A jackdaw, watching some pigeons in a farmyard, was filled with envy when he saw how well they were fed. He determined to disguise himself as one of them to secure a share of the good things they enjoyed. So he painted himself white from head to foot and joined the flock. So long as he was silent, they never suspected that he was not a pigeon like themselves.
But one day he was unwise enough to start chattering. The pigeons at once saw through his disguise and pecked him so unmercifully that he was glad to escape and rejoin his own kind.
However, the other jackdaws did not recognize him in his white dress. They would not let him feed with them but drove him away. And so he became a homeless wanderer for his pains.