66 CRAB PLOVER This "very extraordinary bird" with a peculiar nesting habit has been placed in a family by itself. It is a Plover-like white bird (16 inches) with a black back. It nests "in colonies, often of great size, scooping burrows anything from one to four feet long in the sand or, occasionally among the loose boulders and rocks, in which it lays its one pure white egg" (S. Baker). It feeds mostly on crabs and hence the name Its breeding grounds are on the islands at the Adam's Bridge, Ceylon, and some islands in the Persian Gulf Ancient indian Law-givers were undoubtedly men of religion and some of them must have come to know this bird and its curious habits during their pilgrimage to Ramesh- varam situated on an island next to Adam's Bridge. Law-giver afers was probably one such and he has included a bird called in the 14th chapter of his Samhità in the list of birds prohibited as food for the twice- born Hindus of the time. This is perhaps the same as fuerat, a kind of bird' in M. Williams. Both are from fra 'a hole' or 'to conceal' and imply a bird that lives or nests in a hole. f, however, may also be from sea-coast, and would seem to imply a coastal bird (cf. mr-M. W.). Most probably, therefore, both the names refer to the Crab-plover which nests in a hole and along the sea-coast. No other Samhità or fa mentions these names so far as I know, nor do the commoner lexicons give them. Had the name applied to any of the North Indian birds nesting in holes* some at least of the lexicons would surely have given it. In the circums- tances may be presumed that sage af having known the bird during his visit to Rameshvaram made it a point to include it in his list not only as a curiosity but also to prohibit the Hindus of the neighbourhood from killing it for food, particularly as it is so easy to catch it in its nest-hole. All this is pure conjecture, and there may be nothing in it, and if so, the Crab-Plover of the extreme South must go like so many other birds even in North India, without an old Sanskrit name. In fact one has no right to expect Sanskrit names for uncommon birds even of North India, much less of birds beyond its limits, except perhaps as curiosities in royal aviaries.
- For example, Bee-eaters, Kingfishers, Bank-Mynas, and many others.
67 SKUAS The Skuas are large Gull-like birds seen along the Sind coast. They live on fish which they rob from Gulls and Terns, pursuing them in the air until they drop the desired morsel, which they then seize (S. Baker). Their call is a piercing scream or gull-like "gack, gack". There is no Sanskrit name for them, but from their general appearance and habits they would be included in the general name of age for the large sea-birds like the Sea-Gulls and others.
