Bird Song

Crow I detest the Carrion Crow! (He's a raven, don't you know?) He's a greedy glutton, also, and a ghoul, And his sanctimonious caw Rubs my temper on the raw. He's a demon, and a most degraded fowl. Blue Wren I admire the pert Blue-wren And his dainty little hen- Though she hasn't got a trace of blue upon her; But she's pleasing, and she's pretty, And she sings a cheerful ditty; While her husband is a gentleman of honour. Cuckoo I despise the Pallid Cuckoo, A disreputable "crook" who Shirks her duties for a lazy life of ease. I abhor her mournful call, Which is not a song at all But a cross between a whimper and a wheeze. Kookaburra I suspect the Kookaburra, For his methods are not thorough In his highly-praised campaign against the snakes, And the small birds, one and all, Curse him for a cannibal - Though he certainly is cheerful when he wakes.