350 Birds in Sanskrit Literature being the expert artisan of the gods three beautiful creatures have been named as his sacrificial victims at the अश्वमेध - (i) कलविङ्कi.e. the पीतमुण्ड afg, the Weaver Bird which builds a beautiful rain-proof nest (Art. 22); (ii) लोहिताहि, the prettily marked Coral Snake; and (iii) पुष्करसाद (one nesting on a lotus leaf), the Whiskered Tern. This Tern is no bigger than a Ternlet and has been correctly called and its nesting habit as also its love for the young have been accurately described by gar auf (see para. 3 (ii) above): अर्द्धाभ्युद्गतपतकं परिलुठत् पतेषु पङ्केरुहाम् । प्रायः पोतकजातकं कुररिकाः पक्षैः समूहन्त्यमूः ॥ - तपतीसंवरण, 3.2. fe means a small Tern or Ternlet but the poet would seem to have used the term with a feeling of compassion also (i) as is clearly implied by the earlier pitiful remarks of the boy-hermit in the drama: अहो पतविणामप्यतिकृपणः संसारधर्म: । In the above context the expression arc: has been correctly rendered as gaar by the commentator. 70 SKIMMER OR SCISSORBILL The Skimmer is a white Tern-like bird with a black cap, a white collar. and very long black wings. It is purely a bird found on the larger, broader rivers where their course is placid, flowing smoothly between sand-banks. Occasionally it visits jheels and tanks, but only where there is a clear expanse of water free from weeds. It is the most curious and highly specialized bird and its method of feeding is correlated to its peculiarly formed bill. Both mandibles are deep and greatly compressed, much as if two knife-blades had been set edge to edge; the upper mandible is con- siderably shorter than the lower which projects beyond it by nearly an inch. When feeding the bird skims along the surface of the water with the beak wide open, the lower mandible inserted into the water and the upper quite clear of it. As soon as a small fish strikes the razor edge and runs up the incline the jaws close swiftly upon it. A party of Skimmers flying steadily backwards and forwards along the surface of the water appear "literally to plough the main" with the lower mandible of their bills. Though the flight is slow and leisuerly when feeding, they can go at immense speed when frightened. Their note is a shrill chattering scream (S. Baker). Only one species of Skimmer is found in India, Other species, known in America, have names like 'Cut-Water'. 'Razor- bill' and 'Scissorbill'. It is known as (water-cleaver' or 'cut-water') 'water', and in Hindi. It is a faithful rendering of Sanskrit were (fr. w , a cobbler's awl or a probe, and ar to insert, to place in; Cf. “शरारिका रन्धकारिणी" -कल्पद्रुकोश). Existing lexical synonymies notwithstanding, शरारी and भाटी (v.1. आदि, afe, art) are two different birds possessing two different types of bills after which two surgical instruments named were and are were de- signed by मुश्रुत as mentioned in the सुश्रुतसंहिता The शरारीमुख instrument is recommended as a blood-letting lancet³ and as a pair of scissors. It is, therefore, a dual purpose instrument and commentator accepts 1. Whistler & Ency. Brit, 11th and 14 editions. 2. 1.8.3. 3. Paragraph 4, ibid. 4. Para. 7, Ibid,
