A grasshopper sat chirping in the branches of a tree. A fox hear her, and, thinking what a dainty morsel she would make, he tried to get her down by a trick. Standing below in full view of her, he praised her song in the most flattering terms, and begged her to descend, saying he would like to make the acquaintance of the owner of so beautiful a voice. But she was not to be taken in, and replied, "You are very much mistaken, my dear sir, if you imagine I am going to come down: I keep well out of the way of you and your kind ever since the day when I saw numbers of grasshoppers' wings strewn about the entrance to a fox's earth."

一只蚂蚱坐在树枝上叽叽喳喳地鸣叫唱。一只狐狸听到她的叫声，心想这可是一顿美餐呀，便想出了一个诡计诱使蚂蚱下来。他站在树下一个完全能看见蚂蚱的地方，用尽各种方法赞美蚂蚱的歌声悦耳动听，并劝蚂蚱下来，想要看一看是什么样的动物才能发出如此悦耳的声音。可是，蚂蚱识破了他的诡计，回答说：“喂，若是你以为我会飞下来，那就大错特错了。自从那天见到狐狸的洞口四周散布着无数蚂蚱的翅膀之后，我就开始警惕着你和你的同类了。”