A sportsman went into the woods to hunt and met a snipe.
"Dear friend," said the snipe, "please don't shoot my children."
"How will I know which ones are yours?" asked the sportsman. "What do they look like?"
"Oh!" replied the snipe, "My children are the prettiest in all the woods."
"Very well," said the sportsman, "I won't shoot them. Don't worry."
However, upon returning, the sportsman held a string of young snipes he had shot.
"Oh, no!" cried the snipe. "Why did you shoot my children after all?"
"What? These are your children?" exclaimed the sportsman. "But I shot the ugliest ones I could find!"
"How sad!" sighed the snipe. "Don't you know that everyone believes their own children are the prettiest in the world?"