A fox, having escaped from a trap, lost his tail. Thereafter, burdened by shame and ridicule, he schemed to convince all the other foxes that being tailless was more attractive, hoping to make up for his own deprivation. He assembled many foxes and publicly advised them to cut off their tails, claiming they would look better and be free from the inconvenience of carrying such a heavy brush. One fox interrupted him, saying, "My friend, if you had not lost your own tail, you would not be giving us this advice."