The Wise Old Owl

This is an old Nursery Rhyme.

This version was first published in Punch, April 10, 1875, and ran as follows.

There was an owl liv'd in an oak
The more he heard, the less he spoke
The less he spoke, the more he heard.

O, if men were all like that wise bird.[1]

The last line was later changed to:
‘Now wasn’t he a wise old bird?’
Which do you prefer???