- from The Book of Yelps and Growls
Here is an allegory; One day the bird said to the fox "Breakfast."
The fox replied "Yes...(and under his breath he whispered)...you are!"
The fox being a clever fellow, invited the cheerful bird to his house with promises of whole grain, corn and other bird treats, none of which, of course, the fox posessed. This sounded so tastey to the bird that it salivated and died. Then the bird got up and the fox said
"Follow me little bird, we will have Cakes and fine cheeses."
This sounded so tastey to the bird that it salivated and died.
Then the fox arrived at his house, which wasn't really a house at all but a large cave with a pot of boiling water over in one corner and a row of knives on the wall. He brought two chairs to a rude table by the pot and set napkins for himself and his guest.
Then, as the bird, having quickly recuperated, flew in he said "Nuggets!" This sounded so tastey to the bird that it panicked, threw up, salivated and died. Then the fox stepped on it so it stayed that way, and then there was WAR.
Recent research has cast doubt on whether this tale can be attributed to the translation of Florian von Banier. The manuscript was included in von Banier's Collected Papers, but the current conjecture among historians is that it was inserted several generations after the count's death.