batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l1778-l1840
---
record_id: batch.motif.buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg-l1778-l1840
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
passage_locator:
label: BIRDS OF A FEATHER / SPEND A POUND TO WIN A PENNY / THE CUNNING CRANE AND
THE CRAB / UNION IS STRENGTH; lines 1778-1840
start: '1778'
end: '1840'
translation: The Giant Crab, and Other Tales from Old India
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A fowler catches quails by imitating their call and throwing a net over
them. A wise quail teaches the flock to lift the net together and escape by dropping
it on a bush. The fowler waits for the birds to quarrel; after two quails dispute,
the flock fails to act together and the fowler captures them.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The fowler imitates the quail's note to gather quails, then throws a net over
them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: One clever quail instructs the others to put their heads through the net meshes
and fly together at a signal.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The quails lift the net together, carry it away, drop it on a large bush,
and escape from underneath.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The fowler repeatedly comes home empty-handed and loses many nets.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The fowler expects that the quails will eventually quarrel, making them catchable.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Two quails quarrel after one treads on the other's toe.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: While the quails are quarrelling and refusing to lift the net, the fowler
gathers them into his basket and takes them home.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Fowler
description: A clever hunter who catches quails with an imitated quail call and
a net.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Wise Quail
description: A clever bird among the quails who devises a collective escape plan.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Quail flock
description: The group of quails that first escapes by lifting the net together
and later is captured after quarrelling.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: First and second Quail
description: Two quails whose quarrel begins after one treads on the other's toe.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Captor-hunter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The fowler gathers quails with an imitated call, casts a net, and later baskets
them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: Wise adviser
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The clever quail proposes the coordinated method for escaping the net.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: Cooperating captives
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The quails put their heads through the net and fly together, carrying it
away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: Quarrellers
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The two quails exchange angry accusations and taunts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: Captured victims
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: After the quarrel prevents joint lifting of the net, the fowler puts the
quails in his basket.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Net
literal_form: The fowler's net cast over the quails
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: Imitated quail note
literal_form: The fowler's imitation of the quail's call
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: Large bush
literal_form: A bush on which the quails drop the lifted net so they can escape
underneath
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: Basket
literal_form: The fowler's basket into which the quails are crammed
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fowler's trapping method
summary: The fowler hides, imitates a quail call, gathers quails, and casts a net
over them.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Collective escape plan and success
summary: The wise quail instructs the flock to lift the net together; the flock
carries the net away and escapes under a bush.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Hunter waits for discord
summary: After repeated failures, the fowler continues because he expects the quails
will eventually quarrel.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Quarrel and capture
summary: Two quails quarrel and taunt each other instead of lifting the net; the
fowler captures the flock in his basket.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Union allows escape from a trap
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The flock escapes the net only when all the quails follow the wise quail's
instruction and lift together.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage gives a practical moral pattern
rather than an explicit doctrinal classification.
- id: motif:2
label: Discord leads to capture
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The fowler predicts quarrelling will make the birds vulnerable, and after
the quarrel they fail to lift the net and are captured.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: This is extracted from the narrative sequence and title; no separate moral
statement beyond the title is included in the passage.
- id: motif:3
label: Clever animal adviser saves the group
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: A clever quail devises the method by which the flock initially escapes the
fowler's net.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The adviser role is clear, but the passage focuses more on group unity
than on the individual animal's later actions.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The passage exemplifies a ''union is strength'' didactic pattern: coordinated
action overcomes danger, while internal quarrel restores vulnerability.'
claim_level: same_function
target: union-is-strength moral pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is a functional comparison to a moral pattern named by the passage
title, not a claim of historical contact or common inheritance.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1778-1784
quote_or_summary: A clever fowler hides, imitates the quail's note, gathers quails,
throws a net over them, and bags them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 1785-1790
quote_or_summary: A clever quail tells the others to put their heads through the
net meshes and fly together at a word.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 1791-1800
quote_or_summary: The quails follow the plan, fly away bearing the net, drop it
on a large bush, and get away underneath.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 1801-1804
quote_or_summary: The event happens repeatedly; the fowler comes home empty-handed
and loses many nets.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 1805-1808
quote_or_summary: The fowler keeps trying because he thinks the quails will sooner
or later quarrel, allowing him to catch them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1809-1826
quote_or_summary: One quail treads on another's toe; they argue angrily and accuse
each other.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 1827-1840
quote_or_summary: On the next cast, the quarrelling quails taunt each other to lift
the net; while they quarrel, the fowler lifts it, puts them in his basket, and
takes them home.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/buddhist/project-gutenberg/giant-crab-old-india-tales-rouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: high
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The narrative structure and title clearly support cooperation and discord
motifs. Broader taxonomy mapping is limited to the available general 'wisdom'
family.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata; no historical-contact claims made.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:buddhist-old-india-tales-rouse-gutenberg__l1778-l1840
passage_sha256=89a7e742bf114e543dcc16b734c0c17faa0a2756877497b2445ef55512c94bff