One day, as a Fowler was sitting down to a scanty supper of herbs and bread, a friend dropped in unexpectedly. The larder was empty; so he went out and caught a tame Partridge, which he kept as a decoy, and was about to wring her neck when she cried, “Surely you won't kill me? Why, what will you do without me next time you go fowling? How will you get the birds to come to your nets?” He let her go at this, and went to his hen-house, where he had a plump young Cock. When the Cock saw what he was after, he too pleaded for his life, and said, “If you kill me, how will you know the time of night? And who will wake you up in the morning when it is time to get to work?” The Fowler, however, replied, “You are useful for telling the time, I know; but, for all that, I can't send my friend supperless to bed.” And therewith he caught him and wrung his neck.
有一个捕鸟人家中余粮不足，一个客人却不期而至，储藏室里空空如也，捕鸟人便去抓了一只驯养来作为捕鸟时的诱饵的山鹑，想要把它杀了。山鹑哭着问：“你肯定不想杀我的吧？哎呀，要是没了我，你下次去捕鸟，该怎么办呢？你该怎么吸引鸟走到你的陷阱里呢？”听到这话，他便把山鹑给放了，进了鸡舍，他在那里养了一只肥肥的小公鸡。小公鸡也为自己的性命求情，说：“如果你杀了我，你怎么知道夜里的时辰呢？没有我，谁在早晨叫你起来工作呢？”然而捕鸟人回答说：“的确，我知道你能报时，但是我不能让我的朋友饿着肚子上床。”然后他便抓住公鸡拧断了鸡脖子。