144 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



mal than most other birds in their court proceed- 

 ings. 



Mrs. Starks in her Letters on Italy tells an in- 

 teresting tale of poetic justice among storks. She 

 says: "A wild stork was brought by a farmer in 

 the neighbourhood of Hamburg into his poultry- 

 yard, to be the companion of a tame one he had 

 long kept there; but the tame stork, disliking a 

 rival, fell upon the poor stranger, and beat him so 

 unmercifully that he was compelled to take wing, 

 and escaped with difficulty. About four months 

 afterward, however, the latter returned to the poul- 

 try-yard, in company with three other storks, who 

 no sooner alighted than they fell upon the tame 

 stork and killed him." 



Four guinea-hen's eggs were placed under a duck. 

 The duck patiently sat upon the eggs until the 

 young guineas were hatched out, but the other 

 ducks quacked and nodded their heads in the most 

 surprised manner on seeing them. After a short 

 conference, near the pool of water into which the 

 unnatural ducklings refused to wade, a duck com- 

 mittee deliberately pounced upon them and pecked 

 them to pieces. For many days Mrs. Duck re- 

 mained alone in the barnyard, as though conscious 

 that she had brought disgrace to the Duck family! 



Not only do birds have their courts of justice, 



