bird was involved in 

 David's sin of coveting Uriah's wife. David, they say, 

 had shut himself up in a tower for meditation, when, 

 happening to look up, he saw just outside the window 

 a bird of amazing beauty — a pigeon whose plumage 

 gleamed like gold and jewels. David threw some 

 crumbs on the floor, whereupon the pigeon came in and 

 picked them up, but eluded David's attempt to capture 

 it. At last, to escape his efforts, it flew to the window 

 and settled on one of the bars. He pursued, but it 

 departed. It was then, as David followed the bright 

 creature with longing eyes, that he caught sight of 

 Madame Uriah in the bath — and was done for ! 



Among other excellent things in Hanauer's Tales 

 from Palestine 43 is the following report of Solomon's 

 contest with a dove: 



"In the southern wall of the Kubbet 'es-Sakhra [at 

 Jerusalem], the mosque that now stands near the site 

 of the ancient Temple, on the right side of the door as 

 one enters there is a gray slab framed in marble of a 

 dark color. It contains a figure, formed by natural 

 veins in the stone, which is distinct enough to be taken 

 for a picture of two doves perched facing each other on 

 the edge of a vase. With this picture is connected a 

 tale . . . 



"The great king Solomon understood the language 

 of beasts, birds and fishes, and, when he had occasion 

 to do so, would converse with all of them. One day, 

 soon after he had completed the Temple, as he was 

 standing at a window of the royal palace, he overheard 

 a conversation between a pair of birds that were sit- 

 ting on the housetop. Presently the male, who was 

 evidently trying to impress the female with his im- 



