Perhaps the English doggerel was intended to put an end to this cruel sport, by intimating that the wee bird belonged to God, was one of His creatures, and that therefore it should not be abused.
There is a Welsh couplet still in use:—
Pwy bynnag doro nyth y dryw,
Ni chaiff ef weled wyneb Duw.Whoever breaks a wren’s nest,
Shall never see God’s face.
This saying protects the snug little home of the wren. Much the same thing is said of the Robin’s nest, but I think this was put, “Whoever robs a robin’s nest shall go to hell.”
Another Welsh couplet was:—
Y neb a doro nyth y dryw,
Ni chaiff iechyd yn ei fyw.Whoever breaks the wren’s nest,
Shall never enjoy good health.
Although the robin and the wren were favourites of heaven, still it was supposed that they were under some kind of curse, for it was believed that the robin could not fly through a hedge, it must always fly over, whilst on the other hand, the wren could not fly over a hedge, but it was obliged to make its way through it. (See Robin, p. 329).
The Wood Pigeon.
The thrice repeated notes of five sounds, with an abrupt note at the end, of which the cooing of the wood pigeon
consists, have been construed into words, and these words differ in different places, according to the state of the country, and the prevailing sentiments of the people. Of course, the language of the wood pigeon is always the language of the people amongst whom he lives. He always speaks Welsh in Wales, and English in England, but in these days this bird is so far Anglicised that it blurts out English all along the borders of Wales.