George and the wrens

George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.

So he made up for it with luck charms and superstitious rituals.

They say that if you get a feather from a wren on New Year’s Day and wear it, you’ll be safe from shipwrecks for the whole year.

If one feather was lucky, why not the whole bird?

George stuck seventeen wrens in his hair and beard.

But, being a merciful soul, George couldn’t bring himself to kill the birds.

The constant flapping and pecking was a big distraction, and they eventually caused George to wreck the ship.