214 Birds in Sanskrit Literature कङ्कगृधबलानां च गोमायुगणरक्षसाम् । नित्यं भक्ष्यप्रदं युद्धे यमरूपं भयावहम् ॥ (6.171.11.) and the commentator Govindaraja translates as a kind of qu or Vulture, which, though strictly speaking incorrect, is significant and strengthens the above identification. and again, are compared to (the long-snouted Gavial or Gharial and run (the crocodile) in a metaphor where a battle-field running with blood and strewn over with dead bodies, weapons etc., is pictured as a river. The comparison evident- ly implies the great size of the birds feeding on dead bodies - बलकमहानक्रां गोमायुमकरोत्कटाम् । M.Bh. 7.146.35 कङ्कगृधमहाग्राहां नैकायुधझषाकुलाम् Ibid. 7.131.120, 4. carrion-eaters, again, the last viz. the white-tailed Sea-Eagle and Pallas's Fishing Eagles would seem to be the fa and HE respectively of the passage below:- अलिक्लवा जाप्कमदा गृधा: श्येनाः पतत्रिणः । ध्वांक्षाः शकुनयस्तृप्यन्त्वमिथेषु समीक्षयन् रविते अर्बुदे तव ॥ A.V. 11.9.9. af is apparently a difficult word to solve but if the element afer in the sense of a bee per Sayana on af in AV. 8.6.1 is the same as aft, it may well mean 'one that is terrible to or is feared by the enemy, and the term would qualify the carrion-birds named as an adjective. am also takes it that way though he explains it as ""+f. The second name , is perhaps derived from ² or , a fish, and refers to a carrion- bird that owes its great strength to eating fish or has an ardent desire for fish-food. In this sense the name corresponds to and the only carrion-bird that fulfills this character is Pallas's Fishing Eagle. 5. The Grey-headed Fishing Eagle occurs in two sizes in North India. The large form is not found west of Delhi and the smaller variety is con- fined to the outer Himalayas and descends as far south as Lucknow only, during winter. None of them would seem to be comprised within the term though like the others they too eat carrion. Finally, all the Eagles con- sidered above with the exception of the White-tailed Sea-Eagle, are very noisy and have strident calls and the name ew belongs to them in com- mon. The name # occurs in the title of Jataka No. 486, the gra and, and must belong to Pallas's Fishing Eagle as the largest of the three 1. अलिक्लव is mentioned again with गृध्र in A.V. 11.2.2. 2. The form occurs in Taitt, Sam. 5.5.13 corresponding to H in Kathaka Sam 5.7.3. जय also occurs with water-animals like शिशुमार, पुरीकप, and मत्स्य in A.V. 11.2.25. Eagles, Falcons and Allied Birds 215 Fishing Eagles of North India. The epithet clearly implies lesser birds going under the name of उत्कोश, 6. Although the Osprey and the Fishing Eagles have been named differently (Art. 50), their proper status as var has been clearly recognised. Thus the punishment of God Visņu by the bird-form (w) of God Siva is described after the manner of the White-tailed Sea-Eagle or Serpent Eagles stooping again upon a sea or other snake that has slipped out of his talons in mid-air, missing it in the first attempt, and shooting down a second time to catch it : श्येन इवोरगम् उत्क्षिप्योत्क्षिप्य संगृह्य निपात्य च निपत्य च The Osprey or the Fishing Eagle is called a in the ag g² and they would therefore be मत्स्यर श्वेन as indeed their Hindi names like मछरंगा and मछमंगा show. Turning to names in the M. Bh. list it would appear that if by any means सारस, सरिद् द्वीप and जित् refer to the Osprey which dives for fish, the Fishing Eagles which take fish from the surface, shallows or mud- shelves of rivers, and the Harriers which pick up frogs etc. from the marshes respectively, the name should point to a foreign bird like the White-tailed Eagle which visits the country during the winter only. The Himalayan Grey-headed Fishing Eagle is particularly noisy on moonlight nights during the breeding season and may be the basis for the name fram in the list. fr would then be either an Eagle which is noisy during the day or the Golden Eagle as an emblem of the sun (feare) which has often been pictured as a g in RV. D. FALCONS AND HAWKS I. INTRODUCTORY 1. Falcons and Hawks are two readily distinguishable groups of medium and small sized birds of prey within the family Falconidae differentiated not only by certain physical characters but also by their different methods of attack. The Falcons have as a rule a rather plump looking body,, a ring of bare skin round the eyes making for better vision, and long and pointed wings. They have stout beaks armed with a tooth on either side of the upper mandible, and a sharp and powerful hind claw. They attack their quarry in the air and pursue it if missed in the first attack. The Hawks, on the other hand, have a compact body, a long neck, a small head, short rounded wings, a very long tail, and high tarsi. The beak is less vaulted 1. शिवपुराण 3rd रुद्र संहिता 12.15. लिङ्गपुराण 1.25.95. 2. 122,21 ff.
