Dicho, again apologies for not getting back sooner! Between work and the World Cup, life is full!

Yes, you can see that the whippoorwill is referred to in the song, although only in passing. It came to Wales via a Welshman (from Bethesda) who worked in the quarries of Vermont and Quebec. Researchers tell us that he picked it up from the minstrel shows touring the areas, translated it, and sent it back to Wales where it became popular.

Being a Canadian, I've lived with both sorts of robins (here in Wales, I've got a couple of the UK version nesting in my garden)but I don't know if robins would have been mentioned in the original; the translator may have added that for the 'home' market. And, yes, he was probably thinking about frogs, not toads, but in translating it back to English I thought I'd better stick to what *he* actually used ... and he used 'toads'. 'Frog' in Welsh is generally broga, and 'Toad' is llyfant. Having said that, I think that some areas use 'llyfant melyn' for frog, so I suppose that's what he had in mind, but 'llyfant' on its own would still mean toad.

I've written myself a note on the back of my hand to try to find the booklet that's been written about it. I should have a copy at home. It might be more specific about the original...

sian