140 THE HUMAN SIDE OF BIRDS 



common sights in vicinities where these birds are 

 found. These assemblies are held at a particular 

 tree, hill, or spot of ground away from all danger. 

 The accused criminals are arraigned as the crow 

 judges caw — supposedly their names 1 Evidently 

 the judges are experienced, for the judgment is 

 rendered very quickly. The entire assemblage then 

 madly rushes for the few offenders and picks them 

 to pieces. When a criminal is once brought to 

 court, he rarely escapes death. As soon as the court 

 session is over all the crows adjourn, and fly away 

 to their various homes. 



Mr. Eugene T. Zimmerman relates that, dur- 

 ing an excursion in the country, near Salt Lake 

 City, Utah, he accidentally became an unexpected 

 spectator of a strange trial. About one hundred 

 crows were arranged in a semi-circle about two of 

 their fellows, while on the topmost branch of a dead 

 tree, covered with a red trimipet vine, sat two which 

 seemed to be guards. Evidently the guards were 

 so concerned with the proceedings that they failed 

 to detect the approach of the naturalist, and he 

 quietly concealed himself underneath the vine. 



The crows cawed back and forth to one another, 

 but the fate of the accused was not decided at that 

 meeting, for all at once one of the judges spied 

 Mr. Zimmerman. With one scream of alarm the 



