334 Birds in Sanskrit Literature floundering in the sand as if in pain; some were fluttering along with one wing stretched out limply, looking as though it were broken; while others appeared to have both wings broken." Hume also records a similar experience in Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds. Dewar comments that "the little pratincole appears to be a bird having a singularly unbalanced mind while it is breeding", and again, "it would seem that the pratincole when in breeding condition, is sometimes so excitable that if one of a flock takes fright, the alarm is communicated to its fellows, and they then often behave as if attacked by an epileptic fit," The त्रिकाण्डशेष and हारावली get give names of some water-birds as below: "अथ सर्षपी हापुत्रिका खञ्जनिका । तुलिकास्फोटिके समे"–त्रिकाण्डशेष. "गोभण्डीर: पङ्ककीरः । कोयष्टिर्जलकुक्कुमः ।" Ibid. "गोभण्डीरः पङ्ककीरो। हापुवी राजभट्टिका ।" हारावली, अर्धश्लोकावधि "गझ गाचिल्ली तु देवट्टी। विश्वका जलकुक्कुटी ।" “शरारिराटिराडिच । हापुनी राजपुत्रिका" । जटाधर in शब्दकल्पद्रुम under राजपुत्रिका The extract (iii) from graft is from its datafa section which implies that the names in every half-verse are synonymous, but a compari- son with the extracts (i) and (v) from far and were shows that the equation "cre" is complete by itself and independent of the equation "हापुवी राजमटिका" which latter therefore corresponds to “सर्वपी हापुत्रिका खजनिका" of विकाण्डकोष and "हापुनी राजपुविका" of जटाघर. The second part of विकाण्डशेष, viz.," तुलिका स्फोटिके समे" refers to a different bird (Pipit, Art. 26-B). It is submitted that both the lines from graft belong properly to the fa part of it and have been wrongly placed in the अर्धश्लोकावधि section. No. (iv) would then be divisible into two equations : (a) गङ्गाचिल्ली तु देवट्टी, and (b) favent at each referring to a particular type of bird. Now as the name हापुका is placed with सर्वपी and खजनिका in विकाण्डकोष and with राजमट्किा in हारावली, and also as the last three names mean the Little Ringed Plover (Art. 71) it would seem that the author intends fare also for ii iii iv V the same bird. It has already been stated that the Little Ringed Plover's behaviour at the nest is similar to that of the Pratincole, though not so markedly, so that it is just possible that the name gryfarer was applicable to both. Considering, however, the particularly exaggerated reactions of the pratincole the name seems to have been originally meant for it and 1. Glimpses of Indian Birds, p. 206. 2. VOL.III, p. 231. 3. Birds at the Nest, p. 183. 4. Each of the above half verses consists of two equations each containing synonyms for a single bird and forms allied to it with, however, the exception of the first half of No. (v) which mixes up two members of the Ibis group-See Art. 80. Coursers and Pratincoles 335 came later to be mistaken for the Plover as well. This would explain the mixing up of the names of the two birds, and once gryfarer was equated with the Ringed Plover the author was under a necessity to give a separate synonymy for the Pratincole which he did with "विश्वका जलकुक्कुटी". Now जलकुक्कुटी clearly signifies a very small water-side bird (cf. जलकुक्कुटी and and if गङ्गाचिल्ली is a fer for the Rails and Crakes, Art. Gull, which is as big as a Crow if not larger (M. Williams, and Art.68), regret would be a most improper synonym for it. The name, therefore, belongs to a small bird otherwise known as first. This last implies a bird that moves and flies in all directions (fr) and the Pratincoles, as we have seen, fully answer to this meaning, and their small size suits the name of जलकुक्कुटी. विशुवि (विषुवि from विषु+वि a bird that flies in all dircetions) is one of the birds prohibited as food in afeefgar (Chap. 12) and is probably the same as fi gat as a bird name is included in the list quoted by भट्टोत्पल्ल from पराशर in बृहत्संहिता (85.28). We thus have विषुवि, विश्वका, and gryfa for the pratincoles. The very apt name of ge is based on human behaviour, e.g. fare, a Brahman, on being told by an astrologer that his little boy of seven would not live beyond a year, falls to the ground, calling bitterly, "My son, oh My son." "हा पुत्र पुत्र पुत्रेति पपात च ।" -लिङ गपुराण, Pt. I, Ch. 43-11 Compare also: “राजा ह्यशोकः पतितो धरण्यां हा पुत्र! शोकेन हि दह्यमानः ।"– दिव्यावदान, p. 415 Commenting on अनर्थराधव ( V. 8) रुचिपति उपाध्याय has rendered कुररी (Tern, Art.69) incorrectly as हापूती इति प्रसिद्धा चटकविशेषस्त्री, but the statement that हापूती (हापुत्री) is a चटक विशेष i.e. of the size of a Sparrow is correct for the small Indian pratincole of the larger rivers in North India is not over 6.5 inches in length. This supports the interpretation of a given above.
