forest with his tail between his legs--_beaten_, and by a tiny Gnat!

"What a fine fellow am I, to be sure!" exclaimed the Gnat, as he proudly
plumed his wings. "I've beaten a lion--a lion! Dear me, I ought to have
been King long ago, I'm so clever, so big, so strong--_oh!_"

The Gnat's frightened cry was caused by finding himself entangled in some
silky sort of threads. While gloating over his victory, the wind had
risen, and his grass-blade had swayed violently to and fro unnoticed by
him. A stronger gust than usual had bent the blade downward close to the
ground, and then something caught it and held it fast and with it the
victorious Gnat. Oh, the desperate struggles he made to get free! Alas! he
became more entangled than ever. You can guess what it was--a spider's
web, hung out from the overhanging branch of a tree.
Then--flipperty-flopperty, flipperty-flopperty, flop, flip, flop--down his
stairs came cunning Father Spider and quickly gobbled up the little Gnat
for his supper, and that was the end of him.

A strong Lion--and what overcame him? _A Gnat._

A clever Gnat--and what overcame him? _A Spider's web!_ He who had beaten
the strong lion had been overcome by the subtle snare of a spider's
thread.




ESPECIALLY FOR CLASSES II. AND III.

THE CAT AND THE PARROT