318 Birds in Sanskrit Literature datta, each in his own way, permits some and prohibits one or more of the birds named in the list. Reading Sūtra 36 with No. 34 Bühler is of opinion that the mainly vegetarian, and therefore not कव्याद, च and t are permitted and the वाघ्र णिस-लक्ष्मण (singular) is disallowed. On the other hand Haradatta holds that the latter alone is permitted and both and are disallowed. Now that we know that are too is a particular bird and that one was sacrificed to god far as a most favourite dish of his (Art 42), Bühler's interpretation is obviously the correct one and we have only to add the Hornbill to the Flamingo and the Common Crane to complete the list of three great birds permitted, leaving out the (ar) as an exception. This finds support from a somewhat similarly worded Sūtra in another Smrti which permits वाघीणस with विष्किर birds like तित्तिर, मयूर, etc. :- पक्षिणस्तित्तिरिकपोतकपिञ्जलवाधीणस- मयूरवारणावारणवर्जाः पश्च विष्किराः । बौधायनस्मृति, 1.5.154 Here, it will be noted, the first five out of the six faf birds including the (same as a forer) are permitted while the last, viz., the ar (the Great Bustard, Art. 63) is not allowed. All Cranes are good eating and the reason for the exception in favour of, the Sarus, is to be found in the extraordinary devotion observed between the Sarus couple which has endeared them to the Indians from very ancient times.** It is also worth noting that poet includes and but not the Sarus in the list of water-birds recommended as food by to Rama when the latter made a long halt at the Pampå lake (para. 15 below). 12. The Hooded Crane (35") is of a dark grey colour with the neck and the whole head except the bald red crown, pure white in contrast with the rest of the body colour. The bill is yellowish horny, the eyes orange-brown, and the legs horny-black (Finn) though the colours of these parts are slightly different according to the F.B. I. Breeding in Eastern Siberia and Japan it migrates south to China and in smaller numbers to Eastern Assam within Indian limits. It is possible that in the
- The fif, chapter 51, disallows all five-toed animals and all birds
except these expressly named "शशकशल्लकगोघाखङ्गकूर्मवर्ज पञ्चनखमांसाशने सप्त- रानमुपवसेत् । तित्तिरिकपिञ्जललावकवतिकामयूरवर्ज पक्षि-मांसाशने चाहोरात्रम् ।”
- The voice and sight of a Sarus couple are amongst the best of auguries:
इष्टार्थसिद्धिः सकलासु दिक्षु ससारसद्वंद्वविलोकनेन । श्रुत्वाय पृष्ठे निनदं न गच्छेत् सिध्यत्यभीष्टं गृह एवं यस्मात् ॥ वामेन योषिद्धनलाभकारी शब्दस्तपात्रे नृपतोऽर्थलब्ध्यै । पाचंद्वये सारसयुग्ममेकं कृतारवं जल्पति कन्यकाप्तिम् ॥ वसंतराज, 8.9-10, p. 234. The first and fourth quarters of the second verse furnish an additional clue to the significance of the adnoun (beloved of the pleasure-secker) for the Sarus. See f. n. 1, p. 311. Cranes long past it travelled further west and was known to the ancient Indians, may be even as an aviary bird in Royal establishments. The a according to Haradatta on the arruga, 1.5.17.36 quoted and discussed in para. 9 above, is of two kinds, one with a white head and the other with a red head: 319 "श्व तो लोहितो वा येषां मूर्धा ते लक्ष्मणाः ।” The श्वेतमूर्धन्, or श्वेतमरुरक-लक्ष्मण should therefere be the Hooded Crane and the लोहितमूर्धन्-or रक्तमस्तक लक्ष्मण the Sarus i.e. the Indian Crane. The Hooded variety being a bird of rare occurrence the w of the Sutra in question, as already pointed out in para. 9, must be taken to be the well known Sarus. 13. The Black-necked Crane (about 46") is slightly larger than the Common Crane and is known to breed in Tibet and Kokonor, not very far from India, and Frank Finn says that it may be expected to visit. India in winter (How to Know the Indian Waders, p. 67). The body plumage is greyish white and the whole of the head, neck and tail black. The bill is horny-grey or-green, iris yellow and the legs black. The bare skin of the crown is dull red. Like the Common Crane it has a trumpet- ing call. The breeding grounds of the Bar-head Goose also are the lakes of Ladakh and Tibet and if the ancients knew, as they certainly did, the home and habits of the Goose they must have known this Crane as well, and the face of the mixed synonymy, B (iv) (f) quoted above from and aft, should be this Black-necked Crane. It is mantioned with the Ruddy Sheldrake, the Bar-head Goose, the Pin-tail Duck, and other healthy and happy-looking water-birds (weer:') *as giving character to a Himalayan scene in the शिवपुराण under the name of नीलस्कन्ध कोच **: शोभितं चक्रवाकाद्यैः कादम्बहंसशङ्कभिः प्रमत्तसारसैः क्रौश्व नीलस्कन्धैश्च शब्दितैः ॥ The second रुद्रसंहिता, सतीखण्ड, 22.59 This Crane is therefore the नीलकण्ठ सारस or नीलस्कन्ध च 14. The Great White Crane (54") comes next after the Sarus in size and is mentioned as the महाकौञ्च with the कौच and सारस by पालकाप्य (Para. 3 A). It is pure white throughout except for the wing-quills which are black. The naked skin of the head is reddish, eye pale yellow, bill brown, and legs pink. Breeding in Siberia it visits North India in winter in small flocks. A large number of them was caught and taken to the Calcutta
- The Indians Saras is not a hill-bird and the compound must be
translated as above.
- स्कन्ध also means 'the neck', "गलः स्कन्धे”–विश्वलोचनकोश Compare तुरङ्ग-
स्कन्धकेशाः, सिहस्कन्धकेशा: for the neck-mane.
