TWO COMMON BIRDS 



Now when I offered some snails to my young 

 thrush I quite expected him to know at once 

 what to do with them, in the same way that 

 all young birds know instinctively how to 

 build a nest, but he was completely puzzled. 

 He took no interest in them until one of the 

 snails put out its head and began to move 

 about, whereupon he flew down from his perch, 

 watched it for a moment, and then pulled its 

 waving tentacles. The poor snail hastily re- 

 treated into its shell, to the bewilderment of 

 the thrush, who seemed to wonder what could 

 have happened to it. He turned it over, but 

 could make nothing of it, so tried another 

 snail which had begun to move about, with a 

 similar result. In disgust he flew up to his 

 perch. Presently the two snails put their 

 heads out again and he flew down and once 

 more pulled their waving tentacles, with the 

 same result as before. He could not make 

 out what had happened to them, and it was 

 evident that he had no idea they were good to 

 eat nor how to get them out of their shells. 

 Daily for a week I showed him snails, and 

 each time he was most inquisitive about 

 them, turning them over, pecking the shells, 

 and trying to make out where the snails 



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