232 Birds in Sanskrit Literature in the air in a most amazing way in pursuit of insects, on which it mostly preys. It does not usually make its appearance till late in the afternoon and may be seen circling, stooping, rising vertically and playing extra- ordinary tricks in the air, some time after all diurnal birds have gone to rest (J.B.N.H.S.XXxvn). It therefore seems to me that the beautiful name पक्षकलिका (पक्षकलावती) should be rendered as a small Falcon which exhibits , the art of flying, in a variety of ways. That the term f is also related to (art) is clear from the technical meaning of f as an artistic style of composition : कला नाम भवेत्तालनियता पदसन्ततिः । कलाभिः कलिका प्रोक्ता तद्भेदाः षट् समीरिताः ॥ श. कल्प. under कलिका Moreover, the Hobby would be the only "brown-eyed" Falcon trained for Hawking that would seem to have been left out by the author of .. if terfere is some other unkown Falcon. The probability of its being the Hobby is therefore of the highest degree. 14. It is very active early in the morning and again late in the even- ing, and thus seems to be the fire (staying till late in the evening, or absenting oneself during the day) of the MBh. list; cf. far as an adnoun for a particular Heron ing. See also Art. 82. 15. The Merlin occurs in two forms in North India: the Red-headed Merlin (14") of the Himalayas and the North Asian Merlin (12") with a whitish head. Both are bluish grey above and white, barred or streaked with black, below with a rufous tinge in the smaller variety. The old opinion giving the palm to the Merlin for courage and speed is no longer held and it is now definitely known to be slower than the Peregrine and even the Hobby. Nevertheless its "flight is very swift and graceful...and the bird stoops at its quarry with wonderful skill and speed, a most finished performer" (Whistler). It was trained to capture Mainas, Quails, Rollers, etc. and sometimes also to work in pairs. Its Hindi name gat ( fr. वुड् to be speedy) should be the same as the वेगी of कल्पद्रुकोश - वेगी खगान्तकः क्रूरः एतद्भेदा अनेकशः । argar of the MBh. list is a name comparable with it. The . ., however, contents itself with the Hindi name तुरुमती. 16. The European as well as the Himalayan Kestrel (14") are winter visitors to North India. The head is ashy-grey and the upper parts brick- red with black arrow-shaped black spots while the lower parts are of a vinous colour. The Himalayan species is darker. Its Hindi name, #fear ( खदिर+मृत्तिका, reddish-brown) in the North and नारजी, (Persian 'nār'-fiery ) in the South of India are after its body-colour. It is a plains-bird, and while beating over grass lands it is often seen "hovering with a quick motion of the wings above a spot where it has seen or suspects it has seen its prey, on which it drops quietly." This habitual hovering is the most characteristic feature of the Kestrel to which it owes its popular Eagles, Falcons and Allied Birds 233 English name of 'Windhover'. "When watching for food from a perch the head is incessantly turning and bobbing" (Smythies). From its hovering habit it should be the रङ्गण* (रङ्ग नृत्यम्) of कल्पद्रुकोश; from its reddish colour, the (fire), from its habit of turning its head in different direc- tions the fear, and from the quick fanning movements of wings the frie (winking of the eyelids) of the MBh. list. It may be stated here that out of a total of 47 names in the list as many as ten refer to the Golden Eagle and four or five each to some of the commoner birds of prey found in North India. They are mostly in the nature of descriptive epithets apparently invented by alfa who gave the Epic its final comprehen- sive and bulky form. No kite or Falcon lays such deep red eggs as the Kestrel and the adnoun लोहाण्डी or full name लोहाण्डी शकुनि of ग. महोदधि should also belong to it: लोह इवाण्डमस्याः लोहाण्डी नाम शकुनिः । Commentary on verse 44. 17. The call of the Kestrel is a shrill scream, kee, kee, kee, and there- fore good enough for purposes of augury. The Prakrit work, garrafe mentions a bird of augury by the name of आगास जोइणी (Sk. आकाश योगिनी) : "आगासजोइणीए निसुओो सद्दो वि वाम पासम्मि" p. 185, verse 202 The particular bird it is must be determined with reference to the mean- ing of the name itself, for the Dictionaries explain it merely as a kind of bird (farfa:). The name literally means 'a fairy or female magician of the sky, and योगिनी taken by itself may well be from योग defined as "चित्तवृत्ति- निरोधः", ध्यान, and बपुः स्थैर्यम् (अमर, मेदिनी, etc.). In its habit of hovering at a point high up in the air longer than any other bird and of close concentra- tion upon a possible quarry below, the Kestrel may indeed be said to be a magician of the sky or to exhibit atf power, and the charming name of आकाश योगिनी may well belong to it (cf. खकामिनी for the Brahminy Kite in the next Section). 18. Two other probable names for the Kestrel appear to be f and of the following synonymy which also includes two names for the Common Kite: चिरम्भणस्तु चिल्ल: स्यात् खभ्रान्तिः कण्ठनीडकः । –त्रिकाण्डशेष Annotators take all the four names for the Kite and they may be right but it must be remembered that the fa purports to give us a supplement to the art, i.e. additional synonyms for (i) objects already named there and (ii) objects not mentioned at all, and naturally new names falling within the first category could not be numerous. is therefore highly
- If रङ्गण is the sune as लङ्गण of मानसोल्लास the name would indicate the
Laggar Falcon and not the Kestrel-see para. 10 infra.
