पृष्ठम्:Birds in Sanskrit literature.djvu/२७

4 NUTHATCHES 1. The Nuthatches of North and Central India are small birds, not over 6 inches long, and have similar habits. In colouration also all are blue-grey or bluish above, and different shades of chestnut below. They are birds of mango-topes and other trees and keep to tree-trunks or branches and feed on insects and worms and also nuts if available. They are more often heard than seen, and it is their sharp notes and the sound of hammering on the bark of a tree or on hard seeds or nuts which help to locate them. All have black-bills except the velvet-fronted Blue Nuthatch which has a coral-red bill. They are known as fireet or farê in Hindi, T परकी (the invisible Little Dove in Bengal) and सिध्यी फिप (the 'सिध्यी' bird) Assam, and I think they should be connected with some of the Sanskrit bird names like शिलीन्धी, कन्दली करक, कवक, कपोती or कपोतिका occurring as below :- in (1) "शिलीन्धं कदलीपुष्पे कवकत्रिपुटारूययोः शिलीन्धी विहगी" -हेमचन्द्र (2) "शिलीन्धं कदलीपुष्पे करकत्रिपुटारूययोः ( 3 ) - शिलीन्ध्रो विहगीभिदि" -विश्वप्रकाश "कन्दली मृगपक्षि विशेषयो:” – मेदिनी (4) "पारावत: कपोत: स्यात् कपोतो विगान्तरम्" -शाश्वतकोश. "कपोतः पारावते स्यात् कवकाव्यविहङ गमे"3–हेमचन्द्र, विश्वप्रकाश. (6) कपोत: स्यात्कलखे कबकाख्यविहङ गमे" (5) -विश्वलोचनकोश The following subsidiary equations should help in construing the above :- 2. कपोत as a homonyan in this synonymy means (i) (M.W. उणादि) and (ii) के ईषद् क्षुद्रो 1. फो and फिप in Hill dialects mean a bird' Cr Sanskrit फुक, a bird. The local names given above are from F.B.I. Dove or Pigeonकवते इति कपोतः वा पोतः पक्षिणावक: क्षुद्रपक्षी, a small bird. 3. The Nuthatch is called a कवक because when holding an to a tree-trunk, it resembles a mushroom jutting out from a tree in a similar position cf also कौति कवते कूवते वा कबाक:- erurgenfeqfer: 3.34, By giving these derivations I do not at all imply that they are correct. They are merely suggestive and given as mere possibilities. Nuthatches "गोमयच्छतिकामाहुदिलीरं च शिलीन्धकम्" -हारावली शिलीगण्डुपदी, a kind of worm हेमचन्द्र, अमर शिली स्तम्भशीर्ष - मेदिनी करक-पक्षिभेद -हेमचन्द्र कबक Mushroom-M. Williams. "कन्दलं त्रिषु उपरागे नवाङकुरे कलध्वनी, शिलीन्घ्रपुष्पे" मेदिनी "कपोतं अञ्जनेऽपि स्यात्" -विश्वप्रकाश 25 Now first being both 'a worm' and 'the top of a column' offers a reason- able derivation of firefit from the two different senses of the word fireft with root घृ 'to hold.' As a catcher of worms शिलीन्ध्र would be a bird, and as resting on or holding the top of a column शिलीन्धम_would be छवाम a mushroom. If the bird also is in the habit of holding on to the trunk (column) of a tree it could be properly called a शिलीन्ध and its small size would justify the form fशलीन्धी just as बिगी should mean a small birdi in addition to being the feminine of firge (any bird). 2. "कन्दली" means 'a new shoot' (प्रवाल ) which is often of a delicate shade of red and hence also 'a light red colour (उपराग). The propriety of this name for a particular bird should depend on these senses. The red colour of the bill (resembling a new shoot) of the Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, when it is resting face up against a tree-trunk- quite a common attitude for it. -with the body colour merging with the dark colour of the tree, would seem to justify the name कन्दली for it. The orange-red bill of सारिका (Indian Grackle) has been compared with कन्दली (a red shoot) by क्षेमेन्द्र :- श्यामाङ गी सारिकाऽब्रवीत् चम्पकस्यैव कलिकां विधाणा चञ्चकन्दलीम् । बृहत्कथामञ्जरी, 9-201 This seems to strengthen the above identification. “शिलीन्ध्रम्” is also the flower of the banana which has a maroon red calyx when open. The Cinnamon-bellied Nuthatch, which has deep chest-nut lower parts, can well claim the name for itself. For similar reasons कन्दली as a मृग would be the large Red Flying Squirrel. 3. "कलन्दक" according to M. Williams is either a squirrel or a bird, but in view of the equations : 1. This is according to the rule स्त्री स्यात्काचिन्मृणाल्यादिविवक्षापचये यदि –अमरकोश, स्त्रीलिङ्गशेष: verse 7. 3.5. 2. कन्दली and कदली are allermative readings in अभि चिन्तामणि, and शन्दरलाकर has बिलशायिनि कन्दली कदली हस्तायामा. See also वैजयन्ती कोश which includes कदली among animals that yield useful skins. These large squirrels live in holes in trees and also under- ground. They are of the पर्णमृगा: group as living on trees | बिलेशया: group as living in holes,