The famous collection of fables of Indian origin, known under the title Kalilah and Dimnah or the Fables of Bidpai, has had a long history in the east. Originally in Sanskrit, the text was translated into Pahlavi and from there reached both Syriac (sixth century) and Arabic (by Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa‘ in the mid-eighth century, and edited by De Sacy). This study, originally published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, is focused on the second Syriac version, which was translated from the Arabic translation of Ibn al-Muqaffa‘, perhaps in the tenth or eleventh century. Wright later (1884) edited the text in full (available from Gorgias Press), but here presents his initial report and description of the text, together with a sample in Syriac (a little over eight pages), which he also translates into English. The translation is annotated with observations on a number of Arabic-Syriac matters.