406 Birds in Sanskrit Literature and it is incorrect to render कोयष्टभक or कोयष्टिक in the above contexts a Lapwing (feefew), for the latter, not having an effective hind toe, never perches on a tree. The terms gafe and fe for different birds have been considered in Art. 71 and the latter as the Water Cock in Art. 58. (b) The Little Green Heron is a greenish grey bird (18") with a long black pendant crest glossed with green. It is a forest bird found singly along forest streams. During the heat of the day it sits hunched up on the lower branches of some thick water-side bush, refusing to move until the bush is almost hit, when, with a squak (are), it flaps lazily away to another dark and shady bush (S. Baker). Tre being the Night Heron, TT (making the 'wak' sound, or having a call similar to that of the **, the Night Heron) should be this bird. Resembling the Night Heron in habits and possessing an erectile crest it can also claim the name aften with it. The following excellent verse mentions the booming White Ibises ( in the first line), the Cormorants (, loosely or for brevity called ) taking a jump into the air before diving, the Storks frequenting a tank during the day and the Night Herons and Bitterns resorting to it at night (both called in the third line), and finally, the Swan, the 'high-brow' amongst aquatic birds, who very properly quits the Lotus- tank which shelters such a mean assortment:- यामालिङ्गय बका रटन्ति कटुकं दीर्घोच्छ्वसत्कन्धरा यस्यामंसतटावघट्टितजलं वल्गन्स्यमी मद्गवः । या शश्वन्मलिनात्मकैरपि बकैर्नक्त दिनं सेव्यते सा हंसेन मनस्विना कमलिनी युक्त यदि त्यज्यते ॥ -सुभाषितावलि, 714. (c) The Chestnut Bittern (15") of noctural habits belongs of course to the storf group of Herons and one of the Hindi for it is जुनबगला which is from Sanskrit ज्योत्स्नाबक. ज्योत्स्ना 'moon light' is जुन्हाई in Hindi, and this last has been shortened to in the compound name जनबगला which thus fully corresponds to चन्द्रविहङ्गम (cf. ज्योत्स्नाप्रिय for the चकोर). This Heron spends the day in dense reeds or feeds in deep shade along streams. It has no crest and is not, therefore, a safe. (d) The Bittern (30°) is of a golden brown colour mottled with black. It is a winter visitor only and has been found breeding at Quetta within (pre-partition) Indian limits. Its ordinary note is a hoarse low croak but it booms loudly in the breeding season. It has the habit, when danger threatens of standing with the head and neck extended sky-wards-the whole attitude and colouration being protective amongst the varied lights and shade of a reed-bed (Smythies). This behaviour of the Bittern is quite similar to that of the Purple Heron so that the equation "करु: निश्चलाङ्गः स्यात्" -कल्पद्रु. applies to it as much as to the other. The Hindi name for it is नीरगॉंग (नीर-water and गजय-to shout) corresponding exactly to गोनदं 407 Herons, Egrets and Bitterns (-water, and to call aloud) which has been wrongly equated with the Sarus due to confusion between गोनन्द and गोनदं (cf. पिचुमन्द and पिचुमर्द) गोनन्दी is the female Sarus and गोनन्द should, therefore, be her mate. as a homonym is (i) a game bird, the Great Bustard, which has a bellowing call (from a cow) and (ii) the Bittern (fr. -water) (see Arts. 62 and 63). Similarly the equation "बक: कह्नः" of अमर (के जले हुयते- fa rifer) should apply to (i) the White Ibis and (ii) the Bittern both of which have a booming call and belong to the group in the wider sense.
