LONDON (AP) – A British court has barred a man from having a dog for three years after his Labrador puppy was discovered drunk.

Matthew Cox had been drinking vodka and coke with his roommate on Aug. 22 when he left his glass on the floor to go for a smoke. He returned to find that his six-month-old dog, Max, had swallowed the booze. But he left the animal at home, and prosecutor Maria Moore told Nottingham Magistrate's Court in central England that the puppy was later spotted staggering and falling over near Cox's home.

Police were called and took the dog to an emergency vet, where it was put on a drip to flush the alcohol out of its system. Magistrate J. A. Smith on Wednesday called the incident "downright stupid.'' The puppy has since been given a new home.

‘Birds Of America’ for sale

NEW YORK (AP) – A rare first edition set of John James Audubon's sumptuously illustrated ``The Birds of America'' will be sold at auction in New York.

Christie's said Wednesday the four-volume set has a pre-sale estimate of $7 million to $10 million. The auction is Jan. 20. The set contains more than 400 hand-colored plates of all the North American species known to Audubon in the early 19th century. It is considered a masterpiece of ornithology art.

The volumes stand 3 feet high because Audubon wanted to depict the birds in their actual size and habitat. It will be on view at Christie's Rockefeller Center galleries Jan. 14-19.

The books will be sold together with a complete first edition set of Audubon's 5-volume "Ornithological Biography'' in matching red Morocco leather.