Birds in Sanskrit Literature कुरण्टक, v.1. गुरण्डक, incorrectly for तिलमयूर in विकाण्डशेष. This and the next three names refer to the Great Bustard again; cf for a kind of Peacock in M. Williams, the same as . 326 , (Desert-Stork) a kind of Crane in M. W. वारण, a विष्किर bird in बौधायन स्मृति 1. 15.154. विदोगय, a kind of Cock (कुक्कुट विशेष per Sāyana on तै संहिता, 5.6.22) and श्वेतबफ also per Sāyana on सै. ब्राह्मण 3.9.10. ferafera, a kind of bird in it. This and the next three names belong to the crested Bengal Florican. खिलखिल्ल, in the list of Peacock-names in अभि. चिन्तामणि. तूणबहिन्, in प्रयैनिकशास्त्र, 7.12; शावलि, in मिताक्षराटीका on याज्ञवल्क्यस्मृति, 1.175. अञ्जलिकर्ण, in सुश्रुत, 1.7.10. This is the lesser florican. 3. The Eastern Great Bustard is a winter visitor to the extreme North-West of the country. The fully grown male attains a length of three and a half feet and weighs up to 30 pounds. The Great Indian Bustard is larger and heavier with a wing-span of eight feet and weighs up to 40 pounds. He is in fact the largest and the heaviest land-bird of India corresponding to the elephant as the heaviest land-animal. The plumage is deep buff above finely vermiculated with black, the general effect being a rufous brown which is well described as “खदिर वर्ण" in कल्पद्रुकोश while the neck and under parts are white with a black band across the lower breast. The head carries a recumbent black crest. This magni- ficent bird occurs in pairs or parties in semi-desert land and about cultivation in the Punjab, Sind, Rajasthan, Kathiawar, etc., and the stately Cock can be spotted from a distance from its long white neck as he proudly struts about. He has an inflatable gular-pouch connected with a small open beneath the tongue. The call "ust uttered before daylight, is a booming cry, not unlike a distant shout" but when alarmed the note is a bark. When feeding, however, the members of a party keep up a sort of cackle. During courtship the Cock greatly inflates his neck and throat** and struts before the hens w th the tail raised into a
- Because of superficial similarity of a Crane () with a Stork (*)
the term has often been rendered as a-fa in the lexicons and commen- taries. Similarly a certain amount of resemblance between the Great Indian Bustard with his long white neck and white lower parts and the Crane or Stork is responsible for names like मस्बक and श्वेतबक for the former.
- After a few preliminary attempts at inflation "out goes the whole throat down to the
breast, and that part of it next the latter swells more and more........and the lower throat bag gets bigger and bigger, and larger and larger, till it looks to be within six inches of the ground....and looked at in front, he seems to have a huge bag covered with feathers hang- ing down between his legs, which wobbles about as he struts here and there." (Hume quo- ted by S. Baker). The old name, ar, is thus seen to be after the Cock's dangling pouch suggestive of the trunk of an elephant. The elephant is a because his great strength enables him to offer resistance and this Bustard is also a 4ra he wards off or resists (arcafe) with his horrible smell-See paras. 4 and 10 below. Bustards 327 fan, drooping wings and the feathers of the body turned the wrong way about. At the same time he makes a deep moaning call, heard at a great distance. The food consists of principally large grass-hoppers and other insects but lizards, mice. young birds, etc.; grain and green shoots are equally welcome. In addition this Bustard has a "curious taste for snakes and the natives give it credit for being a constant slayer and devourer of these reptiles". (S. Baker). 4. The Great Bustard has a peculiar and very disagreeable smell when alive, and its flesh is not now held in much esteem. Dr. E. T. Aitchinson informs us that when he was on the Afghan Delimitation Commission, a flock of these Bustards was met with, and Lieut. Rawlinson succeeded in shooting one, but the stench of the bird was so great he almost thought of leaving it; it was so dark that he scarcely knew what it was that he had got, and the scent was almost enough to put off any one from even a new acquisition. This writer also refers to the comments of F. Finn 'on this curious smell of the Bustard'. 5. As the habits of both the Great Bustards (Eastern and Indian) are similar they share common names in Sanskrit. In the above list it will be seen that and is (bellowing like a bull) are after the bird's bellowing call corresponding to its name गुनाद (गोनाद-गोनर्द) in Hindi. The names गुरुकण्ठ and aged (thick-necked) are again for these birds with reference to their habit of puffing out their necks during courtship, while names like and गुरण्डक merely Prakrit forms of गुरुकण्ठ unless गुरण्डक is from गुर्वण्डक (laying a large egg). The Peacock is (woody-egg) and the eggs of the Great Indian Bustard are larger than those of former. would however appear to refer to the Indian form which has a white neck and under-parts and lives in semi-desert areas. This name corresponds to Marathi मरटोंक (मरु and टक fr. ध्वाक्ष, meaning बक); cf. also the Turkish name for the allied Little Bustard which means 'Sand-fowl'. der defines the female as ge but the author is incorrect in attributing a booming call to her. "' is however, the same as 6. Is it possible that the name (flower of the yellow amaranth) is independent of qs and really refers to the European Cock Bustard (found in the extreme North-West of India), for it fluffs out all his plumage and looks like a surprising animated giant white Chrysan- themum"? 7. The बौधायन स्मृति mentions वारण (वारयतीति one that wards off or for bids) as a विष्किर bird that must not be eaten :- "पक्षिणस्तित्तिरिकपोतकपिज्ञ- वाघसमयूरवाणा वारणवः पञ्च विष्किराः ।" 1.5.154. 1. Stuart Baker, Game Birds of India, pp.150-151. 2. Stray Feathers, IV.184. 3. H. G. Wells, Science of Life, p. 1144.
