A bird catcher received an unexpected visit from a friend just as he was about to dine on a simple meal of herbs and parsley. Since he hadn’t actually caught anything lately, the bird‑cage was empty, so the man decided to slaughter a speckled partridge that he had tamed to use as a decoy.

The partridge begged the bird catcher not to kill him, “My dear man, how will you hunt with your net in the future? Who will assemble that flock of gregarious, keen‑eyed birds on your behalf? And who will serenade you with singing as you drift off to sleep?”

The bird catcher let go of the partridge, and decided to kill the bearded rooster instead. The rooster, however, let out a squawk from his perch and said, “If you kill me, how will you know how much longer it is until dawn, since I am the one who tells you the time? How will you know that Orion with his golden bow is on watch during the night? Who will remind you of the morning’s work, announcing the dew on the birds’ outstretched wings?”

The man said, “It is useful indeed to know what time it is, but all the same, my friend has to have something to eat!”