18 Birds in Sanskrit Literature be the Indian Roller, the most playful and one of these birds), can only noisy member of the series. # drier areas of the Punjab and Rajasthan. too must be the same as it occurs in the Talso enumerates this as one of the birds common in arid places (III. 6, p. 397). ag refers to the slow up and down movement of this Roller's tail every half minute or so when perched upon a branch or telegraph wire. The Indian Roller being the commonest, the epithet perhaps belongs to it. The remaining epithets are shared in common by all the species as birds of happy augury. Some of these like स्वस्तिक, महायोगी, and विशोक are also applied to the domes- tic Cock who by his morning crow is supposed to herald a prosperous farg, again, is descriptive of the body-colour of a Peacock, one of the Cranes and the Blue Heron; and is shared by the Peacock, the Magpie Robin, the white Wagtail and others. Finally, a few examples of the Roller in literature: The beautiful Broad-billed Roller with its deep vermilion bill would seem to be the bird dedicated to the deities, अग्नि and सोम: "अग्निषोमाभ्यां चाषान्” -Vaja. Samhită, 24.23. In the Rgveda asthmatic cough is transferred from the patient to either the किकिदीवि चाप, or to चाय and किकिदीवि birds both of which seem to delight in their raucous calls and would be glad of a further reinforcement: "साकं यक्ष्म प्र पत चाषेण किकिदीविना" 10. 97. 13 Here ffff is either a simple epithet of referring to its ki-ki cries (root-दीव)। a different bird as held by arrard and Griffith, the latter taking it for a Kingfisher. (Art. 41). The ease and surety with which a Roller catches an insect have ser- ved as an excellent simile: "पतङ्गं हि ग्रसेच्चायो यथा क्षुद्रं बुभुक्षितः तथा द्रोणोऽग्रसच्छूरो धृष्टकेतुं महाहवे" -Mahabharata, 7. 125, 39. The proverbial beauty of the Jay's wings, so well admired in Europe, has not been lost on Sanskrit poets too : "प्रेङखभूरि मयूख मेचकचयेरुन्मेष चावच्छेद- च्छाया संवलितैविवतिभिरिव प्रान्तेषु पर्यावता:'" -Málati-madhava, 6.5. which does not frequent water and has therefore been distinguisbed as माजल-मा+जल ? See Art. 41. The formation of is perhaps analogous to T for a steady and plucky variety of dog named in the Vedie Index of Names and Subjects, and a for a bat which does not descend to the ground, P. 1. The reference is to the glittering jewellery of the gaily dressed hetaerae seated on tall royal elephants moving in a procession. The elephants carried clanging bells as part Crows and their Allies "प्रेमरम्यमुभयोः समं दिशो: कामिनां यदिह चाषपिच्छ्वत् एकतस्तु न चकास्ति साध्वपि श्यामपृष्ठमिव बहिणश्छदम्" -Bála-Rāmāyaṇa, 5.15. The shining blue steel of an excellent sword has been compared with the deep blue of the Roller's wing: "षण्ढो नम्रे द्विषत्यप्यनमति परुषः पुष्टचाषच्छदश्रीः" Khadga-śatakam, 29; Kavya-mälä, Pt. 11. Recitation of the following eight names of the Roller, at the sight of one, is said to ensure not only the object of one's desire but also a good dinner. “अशोकरच, विशोकश्च, नन्दनः पुष्टिवर्धनः, हेमतुण्डो, मणिग्रीवः, स्वस्तिकश्चापराजितः अष्टौ चाषस्य नामानि चायं दृष्ट्वा तु यः पठेत् अर्थसिद्धिर्भवेत्तस्य मिष्टमन्नं वरानने" 19 शब्दार्थचिन्तामणि under चाय: But a visit to an aviary will not do the trick ! of their trappings. This picture is compared with the sporting and joyfully crying flights of a number of चाप birds the glorious beauty (छाया) of whose expanded (उम्मेषि) wings as they turn and roll in the air (frafafa:) exhibits rainbows as it were (ra कार्मुका इव). The cries of the birds match the clanging of the bells –झण झण शङ्कार of the preceding passage.
