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."
The Birdcatcher, the Partridge,
and the Cock
A Birdcatcher was about to sit
down to a dinner of herbs when
afriend 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 Cock just attaining to his
comb. But the Cock expostulated
