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Snail-eating by the California Jay

R. B. Cowles

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Snail-eating by the California Jay.-In June of this year a California Jay (Aphelocoma californica) was observed at a distance of eight feet searching the main stem of a small bush of the cultivated plant Ochna flovibunda. The bird’s activity around a plant that would not be expected to yield fruit and its plucking away of dead and withered leaf clusters along the main stem led to more than casual observation. It was a surprise to see it locate and capture a common introduced garden snail, Helix aspersa, then hop to a fence rail and commence hammering at and breaking through the side of the snail’s shell. Even with this evidence of gustatory i&rest, it did not occur to me that I was watching more than a display of curiosity and “play” until the bird began eating the contents of the shell.

On speaking of this interesting discovery to my family, I was surprised and chagrined to discover that they had observed the occurrence on several occasions, but they had not thought it worth mentioning.-R. B. COWLJS, University oj California, Los Angeles, September 8, 1945.

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