The Farmer and the Stork

A Farmer, whose fields had suffered greatly from the depredations of flocking Cranes and other birds, set a large net across his cultivated land to catch these marauding creatures. The next morning, he went to inspect his trap and found it full of birds—among them, several Cranes as he had intended, but also a noble Stork, whose white and black plumage marked him as a creature of different kind and character. The Farmer stood before his catch, net in hand, prepared to kill all the birds within. But the Stork, seeing his fate approaching, cried out with a plaintive voice: "Why do you include me in this punishment, farmer? I am not of the kind that destroys your crops. I do not feast upon your grain as the Cranes do. Look upon my legs—are they not suited for wading in marshes? Look upon my beak—is it not designed for catching fish and serpents, not seeds? I come to your land not as a thief but as a helper, for I consume the very insects and creatures that would prey upon your fields." The Farmer paused and considered the Stork's words with careful attention. He examined the creature and observed that what the Stork said was indeed true. The Stork's form and nature were altogether different from the Cranes. His killing the Stork would be to punish innocence for the guilt of others. With this recognition, the Farmer released the Stork from the net, saying, "Though the law of my net was made to catch all birds alike, justice requires that I distinguish between the innocent and the guilty. Go in peace, noble Stork, for your nature and deeds mark you as different from these marauders." The Stork, grateful for this merciful judgment, flew away and thereafter protected the Farmer's fields from the very pests that threatened his crops. Thus did the Farmer learn that rigid adherence to rules without consideration of individual circumstance may result in grave injustice.