1 CROWS & THEIR ALLIES A. RAVENS & CROWS 1. In the Crow tribe we find "bird brains at their highest", and recogni- tion of the virtues and vices of the common Crow is writ large in Sanskrit literature, the Jätaka-Stories and Folk-Tales. The art of the q for examlpe, is fully illustrative of the wisdom and shrewd cunning of our friend, the House-Crow. Popular tradition places him on a footing of equality with that universal character, the barber: नराणां नापितो धूर्तः पक्षिणां चैव वायस -Subhā. 159, 279. the common 2. Among Indian birds, the Crow enjoys the distinction of having the largest number of names and adnouns or epithets in the Sanskrit language. The wg has collected no fewer than 36 synonyms Crow and yet the list is by no means exhaustive. The expression f used in grafgat, ch. 11, stands for the 'the Crow family or Corvidae, and both w and are in general use for any Crow. The poets, however, have often used synonyms like , satser, farge, etc., to suit their verse. 3. Generally speaking, Indian Crows may be placed in the following seven easily recognizable categories:- (i) The all-black Punjab and Tibetan Ravens (length 26"-28") which are quite as large as, though lighter than, the Common Pariah Kite (शकुनि), and they are the कृष्णशकुन or कृष्णशकुनि of the Vedas and द्रोणकाक (दुए हितायें) of literature. (ii) The Brown-necked Raven of Sind (22") of an umber-brown colour, more so on the neck and shoulders, is the cent of rite you and probably of the lexicons. (iii) The Carrion and Jungle Crows (19"), entirely black, heavier than the House-Crow but much smaller than the Raven is the pers, or simply the proper in a specific sense. They are also the r of AV. 11.9.9 and 12.4.8. 1. These and other Sanskrit names in this para are discussed later on.
