402 Birds in Sanskrit Literature to watch passers-by. In other respects it does not differ from the Grey Heron. The definition of a given in het would seem to refer to this bird : नीलकी चोऽतिजागरः दीर्घग्रीवध नीलाङ्ग, where afar refers to the wariness of the bird and far to the dark grey colour of the wings and back. The epithet framfare for a Heron is most appropriate for it as it is descriptive of its long neck, small head and pointed yellow bill held perpendicularly amongst reeds like a new lotus shoot. It is also the as defined करु: निश्चलाङ्ग स्यात्'–कल्पद्रु, where the adjective fier describes its attitude when "frozen". The Grey Heron being, its cousin, the Purple Heron, is appropriately named and the विकाण्डशेष would seem to be in error when it equates क with arfing, the Adjutant (cf. are below). The mistake is due to the fact that the Adjutant is also a g. In the same way, is wrongly equated with a Crow because the Crow is fee and the latter has been mistaken by some for (see . and M.W.). Here the error arises from a confusion between arfare and afer (the House Crow and the House Sparrow). The Little Egret (Ardea nivea in M.W.) or any other Egret or Heron in nature is never a गृह or द्वारबलिभुक् 7. No individual Sanskrit name is available for the rare but the largest of Indian Herons, the Great White-bellied Heron (55") of the Bhutan Terai, but who can say if it was not known as on the analogy of names like महाकौव्य, महाहंस, महासुपर्ण, etc.? The fact that one of the smallest Herons, the Pond Heron, goes by the name of erlends considerable support the above suggestion. 8. Three kinds of the True or White Egrets are common in India. They are pure white at all times and of a slenderer build than the Herons. The Large Egret occurs in two sizes: the Western form is a little larger than the Eastern but both are similar in all other respects. They are all in Sanskrit but each kind has also been separately named, principa!- ly according to size and certain other characters. (a) The Lage Egret (35-36") is the ज्येष्ठ बलाका of चक्रदत्त on चरक; बकेरु of the lexicons and ar of the Mahabharata. We have seen that the related terms and refer to the allied birds, the Grey and the Purple Heron respectively. Similarly, when is the all-white White Ibis, बरु (resembling | *) should be the Large Egret, all white and of a comparable size with it. war in the following verse has perhaps been doubtfully rendered as a r or Egret, for it appears to be merely a 1. The equation लोहपृष्ठस्तु कङ्क: स्यात्-अमर, may well be homonymous and in cludes this Heron which has a chestunt back like the Brahminy Kite. This is supported by its Hindi name, लाल अंजन, the Grey Heron being simply अंजन. 2. Incorrectly equated with war, a wrong reading for var, one of the water-birds in . M. W. gives only the latter (Art. 65). Herons, Egrets and Bitterns 403 descriptive epithet of a full-grown white heifer, nevertheless it is clear that the term, independently of the context, has that meaning, and as the simile relates to a full-sized cow the particular Egret meant by the com- mentator, Nilakantha, must be the Large Egret :- महाश्वतेव माहेयी वने जाता विहायणी । उपातिष्ठत पाञ्चाली वासितेव वरर्षभम् ॥ M.Bh. 4.17.11. This Egret grows three sets of long plumes from the region of the shoulder and they extend some inches beyond the tail during the breeding season. This particular feature accounts for the Pali name चेलावक (चेलबक) 1 for it in the कुणालजातक, 536; cf. Pali चेलकेतु for the Paradise Flycatcher which too carries two white ribbons in its tail (Art. 11). The of VS 24.22-33 should be the Large Egret. (b) & (c) The Smaller (28") and the Little (20) Egrets are and बलाकिका respectively. बकेरुका, again a diminutive of बकेरू for the Large Egret, is a synonym for बलाकिका ("बकेरुका बलाकिका" and "बकेरुका बलाकाभिद्" -हेमचन्द्र and विश्वप्रकाश ). The equation, "बलाका बिसकष्ठिका"2–अमर and अभिधान चिन्तामणि applies to both these Egrets of small size after their thin white necks, and the following examples refer to one or the other: स्वलकमलमुग्धवपुषा सातङ्काङ्कस्थितंकचरणेन । आश्वासयति बिसिन्याः कूले बिसकण्ठिका शफरम् ॥ पश्य निश्चलनिःस्पन्दा बिसिनीपने राजते बलाका । — Sansk. of गाथासप्तशती, 1.4. - आर्यासप्तशती, 607. The story of a perched upon a tree and 'dropping' into the face of a Brahman who was sleeping under it, and who reduced the bird to ashes with the fire emanating from his angry eyes, told in the Mahabha- rata, relates to one of these very common small Egrets: उपरिष्टाच्च वृक्षस्थबलाका सन्यलीयत । तथा पुरीषमुत्सृष्टं ब्राह्मणस्य तदोपरि ॥ - 3.206.3. The story is retold in the पद्मपुराण, 5-सृष्टिखंड, 47, with बक (White Ibis ) substituted for the बलाका. The Little Egret wears "a crest composed of two very long attenuated but not decomposed feathers" as part of the breeding plumage and is the बलाका सिचिनी (शिचिनी बलाका) of the लोलजातक, 274, while the homonymous 1. that wears, as it were, or skirt about its waist. 2. बिस and मुणाल are different in सुश्रुत 6.46.17 and mean thin and thick lotus roots or stalks; cf. मृणालकण्ड for the Flamingo (Art. 83). The names बलाकिका and बिसकष्ठिका have been inadvertently used for the Hamingo (बलाक, मुणालकष्ठ) in नेमिनिर्वाणकाव्य, 4.43,46. This illustrates the danger of mixed synonymies in our lexicons,
