The Farmer and the Stork

A Farmer placed nets on his newly-sown plough lands, and caught a quantity of Cranes, which came to pick up his seed. With them he trapped a Stork also. The Stork having his leg fractured by the net, earnestly besought the Farmer to spare his life. "Pray, save me, Master," he said, "and let me go free this once. My broken limb should excite your pity. Besides, I am no Crane, I am a Stork, a bird of excellent character; and see how I love and slave for my father and mother. Look too, at my feathers, they are not the least like to those of a Crane." The Farmer laughed aloud, and said, "It may be all as you say; I only know this, I have taken you with these robbers, the Cranes, and you must die in their company."

Birds of a feather flock together.

From The Farmer and the Stork by Aesop, translated by George Fyler Townsend (1867). Public domain.

Check your understanding

1. Why did the Farmer put nets on his land?

To catch Cranes eating his seedsTo catch a pet StorkTo keep the soil warmTo trap mice

2. What happened to the Stork's leg?

It was bitten by a CraneIt was fractured by the netIt got stuck in the mudIt was hurt by the Farmer

3. Retell what happens in the story from when the farmer sets the nets to what he decides to do with the Stork.

4. Why did the Stork think the Farmer should let him go?

5. What does the Farmer mean when he calls the Cranes robbers?

6. The moral of the story is Birds of a feather flock together, which means people are judged by the group they hang out with. Can you think of a time when you or someone you know got in trouble just by being around others who were doing something wrong?