394 Birds in Sanskrit Literature कङ्कस्तुकमनच्छदः । लोहपृष्ठो दीर्घपाद: कर्कट: स्कन्धमल्लकः ॥ – अभिधानचिन्तामणि The correct names कर्कटस्कन्ध (कर्कर–?) and स्कन्धमल्लक for the Adjutant have suffered mutilation in both, i.e., one of them in each synonymy. Both the names refer to the bird as if he is holding a pot or vessel about his neck or shoulder, and correspond to for a beggar who carries his bowl hanging from the neck and in front of his chest (e). by itself cannot mean a Heron as in M. Williams. The epithet belongs to the above named Kite with a white and bright chestnut plumage and not to the repulsive looking Adjutant "with the coarsest and most tumbled of plumage." Both the Adjutants, funny-looking bald-heads, have been jocularly named in Hindi चन्दियारी ( चन्द्रिनारि enemy of the barber; Cf. Prakrit -bald) as they never need a hair-cut ! The उणादि of श्वेतवनवासिन्, 3.66 equates गृत्स with कङ्क. Now if गृत्स is from Tas suggested by M. Williams would be the Brahininy Kite which greedily snatches away tit bits from other birds like the Kite. If on the other hand we accept Sāyana's derivation "निगरणाद् गृत्सः" —–—ऐतरेय आरण्यक, 2.2.1, com., would be either the Common Grey Heron or the Adjutant from their habit of swallowing their food. The latter, however, is known to gulp down or swallow at one stroke an entire dead cat or half a leg of mutton and the probability is thus in his favour. If so he would be the गुत्स कङ्क (proud of his powers of eating or swallowing) is the name of a Vedic sage and is camparable with of the are for Pallas's fishing Eagle-Art. 52-C. On this analogy, however, would seem to refer to the Brahminy Kite which shares the names of and with the fishing Eagle, d it is ssible that this particular was also known as - Art. 52, E. Finally, three more synonyms for the Stork, one and बृहत्संहिता, must be mentioned. पुण्डरीकाक्ष [ चरक corresponding to शुक्लाक्ष of from चरक, सुश्रुत refers to the Adjutants, both of whom have white irides. The Adjutant bellows like a buffalo or a cow separated from her calf (Hume in Stray Feathers, vol. 7, pp. 32 & 51) and was also believed to "roar like a tiger" (Charles Knight in Pictorial Museum of Animated Nature, vol.2, 1871), and would therefore seem to be the सिंहनाद of बृहत्संहिता, as a bird of augury. It is doubtful, however, how far this last is a bird-name and does not refer to the roar of a lion as lions were quite common in North India. till a few centuries ago. The Adjutant is the only we that eats carrion and numbers of these have been known to consort with the Vultures both when soaring high and at a feast on dead animals (Stray Feathers, vol. 4, 21 and Cassell's Book of Birds) and the mentioned in the following in company with
- For other syonymies see Art. 52, Section E.
Storks 395 Pallas's fishing Eagle (g), Tawny Eagle (), Imperial Eagle (gi), and Vultures as feeding on dead human bodies and animals killed in battle is the Adjutant Stork :- अतीव हृष्टाः श्वशृगालवायसाः बकाः सुपर्णाश्च वृकास्तरक्षवः महाभारत, 7.50.9; see also 6.2.17 गृधाः कङ्का बका: श्येना वायसा जम्बुकास्तथा-- शृगालगृधवायसाः परं प्रमोदमादधुः क्वचित्स्थितोऽतिभीषणः भवचन्श्व (शवं तु ? ) चवितो बकः - Ibid. 7.97.13; see also 5. 143.19 मत्स्यपुराण, 153. 137. Similarly the of the ea, 300 ready to attack a lamb or kid, if near enough, is the Adjutant. The, again, in the following is the snake- eating Adjutant who in an atmosphere of spirituality prevailing at her- mitage permits snakes to play about freely in his body plumage :- फणिनः कङ्कबर्हेषु निविशङ्कं विशन्ति च । पद्मपुराण, 6 उत्तरखंड, 184. 28 This ugly and fierce looking Stork is also the physical basis of the g of Indian mythology e.g, in the भागवत, 10.11 where he is called महाबक. 6. The Smaller Adjutant resembles the Adjutant but has no pouch, and not being a scavenger does not "haunt civilization". He naturally shares such of the names for the larger bird as do not refer to the pouch. Prakrit for a refers to these Storks as if they have lost the hair on their heads from itches, cf. "मुंडा कंडू विणट्ठेगा कण्डू कृतं वैविनष्टशरीरे- अभि. राजेन्द्र under कंडूविणट्ठेगा. 7. The Painted Stork in a little smaller than the White Stork, with a white plumage closely barred and marked with shining greenish-black above and with a black band across the breast. The eyes of the young are brown and of the adult, straw-yellow. If the Adjutant is this should be the काचाक्ष * of सुश्रुत.. This name has been rendered as a बृहद्बक in the Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series edition of g (Benares). The werffor also has काचाक्ष for बृहद्बक, while डल्हणाचार्य takes it for the Indian Pied King- fisher with hazel irides and the epithet may well belong to both the birds- this Stork as and the Pied Kingfisher as . The Hindi for this Stork is कठसारंग (काष्ठ सारङ्गबक), i.e., a smaller variety of सारङ्गबक, and it was probably known as काष्ठसारङ्ग as the name is in line with काष्ठमुक and काष्ठकदली. पिंगलक्खग (पिङ्गलाक्ष having yellowish eyes) of the Jain औपपातिक सूत्र and प्रश्नव्याकरण should be the same as काचाक्ष or this Stork. 8. The Open-bill Stork is easily distinguished from its curious bill which has a clearly visible gap between the two mandibles. It feeds
- T, wax, hence, having yellowish eyes.
