A man is defending himself at trial after having been caught by a park ranger just as he roasting a Spotted Owl over his illegal campfire.
After reading the charges, the judge, well known for his environmental sympathies, gravely announced that since the species concerned is in danger of imminent extinction, he would have to make an example out of the defendant.
The man, waxing eloquent, said he was very sorry for what he'd done, but that he was totally destitute and needed the bird to need his hungry children. All he had to his name, he said, his voice cracking with emotion, was the little bit of bird shot he had left in his gun.
The judge took off his glasses to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye, and after regaining his composure, told the defendant he would let him go with a warning this time.
The man beamed with pride as he started out of the courtroom.
Just then, the judge called out, "Oh, by the way, what does a Spotted Owl taste like?"
The man's face came alive as he turned around and said, "Your honor, it's hard to describe. Sort of a cross between a Bald Eagle, a Whooping Crane and a California Condor."
Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
