Birds in Sanskrit Literature water-hen, viz., the Curlew. Now since commentators like fer have interpreted उत्कोशी (रघुवंश, 14.68; see also commentary on चम्पूरामायण, 6, verse 90) it follows that the feminines et and get for the Terns and Curlew are included in the general and comprehensive equation, "उत्क्रोशकुररी समौ” of अमर. The several different birds sharing the names and distinguished as below: may be 342 (i) the fear is the Demoiselle Crane (Art. 62); (ii) the मत्स्यनाशन-कुरर, Osprey (Art. 50); (iii) the उत्क्रोश-कुद्रर "} (iv) the खरशब्द or उत्कोश-कुरर (v) the उत्क्रोशी-कुररी (vi) the 33 or कुक्कुटी कुरी ” (मत्स्यनाशन) Fishing Eagles ( Art 52 ) ; » » Gull; ,, Tern (Art. 69); Curlew, rarely (Art. 72). as perhaps in the - It follows, therefore, that the particular bird or birds intended in a given passage must be determined from the context, e. g. in the lists of gt: and प्लवाः in चरक and सुश्रुतः as explained carlier in this article; कुरर in association with water-birds like the era or would refer either to the Gulls and Terns or the Demoiselle Crane; and in a literature should be taken to include the Gulls, Terns and Curlew, for the Demoi- selle Crane would be included in term for all Cranes, and the Osprey and Fishing Eagles would fall within the general terms like and or eft. The feminine on the other hand always signifies either the Tern or the Curlew as the context may demand. It must also be noted here that according to a well established convention birds of prey are held to be rather inauspicious (cf. अनिष्टविहम in बृहत्संहिता, 47.47 and com- mentary of wr) and are not mentioned in passages descriptive beautiful natural scenery while they are inseparable concomitants of battle fields, burial or cremation grounds, etc. where the sentiments of disgust (aftwe) and fear (tr) are involved. Turning to the call notes of y, so common in similes, the reference is always to the sorrowful wail of women when in personal danger or when in fear of the loss of their near and dear ones. Such a reference to a large number of women crying over a threa- tened loss during the day time is to the Terns as birds of diurnal habits who gather in large flocks, crying plaintively, whenever their eggs and young are in danger. On the other hand, references to a single woman or a number of women crying piteously at night or before dawn are always to the Curlew or Curlews as these are chiefly heard at night and when on
- The Osprey is a winter visitor to India and as it is noisy mostly during the breeding
season it is seldom heard in this country though its call notes are a loud Kai-Kai-Kai (Salim Ali in The Book of Indian Birds). The epithet or adnoun Je, therefore, is not appli- cable to it though it is included in a general way within the term Jet for any Fishing Eagle. Gulls 343 the wing (Arts. 69 & 72) ¹. Bearing these considerations in mind it is not difficult to see that the numerous ge birds in the following passages relating to day-time scenes can only be the Gulls and Terns: कादम्बैश्चक्रवाकैश्च कुररैर्जलबुक्कुटंः । कारण्डवैः प्लवैहसँर्बकैर्मद्गुभिरेव च ॥ - महाभारत, 3.158.56 - भागवत, 3.21.43 ददृशुः सहिता रम्यं तडागं योजनायतम् । शरारिहंसकुररैराकीर्ण जलचारिभिः ॥ अस्माद्धंसा जलक्लिन्नाः पक्षैः सलिलवित्रः । कुरराः सारसाश्चैव निष्पतन्ति पतत्रिणः ॥ --रामायण 4.52.12 (Bom. edn.) रामायण, 3.15.6 (Cal. edn.) The sportive duels of Gulls or a Gull trying to snatch fish from a Tern in the air over the Tapti river is referred to as चटुलकुरद्वन्द्वम् in नलचम्पू, उच्छ्वास 6, verse 25. An important point worth noting in the above passages is the fact that the poets have taken care to mention birds that are on the water, at the water's edge, on the bank and those that fly in the air above, for it these taken together that give character to a lake or river scene. Coming to the later names for a Gull we have gift for the Black- headed Gull (M. W.) or, for the matter of that, for any Gull and which is perhaps from the following synonymy: is गङ्गाचिल्ली तु देवट्टी, विश्वका जलकुक्कुटी— विकाण्डशेष The name feet (Ganges-Kité) refers to the Kite-like scavenging habit of the Gulls picking up offal from the surface of the water or tit bits thrown up to them in the air which they greedily catch with their feet. Referring to the coastal Gulls Salim Ali remarks: "Gulls are to seaports and docks what kites are to inland towns and bazaars- efficient scavengers." The name देवट्टी (दिवि आकाशे अटति, देवाय क्रीडार्थ वा अटति) refers either to their magnificent flight or (refer refe) to their seasonal visit to the country from beyond the Himalayas (cf. aruar far for the Himala- yan Cuckoos, Art. 37). Gulls being essentially sea-birds who "swim excellently and can be seen even on the roughest day, bobbing up and down on the waves as happy as can be" fully deserve the picturesque names of ters (Wave-bird or Crow) and (Sea Crow). The latter term is wide enough to include, in a general way, all other sea-birds as well. Hindi (Dhomra in F.B.I. is probably a Bengali transliteration like 'Jol' for ) for a Gull should be from Sansk. onomatopoetic for 'uproar tumult' of festivity or strife (cf. आडम्बर, डामर, डमरू) and empha- sizes their screaming and scrambling habits. The equation, "ar ger" in वाचस्पत्यम् and शब्दकल्पद्रुम would seem to be based upon the story of an old eating the eggs of other water-birds related in the Mahabharata, 1. Illustrative examples from literature have been given in these articles. 2. For the second half of this synonymy see Art. 65.
