The Birdcatcher, The Partridge, And The Rooster
Aesop Fable: The Birdcatcher, The Partridge, And The Rooster
A birdcatcher was about to sit down to a dinner of herbs
when a friend unexpectedly came in. The bird-trap was quite
empty, as he had caught nothing, and he had to kill a pied
Partridge, which he had tamed for a decoy. The bird entreated
earnestly for his life: "What would you do without
me when next you spread your nets? Who would chirp you
to sleep, or call for you the covey of answering birds?"
The
Birdcatcher spared his life, and determined to pick out a
fine young Rooster just attaining to his comb. But the Rooster
expostulated in piteous tones from his perch: "If you kill
me, who will announce to you the appearance of the dawn?
Who will wake you to your daily tasks or tell you when it
is time to visit the bird-trap in the morning?" He replied,
"What you say is true. You are a capital bird at telling the
time of day. But my friend and I must have our dinners."
Necessity knows no law.
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