No More Learning

"If," said the old Parrots, "you find a cherry, do not fight about who
should have it. "

"And," said the old Storks, "if you find a frog, divide it carefully into
seven bits, but on no account quarrel about it. "

And the old Geese said to the seven young Geese, "Whatever you do, be sure
you do not touch a plum-pudding flea. "

And the old Owls said, "If you find a mouse, tear him up into seven slices,
and eat him cheerfully, but without quarrelling. "

And the old Guinea Pigs said, "Have a care that you eat your lettuces,
should you find any, not greedily, but calmly. "

And the old Cats said, "Be particularly careful not to meddle with a
clangle-wangle if you should see one. "

And the old Fishes said, "Above all things, avoid eating a blue boss-woss;
for they do not agree with fishes, and give them a pain in their toes. "

So all the children of each family thanked their parents; and, making in
all forty-nine polite bows, they went into the wide world.



CHAPTER V.

THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG PARROTS.

The seven young Parrots had not gone far, when they saw a tree with a
single cherry on it, which the oldest Parrot picked instantly; but the
other six, being extremely hungry, tried to get it also. On which all the
seven began to fight; and they
scuffled,
and huffled,
and ruffled,
and shuffled,
and puffled,
and muffled,
and buffled,
and duffled,
and fluffled,
and guffled,
and bruffled,
and screamed, and shrieked, and squealed,
and squeaked, and clawed, and snapped, and bit, and bumped, and thumped,
and dumped, and flumped each other, till they were all torn into little
bits; and at last there was nothing left to record this painful incident
except the cherry and seven small green feathers.

And that was the vicious and voluble end of the seven young Parrots.

[Illustration]


CHAPTER VI.

THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG STORKS.
When the seven young Storks set out, they walked or flew for fourteen weeks
in a straight line, and for six weeks more in a crooked one; and after that
they ran as hard as they could for one hundred and eight miles; and after
that they stood still, and made a himmeltanious chatter-clatter-blattery
noise with their bills.

About the same time they perceived a large frog, spotted with green, and
with a sky-blue stripe under each ear.

So, being hungry, they immediately flew at him, and were going to divide
him into seven pieces, when they began to quarrel as to which of his legs
should be taken off first. One said this, and another said that; and while
they were all quarrelling, the frog hopped away. And when they saw that he
was gone, they began to
chatter-clatter,
blatter-platter,
patter-blatter,
matter-clatter,
flatter-quatter,
more violently than ever; and after they
had fought for a week, they pecked each other all to little pieces, so that
at last nothing was left of any of them except their bills.

And that was the end of the seven young Storks.

[Illustration]


CHAPTER VII.

THE HISTORY OF THE SEVEN YOUNG GEESE.

When the seven young Geese began to travel, they went over a large plain,
on which there was but one tree, and that was, a very bad one.

So four of them went up to the top of it, and looked about them; while the
other three waddled up and down, and repeated poetry, and their last six
lessons in arithmetic, geography, and cookery.

Presently they perceived, a long way off, an object of the most interesting
and obese appearance, having a perfectly round body exactly resembling a
boiled plum-pudding, with two little wings, and a beak, and three feathers
growing out of his head, and only one leg.

So, after a time, all the seven young Geese said to each other, "Beyond all
doubt this beast must be a Plum-pudding Flea! "

On which they incautiously began to sing aloud,

"Plum-pudding Flea,
Plum-pudding Flea,
Wherever you be,
Oh! come to our tree,
And listen, oh! listen, oh! listen to me!