A king heard a nightingale singing and ordered his courtier to capture it. The bird was placed in a golden cage, but would never sing. The king demanded, “Why does this bird refuse to sing?” 

“It seems to be dying,” answered the chief physician. “Perhaps it needs a mate.”

“Then order the finest hunters to find a mate for it then,” ordered the king, “I want to hear this bird sing before the end of tomorrow. The chief physician bowed and hurried out of the room. 

“Gather the finest hunters,” called out the physician to a messenger, “Assemble them in the courtyard tomorrow and let them know their goal then. Tell them that they‘ll be paid well.”

The next day, Augustus and Harry, two experienced hunters, travelled to the King’s courtyard and registered as a group of two to try their luck with the hunting competition. The flyer clearly stated only professionals but they could not tell whether they were professional or an amateur. They could only tell that you weren’t specialized in that profession if you didn’t have a certificate. Quite a large number of people had decided to come to compete. Nobody knew what they were going after but so they brought all their gear along with them just in case.

“Silence,” roared a messenger from above and the crowd went silent, “Today, your target is to find a suitable mate for the king’s nightingale. In addition, the nightingale also must be willing to sing while in a cage. A large reward will be given to the first person who brings one first. God speed.” As soon as those words were uttered, everybody rushed away and within a minute had all set off into the forests in quest of their quarry except Augustus and Harry. They waited behind until everybody had left before they asked their question.

“What gender is it?” called Augustus up to the messenger. 

The messenger briefly looked at his scroll before replying, “It is a male nightingale.”

The messenger looked about and then leaned towards the two hunters and whispered, “Honestly in my opinion, nobody will find one. Have you heard the stories? A caged nightingale will never sing and the king is far too arrogant and won’t trust anyone’s word other than those of his advisors. Give up now while you’re ahead.” Augustus and Harry glumly walked away.