260 Birds in Sanskrit Literature (S. Baker). Other writers also have remarked upon this curious habit of the bird. Its note "is a soft but very deep and rather plaintive 'coo', and during the breeding season they may often be heard calling to one another. for some minutes together" (Ibid). This agrees fairly well with Varāha- mihira's description of the bird's call : "हारीतस्य तु शब्दो गुग्गुः:" बृहत्संहिता, 87.15. The voice of Green Pigeons on the other hand, is, “a very pleasing full. toned rolling whistle. " This bird is रक्तकण्ठ कपोत as well as हारीत, the latter being apparently due to its green wings. It has also been called अरुणकपोत by भास्कर on वाग्मट, though the name properly belongs to the Red Turtle Dove. 10. Green Pigeons are purely arboreal birds and do not descend to the ground except at the water's edge to drink, or at a salt-lick, whereas the Emerald Dove is very terrestrial picking up seeds and berries, etc. from the ground and from low bushes. God Siva describes the beauties of an extensive garden in काशी and refers to a group of Emerald Doves ("हारीत वृन्द") walking here and there along the garden path :- "हंसानां पक्षपातप्रचलितकमलस्वच्छविस्तीर्णतोयं तोयानां तीरजातप्रविकचकदलीवाटनृत्यन्मयूरम् । मायूरैः पक्षचन्द्रैः क्वचिदपि पतितै रज्जितं क्षमाप्रदेशं देशे देशे विकीर्णप्रमुदितविलसन्मत्तहारीतवृन्दम् ॥” 11. The Bar-tailed Cuckoo Dove of Kashmir and Nepal goes by the Hindi name of दुसाल ("तुषार कपोत, a Dove of the cold region). “Its deep boom- ing 'Coo' calls one's attention from far away, and when the bird is finally located it is almost certain to be seated high up on some tree which stands well above those surrounding it" (S. Baker ). A bird of such striking manners, different from others of its kind, would naturally invite attention and it is highly probable that the name कु-रव कपोत (having a distinct "coo" note) for a kind of Dove' (M.W.) is for this particular bird (Cf. कलध्वनि for the Spotted and स्फुटध्वनि for the Ring Dove) 2. It is further permissible to say that the 'back-formation', तुषारकपोत, was also its name in Sanskrit. 12. In conclusion, an attempt must be made to determine the identity of the particular kind of कपोत which from the time of the Rgveda has been regarded as the messenger of Death and Misery, and otherwise a bird of ill-omen along with the hooting owl : 1. Matsya Purána, ch. 180. This verse occurs in a slightly corrupt form in the Linga Purápa, 92.24. चरक 1.26.81 (Chowkhamba edition; 1.26.86 in others) mentions हारिद्रक, the Green Pigeon and हारीतक, the Emerald Dove. The Lahore edition. reads हारिद्रक at both places in the same section which is incorrect. 2. Cf. also कण्ठीव Pigeon and कु-रवक, the Tree-pic. Pigeons and Doves यदुलूको बदति मोघमेतद् यत्कपोतः पदमग्नौ कृणोति । यस्य दूतः प्रहित एष एतत् तस्मै यमाय नमो अस्तु मृत्यवे ॥ ऋग्वेद 10.165.4. The hooting owl, again, is held to be as bad as the कपोत, the messenger of Death :- मृत्युद्गतः कपोतोऽयमुलूकः कम्पयन्मनः । प्रत्युलूकश्च कुह्वान अनिद्रौ शून्यमिच्छतः ॥ भागवत, 1.14.14. This verse, it will be noticed, is a clear echo of the one from Rgveda. The allocation of inauspicious birds between Gods and others ( सुरासुराः) is as below :- श्येनं जग्राह मृत्युश्च, काकं कालो गृहीतवान् । उलूकं निर्ऋतिश्चैव जग्राहातिभयावहम् ।। गृधं व्याधिस्तदीशोऽथ, कपोतं च स्वयं यमः ॥ 261 मार्क. पु. 48.68-69. It will be noticed that the Owl and कपोत have been distributed exactly in accordance with the Vedic tradition. With "गृहे पारावता: धन्या:" in favour of the Blue Rock Pigeon and the habit of the Spotted and the Little Brown Doves of frequently nesting inside human habitations it is evident that these birds cannot be the calamitous रूपोत, nor should the Rufous Turtle Dove, the Red Turtle Dove or even the Ring Dove be that bird as they keep away from inhabited houses. According to the commentator of the आश्वलायन गृह्यसूल, however, it is apparently the Ring Dove (Dhavala Kapota) which, we shall see, is incorrect :- कपोतश्चेदगारमुपहन्यादनुपतेद्वा- "देवाः कपोतः" इति प्रत्यूचं जुहुयाज्जपेद्वा- -3.7.7 Commentary-"पोतो रक्तपादः शुक्लवर्णोऽरण्यवासी" As against this शौनक specifies the Emerald Dove as the guilty bird: कपोतं विशेषयति शौनकः - रक्तपादः कपोताख्यः अरण्यौकाः शुकच्छवि: । स चेच्छालां विशेत् शालासमीपं च प्रजेद् यदि ॥ अन्येषु गृहमध्ये वा वल्मीकस्योद्गमादिषु ।। The description of the Kapota as "शकच्छवि" (of the colour of a Parrot) and the attraction it has for the termite ant-hill ( बल्मीक) combined with its habit of occasionally entering human dwellings leaves no doubt what- ever that the bird meant by शौनक is the Emerald Dove. The habits of the bird described earlier fully confirm the identification. It may be 1. Quoted in Sabdakalpadruma under "अद्भुतम्"
