Birds in Sanskrit Literature 390 water, and he is the or described as : मृष्टाभरणसम्पन्नो भूषणैरकंसन्निभैः । महाभारत, 12.170.21. Here the ornaments of the colour of fire or the rising sun (ar) are the red bill and legs of the bird and, as this is the most beautiful of the Storks, he has been well named बकराज. * He is also the बक of the बरुकुलीरककथा, पञ्चतंत Pt. 1, 7th tale, where his Egret-like thin and white neck is described as "मुणालनाल-घवला मृदुग्रीवा", and he is also the Stork par excellence of Aesop's Fables. He has been incorrectly listed with the Sarus in aff where the adnouns like रक्ततुण्ड, रक्तपाद and अखवल्लभ suit him better than the Sarus (Art. 62). 2. The Black Stork (40 inches) is principally of a black colour glossed with purple, bronze and green, and has red bill and legs. It is a bird of open marshes and wet ground away from villages. He is the feres or कालीक ("क्रौञ्चे, बके" - वाचस्पत्यम्, शब्दकल्पद्रुम, etc.) corresponding to Hindi सुरमाई (of the colour of सुरमा, collyrium, and hence black; cf. कालिक-कृष्णचन्दन). The name मीलाङ्ग (black-bodied) as a synonym for सारस in धन्वन्तरि and राजनिषण्टु is probably due to a confusion between a Stork and Crane or to misunder- standing of an older equation like. "tara" where are meant 'a water bird' only, for the Sarus is neither blue nor black. far should, therefore, be an adnoun for this Stork just as it is for the Purple Heron and is yet another name comparable with the last but it has incorrectly been given as synonym for अतिजागर in शब्दकल्पद्रुम for the नीलकञ्च. This latter is the most wary and suspicious Purple Heron as defined in the कल्पगुकोश:- नीलकीचोऽतिजागरः । दीर्घग्रीवश्च नीलाङ्गो 3. The White-necked Stork (36 inches) is a glistening black and white bird with a conspicuously white neck, black bill and red legs. As a soaring bird this and the Black-necked Stork have been mentioned as fuf: in where Arjuna speaks of the great speed of his chariot drawn by white steeds :- मृगाः शृगाला: शितिकण्ठाच काका, गृध्रा बकाचं व तरक्षवश्च । 5.48.104. in the verse are the Adjutant Storks mentioned elsewhere in the com- pany of Vultures as carrion eaters. शितिकण्ठ a homonym for the Black- necked and White-necked Storks as already stated. The solemn looking White-necked Stork occurs single, in pairs or in small parties about rivers, jheels, tanks, etc., and is often seen "standing motionless on one
- The great Tulasidas, author off, compares this with the g
(cygnus davidu):- चरनचोंच लोचनरंगो चली मराली पाल । छोर नीर विबरन समय बक उपरत तेहि काल ॥ दोहावली, 333. Storks leg as if absorbed in meditation" (Salim Ali), thus recalling the following verse of which is true not only of Storks but also of the Common or Grey Heron, also called a बक :- मत्स्यार्थी चरति तपः सुचिरं निस्पन्द एकपादेन । तीर्थेषु बकतपस्वी, तेन विहङ्गान् गतो दम्भः ।। 391 कलाविलास, 1.93 (का.मा. Pt. 1) He is known in Hindi as मानिकजोड़ ( मणिचूड ?) from his green-glossed black crown though our Muslim friends explain the name with reference to a story which need not detain us. He also shares the name ar with the next species. 4. The Black-necked Stork (52 inches) is also a black and white bird. with red legs and black bill. He is a r in Hindi because of the black parts being glossed with metallic hues (g) and the pied plumage (m), and er in Sanskrit. er is 'a large kind of Crane-Ardea sarunga- according to Carey quoted in M. Williams and the term evidently refers to both the birds. Another name for him is ta by which he is men- tioned as an inauspicious bird in महाभारत : कृष्णग्रीवाश्र्व शकुना रक्तपादा भयानका:-5.143.25. Again, the Griffon Vultures (पाण्डुरा) and Storks in the रामायणः पाण्डुरा रक्तपादाच विगाः कालचोदिताः - 6.35.31. The name makes it just possible that the name farfars may not after all be a homonym covering both the White-necked and the Black- necked Storks as suggested above and may be specific for the former alone.
- The Painted Stork is also a kind of
TTC as a back-formation). The dancing propensity common to Storks as a class is more highly developed in the Black-necked variety than in others. This dance and music of their clattering bills has been fully described by Hume in his Nests and Eggs, vol. 3 and by other observers as well. "Two birds (male and female gravely stalk up to each other and when a yard or so apart stand face to face, extend their long wings, and flutter them rapidly, with the points of one bird's wings flapping against those of the other; they then advance their heads till they nearly meet and both simultaneously clatter their bills. This display lasts for nearly a minute after which one walks a little apart, to be followed after a moment by the other, when they repeat the performance; and so on for perhaps a dozen times" (Smythies). It will now be seen that the equation "जायानुजीवी बके" – (विश्वप्रकाश and ) can only refer to this Stork who is a i.e., a dancer, actor and even musician, all in one. art is thus this particular Stork. In the known as TCT in Hindi (Sansk.
