In the cold spring days, when food is scarce and the wood pigeon cold, it forms good resolutions, and says:—
Yn yr haf
Tŷ a wnaf;
Gwnaf.In the summer
I’ll make a house;
I will.
However, when the summer has come with flower, and warmth, the wood pigeon ridicules its former resolution and changes its song, for in June it forgets January, and now it asks:—
Yn yr ha’
Tŷ pwy wna’?
Pwy?In the summer
Who’ll make a house?
Who?
For then a house is quite unnecessary, and the trouble to erect one great. The above ditty was told me by the Rev. John Williams, Rector of Newtown, a native of Flintshire.
In the English counties bordering upon Wales, such as Herefordshire, the wood pigeon encouraged Welshmen to drive off Englishmen’s cattle to their homes, by saying:—
Take two cows, Taffy,
Take two cows, Taffy,
Take two.
and ever since those days the same song is used; but another version is:—
Take two cows Davy,
Take two cows Davy,
Two.
The late Rev. R. Williams, Rector of Llanfyllin, supplied me with the above, and he stated that he obtained it from Herefordshire.