lxii AMARAKOŚA शृङ्गीकनकमित्यौर्वानलादिवत् प्रयोगः । स्त्री शृङ्गी मण्डनसुवर्णम् इति रत्नकोशे पृथनिर्देशः। (p. 611) But at the same time he says, in all fairness, that the compound word is also insisted on by some authorities like the Vaijayanti: केषांचित् शृङ्गीकनकमिति संघातोऽपि गृहीत एव । अलंकारसुवर्णं तु शृङ्गी- कनकमाशु च इति वैजयन्ती । The use of popular conundrums (prahelikā-s) is another novel feature in Malli's comm. enlivening the otherwise dry as dust derivation of words. White ant (vamri), not mentioned by Amara, has five synonyms and its habitation is given in the form of a popular riddle: अनेक सुषिरोपेतं कान्तं स्त्रीमुखपङ्कजम् । सुसिद्धं त्र्यक्षरोपेतं चक्षुःश्रोत्रमनोहरम् || ( p. 337 ) So also is the verse: अष्टौ श्लोकान् कुरुष्वेति पुत्रः पित्रा नियन्त्रितः । सप्त श्लोकाः कृतास्तेन पितुराज्ञा न लङ्घिता ॥ (p. 107) where the word aştau is also the locative of asti, the name of a metre. Popular beliefs, interesting but incredible, are also utilized by Malli. in the course of his explanations. The wagtail (khanjarita), he qu from the Rasaratnākara, has some mysterious power. If caught and confined in a cage during the month of Phälguna (Feb.-Mar.), the cage becomes invisible when the month of Bhadrapada (Aug.-Sept.) arrives; then only its crest will be visible, khañjaritam sajivam tu... (p. 340). Declension of rare forms is another useful feature in Malli.'s comm. The rare form svapnaj is declined by him to the joy of students; the fem. forms of sadhryano (accompanying), visvadryañc (all-pervading) and tiryañc (oblique) are also noted (III. 1. 33). The word samam in Amara's 'atha samam
