The Pert Hen-Sparrow

A hen-sparrow, nested comfortably with her mate in a tree, watched a monkey take shelter beneath the same tree during an unseasonable hailstorm, shivering miserably with nowhere warm to go.

Meaning well, she called down that a creature with hands and feet as clever as his really ought to build himself a proper house instead of suffering through every cold snap unsheltered.

The monkey, embarrassed and irritated by unsolicited advice from a bird far smaller than himself, told her sharply to be quiet and leave him alone -- but she, confident in the wisdom of her own suggestion, kept offering variations of the same advice anyway.

Finally, out of patience rather than persuaded, the monkey climbed the tree and tore her nest to pieces, destroying in a moment the home she had built so carefully.

The tale is remembered as a caution less about the monkey's temper than about the sparrow's judgment: even good advice, repeated after it has clearly been rejected, can cost the giver far more than the silence would have.