Jupiter announced that he intended to appoint a king over the birds,and named a day on which they were to appear before his throne, whenhe would select the most beautiful of them all to be their ruler. Wishing to look their best on the occasion they repaired to thebanks of a stream, where they busied themselves in washing andpreening their feathers. The jackdaw was there along with the rest,and realized that, with his ugly plumage, he would have no chance ofbeing chosen as he was: so he waited till they were all gone, and thenpicked up the most gaudy1 of the feathers they had dropped, andfastened them about his own body, with the result that he looked gayerthan any of them. When the appointed day came, the birds assembledbefore jupiter's throne. After passing them in review, he was about tomake the jackdaw king, when all the rest set upon the king-select,stripped him of his borrowed plumes2, and exposed him for the jackdawthat he was. 
It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds. 