The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-30

iron Chambers's yourosl.I

main what Is meant and TO estaoitsp Tue
,ru,b OF our proposition let us commence
this compilation of anccdotes-for " u
nothing more-by reference 10 toe
proceedings nc the so-calied GROW
courts, which are held In the sne'ia"u
Isles. A regular assembly OF crows "
The hooded species, according TO the au-
thori,y OF DIR. Edmondson, Is onstI'ea W
t,Nke place ut certain Intervals. ~ y cou'
posed OF Populations from d'ne.en. 'oesi,
ties. All business Is abstaineo itouI un,u
tho conyocation Is complete; consequently
ear,y comeIs have frequently 10 wait nay
or two for the arrival OF tue ialer uep"teo-
A particular hill or held, suitao.e ior 'ne
impending work, is selected; ana Wben s''
the expected members nave arrived .uc
session commences. The court opens w
formal manner, aud the criminal or cr'mr
nails are produced ut the par' Uu.
what is his or their offence, the
human spectator cannot DIVINE. ic
charge is not made individually,
nor the evidence given by separate
witnes ses but a general croaking ana c'a-
NOR is collectively raised, and judgment
delivered. apparently by the whole court.
AZ soon as the sentence Is given the enurc
ossembIage, "judges, barristers, ushers,
audience and all, fall upon the two or three
nrisoners at The bar, and beat them I'LL they
kin them" Directly the execution Is over
the court breaks up, and all It's members
disperse quietly.
Similar judicial proceedings are known
to he proper TO the raven; ana an iiSerest
ing account OF
ARAvEN TRIAL
was communicated by a well.known Alpine
tourist TO the leading journal OF Geneva
last sDmmer. During an excursion IN tue
Swiss mountains he accidentally came upon
= small secluded glen, which was surround
cd by trees: and not having done anything
IN reveal his presence be became The uneN-
nec,ed witness OF singular spectacle.
About sixty or seventy ravens were ranged
In a ring round one of their fellows, eSi-
IDENTIFY reputed a culprii, and with mucn
CHATTER of tongues and wings were en-
caged i'm discussing his alleged dellnquch-
cjes. At intervals they paused In ihtir de-
bate in order TO permit the accused 10 re.
ply. which he did most vCcifer0usly ana
with intense energy; but all bis cXpostuia-
tons were speedily drowned in n deafening
chorus OF dissent. Eventually, the court
appears TO have arrived at the unanimous
conclusion that the felon had utterly fiiied
10 exculpate himself; and they suddenly
flew at him from all sides and tore hlm TO
pIcces with their powerful beaks. Having
executed their sentence they speedily dis.
appeared. leaving the nan2ied corpse OF
the unfortunate bird as warning TO all
evl.doeis.
Another equally
TRAGIC STORY
is recorded By the Rev. q. Gogerly in "The
Pioneers" his narrative OF the BeDgal'Mis-
sion. "The flamiDgo,". he remarks, "is
common in the low, marsby lands oil Ben
gal. My friend Mr. LacroiX. the we'll
known missionary, when once SAILING
in his boat up the Hooshly, went on
shore. His attention was shortly directed
TO large gathering OF these peculiar
looking birds in field some niue DIS
lance of. knowing their timid charac.
fer. be approached as near as he could
without being observed or exciting alarm !;
and hiding bimself behind tree noticed
all their proceedings, which were Of
most remarkable character. After great
deal of noisy clamor they formed them
selves into a circle, in the centre OF which
one of their number was left standing
alone. Again there was considerable
amount of screeching bird Orat0ry, when
suddenly all the birds flew on the I'M
bappy solitary one aud literally tore bm
tn oieees.n The conclusion which Mr.
Iacroiy came TO was that one OF these
famingoes bad committed an offence against
the rules Of their order; that he had been
tried by a kind OF court.martial, was found
guilty, and had been auiudged, and met
with, immediate punishment.
Thus far trials Of presumed criminals,
and the punisbments awarded to them, have
been alluded to; but the nature OF the Of
! fence remains
A MYSTERY.
It Is now intended, In the remaining
anecdotes, to show the nature Of the as
sumed crime for which the unfortunate
| birds have suffered, and it will be seen that
| in one case the victim OF circumstan'ial
evidence suffered uniustly. Bishop Stan
| lev relate, that French surgeon at
SMYRNA, being unable to procure stork,
on account OF the great veDeraton enter
tanned for them by the Turks, purlOiDed
all the eggs from stork's nest, and re-
nlaced them with hens eggs. Ultimately,
chickens were hatched, greatly to the
surprise OF the storks. The male stork
speed,ly disappeared, and was not seen fol
two or three days, when he returned with
large number OF other slorks, who assem-
bled IN circle in the town, without paying
any attention to the numerous spectators
their proceedings attracted. The female
stork was brought into the mid,t OF the CIR
Gle. and after some discussion was attacked
| nv the whole flock and torn 10 pieces. Int
assemblage then dispersed, and the hes'
was left tenantiess.
The Rev. +. y. Morris, i'll his interesting
anecdotes OF
ANIMAL SAGAClTY,
c,tes ,he following instanc9of a case whict
ended less tragically for the femaIe), owing
10 the male bird being either of moi'
Trusting or a less jealous disposition thar
the one lust noticed. "SOme hens eggs,
he saws. severe placed in stOrk's nest
and the others removed. The female, no
aware OF the change. sat patiently The ap
nointed number OF days, I III the shells were
broken AID the young chickens made theil
appearance. No sooner were they seen by
| the old birds than they testified their sur
prise by harsh notes aud fierce looks, aDt
after a short pause they jointly fell upor
the unfortunate chickens and pecked then
| to pieces, as il conscious Of ibe dkgrac'
| which might he supposed to attach TO dis
| lionored nest"
| A singular case OF almost poetic justice
among stoIks is noticed even IN so old ;
work as Goldsmiib's "Nalural History
into which it was imported from Mrs
Slarke's "Letters Oh italy," "a wilt
s,ork," runs the tale. "was brought by
farmer In the neishborhOod OF Hamburg
into his poulry-yard to be the companion
OF tame one he had long kept there; bu
the tame stork, disliking rival, fell upoi
the Door stranger and beat him so uumerci
| IN. 49, ba mae comnelled IN take wing