New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-03-30
animal W0RLDLAW
How Dumb Brutes, Punish Their
Criminals Is Shown.
Observer Tells Interesting Stories Of
Cases Where Swift Punishment
Has Been Melted Out to
Offenders.

The punishment that birds and ami
mails mete out to their criminals and
the court and legal proceedings con-
nected with 1t furnish an interesting
field of study.
An interesting example of an animal
trial is furnished by an observer. A lit
tie dog had, for no apparent reason,
been mistreated by n larger bulldog. At
once the little fellow secured the neigh
borhOOd and collected all the bones he
could find, burying them in the cellar
of a house. When he had succeeded in
securing a sufficient number he issued
invitations to all the CANNES in the
neighborhOod, the bulldog alone ex-
cepted.
The guests came from all directions,
the halt, the lame and the hungry.
When justice had been done to the ban
quet the host arose and made an eiO-
quent after-dinner speech. in which he
laid before the assembled company his
case. They heard him through, then
declared the offending and absent bull
dog to be guilty and at nee proceeded
in u body to carry out the sentence Of
chastisement.
1t is said that a stOrk, whose morals
were sadly out of repair, once appro-
priated to himself the companion of a
neighbOr. The injured lady, with great
dispatch, called together the storks Of
the district. He was found guilty and
sentenced, and the court, Immediately
turning executioner, fell upon him and
tore him to pieces.
A similar scene, quite common
among rocks. is described by an orni-
biologist. The culprlt, brave and
jaunty, stood surrounded by forty or
fifty of his indignant mates. AS the
trial progressed the accused little by
little lost his jaunty air and hung his
head In humiliation. When the SEN
tence had been pronounced the court
at once fell to and pecked him to
death.
1t Is quite common in early spring
for young and inexperienced sparrows
to steal twigs and other building mate
rial from the nests Of their elders. If
this theft Is detected. as it usually is, n
posse promptly visits the offenders
nest and scatters it to the four winds,
sOundly t%hrashing the occupant in the
bargain.
A story Is told of a sparrow who had
stolen the nest of a martin, and was
making himself comfortable in it. The
angry owner summoned all his friends
and Immediately they came, several
hundred strong, but the intruder held
them ut bay for some time by pecking
all who came near enough to the open
Ing. Finally the avengers withdrew
and held a consultation. In a few mo-
ments they returned, each with n
mouthful Of mud, and proceeded to
plaster up the hole, walling the occu-
pant up alive.
The story Is told that a French sur
geOn, wishing to procure a stork, but
being unable to do So, stole some eggs
from n nest and substituted hens eggs.
The innocent female Matched them out,
but the male, angry at the strange ap-
pearance of his offspring, went away.
Three or four days later he reappeared,
accompanied by several others, who
formed n circle about him while he
argued his case. The jury without re-
firing brought in a verdict of guilty"
and the poor, innocent mother was IKE
cuted.