IN LEGEND AND HISTORY 65 



up, and the swallow warned the birds that 

 they should pull it all out of the ground — 

 and again they laughed. The flax matured, 

 and once more the swallow advised them to 

 carry it away. At last, seeing that the 

 birds paid no heed to her counsels, she 

 withdrew from their companionship and at- 

 tached herself to man. With him she still 

 lives and sings, secure in his protection. 



The birds, out of scorn, dubbed her " false 

 prophet," but they were blind to one thing 

 which she saw clearly — that out of flax men 

 weave cords and snares to capture birds. 



The Blackbird and the Swallows 



A Little Fable of Italy 



Some swallows were flying away to the 

 south one day when a blackbird begged 

 them to take him along with them as one 

 of their flock. They consented, and together 

 all flew away. After a time they came to 

 a lake with a surface smooth and shiny like 

 a mirror. The vain blackbird saw the lake, 



CAM. SW. BK. — ? 



