पृष्ठम्:Birds in Sanskrit literature.djvu/२०९

366 Birds in Sanskrit Literature 5. The Whimbrel is a smaller edition of the Curlew but it has quite a different voice-"titti-titti-titti-titti-titti-tit in very even time and with even emphasis throughout" (Smythies). This bird is also known as 'titterel' from its voice in England, and it would seem that Sanskrit fefez is for it though the name has been confused and treated as synonymous with fefew. The name, however, occurs with single names of several other birds in the कल्पद्रुकोण- "कोयष्टि: टिटिभ टिष्टि कुररो (? कुररी) जलकुक्कुटी". Everyone of these names stands for a different bird just as single names of thirteen different birds are given in अमरकोश"तेषां विशेषा हारीतो मैद्गु...". हलायुध also gives a similar list. It is the proximity of safe and fezfew in passages like these that has led to their being wrongly treated as fully synonymous and some commentators have incorrectly explained both कुररी and कोयष्टि as टिट्टिभ. 6. The Black-tailed Godwit (16 inches) is a migratory bird, visiting Northern India in flocks of ten to over a hundred from October to March. It has a particularly long and straight awl-like bill, 3 to 5 long with which it probes into the mud for worms, insects etc. It is evidently the very expressive TRT or argent (and ift-having an awl-like beak) of the e, corresponding to its Hindi name in Nepal, from, 'Mud' and , 'a bamboo-pin'. It is also known as a (large Snipe) in Hindi (per Jerdon) and ,, to break or pierce-H. ut to dig and whence that pierces (the ground). also in Hindi from Sansk. to prick or pierce, 7. Snipes are चाहा (चढ़ विस्मापने ? ) in Hindi from their habit of springing suddenly out of cover in marsh-land and their confusing zig-zag flight. In Bengal they are known as कादा खोंचा (कर्दम, mud and कुच, विलेखने, to scratch), the same as Sanskrit g (g, mud and, to scatter or disturb). The resem- blance of the colour of their plumage to that of the Quails accounts for their name T (Water-Quail) in Marathi and in Sanskrit. The Eastern Fantail Snipe breeds in Kashmir and the Himalayas, and the behaviour of this bird during the breeding season was certainly observed by the ancients who named it गोभण्डीर (गवि आकाशे भण्डते or गवि आकाशे भण्डीर इव भण्डीर, the for tree, Accacia sirissa, so called because its numerous dry secd-pods vibrate and produce a rattling sound when shaken by the brecze). The Fantail, when flushed from its nest, soon mounts aloft and executes series of aerial evolutions of an astounding kind after wildly circling about, and reaching a height at which it appears a mere speck it abruptly shoots. downwards and as abruptly regains its former elevation. This process is repeated many times. A few seconds after each of these headlong descents a mysterious drumming sound is heard-evidently produced by the rush of air through its tail feathers as the bird shoots downwards (adapted from Ency. Brit. 11th Edn.; see also Whistler and other authorities). The bird is silent on the ground and when alarmed rises with just a 'pench' call which cannot justify the alternative derivation– "गवि जले भण्डीरः अति वाचाल:"- 4. The term w implies a continuous sound (aferrare) and it is in Curlew, Godwit, Sandpiper, Ruff & Reeve, Woodcock, & Snipe 367 recognition of such a sound that the शिरीष has been named भण्डीर or [मडखिनी- . The above description of the bird's flight and the consequent 'drumming' therefore fully bears out the beautiful name, r, given to it and the विकाण्डशेप equation-"गोभण्डोर: पङ्ककीरः" should be interpreted to mean that गोभण्डोर is a kind of पकीर or Snipe, for every पढ़कीर is not exactly a गोभण्डीर, Thus we have gre and far as common names for all Snipe, and e for the Fantail, indicative of its peculiar drumming habit. 8. The Woodcock is a medium-sized and long-billed Himalayan bird (14 inches) whose russet-coloured plumage somewhat resembles that of the Common Grey Partridge. It is also about the same size. It moves down from its breeding haunts in the Himalayas from 8000 to 12,000 feet to the plains in winter. It is known in Nepal as सिमकुकरा or सिमतीतर, names which directly derive from सिम-or हिम-कुक्कुट; or सिम or हिम-तित्तिर in Sans- krit ("तुषार: शिशिरः स्फीत: सेभ्यः सीमो हिमोऽपि च" - for 'snow'–वैजयन्ती) and it must have been so named though these terms are not to be found in the present day. lexicons. wegfafer (Pseudo- or imitation-Partridge) is mentioned in diere जातक (547) with कपिंजर and तित्तिर for the Grey and the Black Partridges in verses 2098-2099. As a Himalayan bird, therefore, weferfere is most proba- bly the same as Hindi fermare, and the name may well be from Sanks, w fafere (a mimic or false Partridge). We also means 'a jester' and the name most probably refers to: (i) the male Woodcock's habit of flying playfully backwards and forwards in an arc with alternate croaks and squeaks during the breeding season ; (ii) its curious and twisting flight in and out of trees at a pace that is very deceiving; and (iii) its 'acting' to entice one away from the nest and young by shamming injury and then flying clean out of sight after at while (S. Baker). If so, the name wg-or www-fafere for it is really a very picturesque one. 9. The Watercock bores holes in soft ground for worms, grubs, etc., and its presence is often inferred from the holes made by its three inch bill. It is, therefore, possible that it also shares the name of arget with the Godwit, particularly as both are sub-equal in size and fowlers often pass a Godwit for a Woodcock at the Calcutta market because the latter is considered a greater delicacy for the table than the former (F.B.I., first edition). 10. Sandpipers and Stints are comparatively speaking long-billed (less than one to two inches) waders of medium to small size which are rarely found away from water. They are more or less alike, the majority being grey-brown above and white below and with a good deal of white in or above the tail. Their constant connection with sandy ground near water and their piping call notes account for their common name of