For Chantal

The story

Peter, a young boy, lives with his grandfather in the Russian countryside. One day Peter leaves the garden gate open, and the duck takes the opportunity to go swimming on the nearby pond. She starts arguing with a little bird ("What kind of bird are you if you can't fly?" - "What kind of bird are you if you can't swim?"). Peter's pet cat sneaks up on them, and the bird – warned by Peter - flies into a tall tree.

Peter's grumpy grandfather takes him back into the garden and locks the gate in case any wolves come near. Shortly afterwards "a big, grey wolf" does indeed come out of the woods. The cat climbs into the tree, but the duck, who has left the pond, is swallowed by the wolf.

Peter fetches a rope and climbs over the garden wall into the tree. He asks the bird to fly around the wolf's head, while he lowers a noose and catches the wolf by his tail.

In some versions, the duck is spat out of the wolf as he is hanging from the noose.

From Wikipedia.org (follow the title link above)