Story: Ant And Grasshopper In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing happily. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. “Why not come and chat with me“ , said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling in that way?“ “I am helping to lay up food for the winter,“ said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.“ “Why bother about winter?“ said the Grasshopper; “We have got plenty of food at present.“ But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of necessity
The Mascarene parrot was 35 cm (14 in) in length with a large red bill and long, rounded tail feathers. Its legs were red, and it had naked red skin around the eyes and nostrils. It had a black facial mask and partially white tail feathers, but the colouration of the body, wings and head is unclear. Descriptions from life indicate the body and head were ash grey, and the white part of the tail had two dark central feathers. In contrast, descriptions based on stuffed specimens state that the body was brown and the head bluish but do not mention the dark central tail feathers. This may be due to the specimens having changed colour as a result of aging and exposure to light, as well as other forms of damage. Very little is known about the bird in life. The Mascarene parrot was first mentioned in 1674, and live specimens were later brought to Europe, where they lived in captivity . The species was scientifically described in 1771. Only two stuffed specimens exist today, in Paris and Vienn...
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