Compare the following stories, which we print in parallel columns, one from the Ojibbeway Indians, the other from Ireland: 

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| The Ojibbeway story.             | The Irish story.                   |
|                                  |                                    |
| The birds met together one day   | The birds all met together one     |
| to try which could fly the       | day, and settled among themselves  |
| highest.  Some flew up very       | that whichever of them could fly   |
| swift, but soon got tired, and   | highest was to be the king of      |
| were passed by others of         | all.  Well, just as they were on    |
| stronger wing.  But the eagle     | the hinges of being off, what      |
| went up beyond them all, and     | does the little rogue of a wren    |
| was ready to claim the victory,  | do but hop up and perch himself    |
| when the gray linnet, a very     | unbeknown on the eagle’s tail.  So  |
| small bird, flew from the        | they flew and flew ever so high,   |
| eagle’s back, where it had       | till the eagle was miles above     |
| perched unperceived, and, being  | all the rest, and could not fly    |
| fresh and unexhausted,           | another stroke, he was so tired.   |
| succeeded in going the highest.  | “Then,” says he, “I’m king of the  |
| When the birds came down and     | birds.”  “You lie!” says the wren,  |
| met in council to award the      | darting up a perch and a half      |
| prize it was given to the        | above the big fellow.  Well, the    |
| eagle, because that bird had     | eagle was so mad to think how he   |
| not only gone up nearer to the   | was done, that when the wren was   |
| sun than any of the larger       | coming down he gave him a stroke   |
| birds, but it had carried the    | of his wing, and from that day to  |
| linnet on its back.              | this the wren was never able to    |
|                                  | fly farther than a hawthorn-bush.  |
| For this reason the eagle’s      |                                    |
| feathers became the most         |                                    |
| honorable marks of distinction   |                                    |
| a warrior could bear.            |                                    |
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Compare the following stories: