SOLITARY AND GREGARIOUS. 123 



they can scarcely escape the observation of any 

 one who attends to the habits of animals. The 

 birds usually select a spot somewhat remote from 

 their usual haunts, such as the centre of a copse or 

 the edge of a wood, where they may be seen crowd- 

 ing closely around one of this number, and scolding 

 him in all the terms of their vocabulary. Whether 

 they proceed from verbal reproof, however, to cor- 

 poreal chastisement, we have never ascertained ; for 

 they are so jealous, on such occasions, of intruders, 

 that they immediately stay process and break up 

 their court, should a prying naturalist venture with- 

 in the precincts. Descriptions precisely analogous 

 have been given by different authors of assemblies 

 of rooks, or crow-courts^ as they are called. In the 

 latter, however, if we may believe what is reported, 

 there is a regular trial of a' delinquent, who, upon 

 being found guilty, receives a severe drubbing from 

 the whole court, and is even sometimes killed out- 

 right.* 



Pliny reports something similar to this as occur- 

 ring among storks. " There is a place," he says, 

 " in the open plains and champaign country of Asia 

 Pithonas-Come, where (by report) they assemble 

 altogether, and, being met, keep up a jangling one 

 with another ; but, in the end, look which of them 

 lagged behind and came tardy ; him they tear in 

 pieces, and then depart."! 



It is not improbable, we think, that this legend 

 (for it can- be nothing more) of the crow-courts has 

 originated in the quarrels which take place when 

 rooks are building their nests, in consequence of 

 their propensity to pilfer. In such cases, as Gold- 

 smith records from his own observation, "thefts 

 never go unpunished ; and probably, upon complaint 

 being made, there is a general punishment inflicted : 



* Landt, description of the Feroe Isles, 

 t Holland's Plmie, x., 23. 



