Once upon a time, and that was in the long ago, there lived a Koko-bird along the forest shores of the Boozoo river. I am not quite certain in what country this river is but I believe it is somewhere in Gazazuland. It does not matter much where it is or was, but of one thing I am absolutely certain, and that is that the river did exist, else how could the bird have lived along its shores? Now this bird was quite beautiful, could sing quite well, and could fly quite gracefully; accomplishments which all of the other birds of the community willingly admitted, but the Koko-bird was very boastful. In a loud, arrogant voice he would proclaim himself the handsomest, the most musical and the most graceful of all the feathered tribe. At first his neighbors tried to ignore these boasts, hoping that the Koko-bird would in time learn better manners, but he did not; on the contrary, he became more boastful every day, in fact every minute, so that his presence became almost unbearable, causing great mental irritation and a feeling of nausea in those who were obliged to listen to him. A bird committee was therefore appointed to obtain an audience with the Golden Eagle, who was then the ruler of all the birds, and petition his majesty to convene the bird council in order that suitable punishment might be meted out to the boastful Koko. The very next day the meeting was called by special and very swift bird messengers. The Koko-bird was brought a prisoner before the king of the birds, the bird council and a vast concourse of birds from far and near, who had come to witness the trial. In a measured and stentorian voice the king asked the following questions of the culprit:

"Are you the handsomest of birds?"

"I am," replied the Koko-bird.

"Are you the best singer among birds?"

"I am," again replied the boastful bird.

"Are you the most graceful and the highest flyer among birds?"

"I am," replied the braggart for the third time.

The king of birds then flapped his right wing and there came forth the gorgeous bird of paradise, with the beautiful and wonderful tail feathers and crown, at the sight of which the members of the bird council individually and collectively flapped their wings in admiration. The eagle once more turned to the Koko-bird and in a terrible voice demanded:

"Are you still the handsomest among birds? Heed well your answer."

The Koko-bird gave one sidelong squint at the beautiful bird and said:

"I am," in a very indifferent tone of voice; whereat the assembled birds were astonished.

The king of birds then flapped his left wing and there came forth a nightingale which began to sing so sweetly that some of the listeners fell from their perches out of sheer ecstasy and they would have been hurt by the fall had they not caught themselves in the air by means of their wings. Even the king of birds was greatly moved, for he was seen to brush a tear from his right eye before he turned to the Koko-bird and spoke in a thunderous voice:

"You have heard this marvelous singer. Are you still the best vocalist among birds? Heed well your answer."

The Koko-bird merely yawned and said, "I am," and again the birds were greatly astonished.

The king of birds now nodded his head and there arose out of the multitude of birds a blue crane, whose home was near the Gingago river in farthest India. Its wings moved in even, silent, graceful undulations. It gradually rose higher and higher. All of the birds, with the exception of the Koko-bird, watched it spellbound until it appeared a mere speck in the distance. The Koko-bird gave one glance at the high flyer, then curled one foot up in his feathers, shook his head, closed his eyes and dozed peacefully.

For the third time, the king of birds turned toward the Koko-bird and spoke in a voice even more terrible than on previous occasions.