A hunter went out once into a wood to shoot and met a snipe.

"Oh hunter," said the snipe, "please don't shoot my children?"

"How shall I know your children?" asked the hunter; "what are they like?"

"Oh!" said the snipe, "mine are the prettiest children in all the woods."

"Very well," said the hunter, "I won't shoot them, don't be afraid."

But when he came back, he had a whole string of young snipes in his hand which he had shot.

"Oh! no!" said the snipe, "why did you shoot my children after all?"

"What, these your children!" said the hunter, "Why, I shot the ugliest I could find!"

"Poor them!" said the snipe, "don't you know that each one thinks his own children are the prettiest in the world?"