388 Birds in Sanskrit Literature "शिखरे शुक्लवायसः (अशुभः) -नारदीय महापुराण शुक्लवायस does not mean the albino form of the common Crow, for it would be inauspicious anywhere and not only on the top of a hill. 15. Poets have often instituted a comparison between a White Ibis () and the Swan (both all-white with black bills and feet) stressing the difference between their feeding habits, gait, etc. The Swan is praised for his supposed power of separating milk from water which the poor Ibis can not do. Such poetry is, of course, of af type containing a satire on persons devoid of merit but aspiring to high rank. A single example should be enough EXT: श्वेतो बकः श्वेतः को भेदो बकहंसयोः । नीरक्षीरविवेके तु हंसो हंसो बको बकः ।। सुभाषित The White Ibis shares the habit of 'resting and meditation' with the Storks and Herons-all going under the common name of , and it is a familiar theme with the poets to describe the seemingly innocent but really fraudulent conduct of men in different walks of life as efe, and such men as बकसाथ or ज्वाइझवती. स्तब्धग्रीवो मौनी पिहितार्धलोचनः शश्वत् । सजलो जनो य आस्ते स किस ध्वाङक्षव्रती प्रोक्तः ॥ The first line describes correctly the attitude of the White Ibis when fishing in the shallows. For other examples see Art. 82. 1. Ch. 56.750. 2. 221.6. 3. महेन्द्रटीका on हेमचन्द्र, 2.330. 81 STORKS Eight species of Storks are found in India. They tall and stately birds with long legs, long, stout and powerful bills, and a plumage of striking colours-characters which make them conspicuous wherever they are found. They often soar very high, like and in company of Vultures. They are almost omnivorous and feed on all sorts of animals, such as frogs, fish, crabs, snakes, locusts, small birds and mice. Some, like the Adjutant Stork, feed also on carrion. A few serve as food for another type of omnivorous creature --Man. With one exception (the Adjutant) they are voiceless and give expression to their emotions by clattering their long bills and indulging in a sort of dance during the breeding season. As a class or group they are ger and fall under the larger category of
- which corresponds to the Order Herodiones. Their voicelessness has
been recognised in a verse on the virtue of silence :- आत्मनो गुणदोषेण बघ्यन्ते शुकसारिकाः । बकास्तत्व न बध्यन्ते मौनं सर्वार्थसाधनम् ॥-सुभाषित, 86.1. Four of the larger Storks are named after their physical features in fe and gar literature, e.g., the White and Black Storks with red bills and feet are called (जलजा) रक्तपादतुण्डा in गौतमस्मृति, ch. 17; the महाभारत calls the White-necked and Black-necked Storks as fafe: (fafer black and white), while, शंखस्मृति, 17.26 and गरुडपुराण, 1.97.70 name all the above four as C. The specific individual names for the different members of the group may now be considered. 1. The White Stork (42 inches) is only a winter visitor to North India and remains with us from September to about the end of March. It is all white except for the wing-quills and some wing-coverts which are black. With his red bill and legs and a predominantly white plumage set off by black wings it sa beautiful object when seen green grass near
- Prakrit derivatives like fire and from Sansk. Er for the White Ibis or have
been applied not only to the Ibis but also the Storks and the Flamingo, and it is from the Storks () that and afget for a particular dance resembling that of the storks, and measure of time in music, have passed into Sansk.-See M. W. under
