The adventures of the jackal do not differ from those of the fox in European stories.

Also, the hedgehog, neglected so lamentably in our fables, holds an important place; and if the jackal manages to deceive the lion, he is, in spite of his astute nature, duped by the hedgehog when he tries a fall with him.

As to the lion, the serpent, the cock, the frog, the turtle, the hyena, the jackal, the rat, their rôles offer little of the place they play in the Arab tales, or even the Europeans.

The fables of northwest Africa employ the jackal instead of Reynard, whose place the sycophant of the lion not inaptly fills.

* THE HEDGEHOG, THE JACKAL, AND THE LION

Once upon a time the jackal went in search of the hedgehog and said to it: "Come along.

As for the jackal, he never stopped eating until he was swollen very much.

But in spite of his exhortations the jackal couldn't get through the opening.

The jackal lay down as he had told him until the owner of the garden came with his son and saw him lying as if dead.

The child said to his father: "Here is a dead jackal.

"Hold on, enough!" said the jackal.

" The child ran to his father and said, "The jackal cried out, 'A reed!

The child stuck another thorn into the jackal, which cried, "What, again?"

The latter took the jackal by the motionless tail and cast him into the street.

The jackal took them, put them on, and departed.

"They are thin," said the jackal.

"They are fat," said the jackal.

" "It is good," said the lion, and the jackal went away.

" The jackal came near and the lion seized him by the tail.

The jackal fled, leaving his tail in the lion's mouth.

" The jackal called his cousins and said to them, "Let us go and fill our bellies with onions in a garden that I know."

When the jackal saw the man, he cut the onion stem and escaped the first of all.

"It was not I," said the jackal.

" He brought them some red pepper, and they were going to eat it when the first jackal made a noise with his shoes, but he said to the lion, "My uncle, I did not say, 'Ouch!'"

Of a sudden he ended the argument by thrusting the slip back into the hands of the jackal, growled a few words of imperative instruction, jerked his thumb toward the ticket bureau, and without more ado turned and strode from the terminus.