398 Birds in Sanskrit Literature body larger than the Turkey-Cock and standing near about two feet six inches high-rudimentary stumps in place of wings, head with a large massive bill in front and a short curly tail at the rear. It is probable, therefore, that, looked at from a distance, the bird appeared as a large egg-shaped object (ur+a) or having two heads, as it were, one at either end of its body, and from this last feature the Indian sea-men probably called it fr (cf. fe in No.6 and fraff in No.10 above). This far was probably taken up by the Dutch and others as 'Dodaarsen' which later got corrupted to Dodaars, Dodaers, and finally to Duodo (See 'Dodo' in Enc. Brit. 11th ed.). That one of the birds had its origin across the seas is amply proved by the story of the adventures f related in Book X of the Jain work बुजग माहात्म्य of धनेश्वर, a poet at the court of fenfer, king of g (the Kathiawar peninsula on the west coast of India) who ruled over the country about 1100 A. C. sailing overseas in a merchant vessel runs aground in mid-ocean on a coral reef. The name we may thus refer either to the large egg-shaped body of the bird or the large egg laid by it. This would furnish a basis for the mythical भारण्ड of पञ्चतंत, द्विमुख of ब्रह्मपुराण and भारण्ड as वेलाधर (a coastal bird), also are as a water-bird (reff) of Hemchandra, No.8 above. Second, the so-called human-faced wer said to carry dead bodies to a deep valley would seem to refer to an old practice of exposing the dead. After the flesh had been picked out by other Vultures the Bearded. Vuitures would then work upon the bones, pick up and drop them from a great height on the rocks below to break them into bits for their own food. This would explain as the son of who is no other than th Bearded Vulture (Art. 51), and also was a bird of omen with Vultures and Owls-Nos. 3,4,9&11 above. The mention of the synonyoms w and in these is very significant. The thick black rictal bristles over- hanging the bill and the tuft of bristly hair hanging down from the chin against the white face of this Vulture combined with his large and intelligent looking eyes are comparable with the moustache and beard on the human face-No.4 above. It may also be recalled hower of the Rāmāyana has been very nearly anthropomorphised; Cf. also 'यत् श्मश्रुण तत् पुरुषाणां रूपम्' said of a bearded goat in तैत्तिरीय संहिता, 2.1.1.9. Third, as a fearful bird with a powerful voice or may well be the awful looking Adjutant Stork with a bellowing or roaring call attributed to him. The fa (No.2) should therefore be a charm sung so loudly as to strike terror in the heart of the enemy. This Stork would also seem to be the effer (No.13) bird of Buddhist literature, the twelve to fifteen inch pendent pouch of the bird being supposed to resemble the trunk-characteristic mark (fr) of an elephant. In the वेस्संतर जातक the commentator explaining the expression सकुनानं च ओपातो in verse 2249 refers to eff as a bird capable of taking away small children. It is well known that this Stork readily swallows a leg of mutton or a dead cat entire, and he would also strike at any living thing Storks 399 he can swallow at a gulp; cf. the story in , 300 where this Stork is said to be ready to attack a lamb or kid, and if he can have a chance he would certainly not fail to make a meal of a small human baby as well. The reference in may also be to the Bearded Vuture formerly reputed to carry off little children. The name as (No.14), however, significantly points to the Adjutant as the faf bird. That , prohibited as food in No.7, was a real bird hardly admits of a doubt as the passage expressly mentions both kinds of we, the Bearded and the Neophron Vultures, and the probability of as a fearful (f) bird is definitely in favour of the Adjutant Stork (Nos. 5,7&8). It is also to be noted that Hemachandra's equation, "at tevrent" -note the duals- clearly refers to two different birds of that name and it is suggested that the two birds are the Bearded Vulture and the Adjutant Stork. We, therefore, have three different kinds of wr or birds-(i) the बेलाघर or द्विमुख भारण्ड, the Dodo; (ii) the मनुष्यवदन भारण्ड, the Bearded Vulture; and (iii) the हस्तिलिङ्ग or गलेशुण्ड भारण्ड, the Adjutant Stork.
