32 3. The beautiful Red-billed Liothrix of Nepal has an excellent song during the breeding season and is a favourite cage bird for its song and beauty. Its Nepali name recorded in F. B. I. is नंबुरा ( नन्द चिड़ा from नन्दि , a pleasing or excellent Sparrow?). On the other hand the foreg bird of an is almost certainly the Liothrix (cf. for a bright fire):--- "रोचिष्णवो नाम पतविणोऽन्ये दीप्ताग्निवर्णोज्ज्वलितैरिवास्यैः । भ्रमन्ति दृष्टीर्वपुषाऽक्षिपन्तः स्वनैः शुभैरप्सरसो हरन्तः ॥" Birds in Sanskrit Literature सौन्दरनन्द, 10,31. This verse is from a description of Himalayan scenery, apparently some- where in Nepal, an important centre of Buddhism, and the brief pen-picture of the poet sufficiently declares the bird's identity. The verse may be freely translated: "The f birds with their fiery-red aspect and bills, song sweeter than the nymphs', and so attractive to look at, are sporting here and there." The Liothrix has a brilliant orange-red bill and bright orange-yellow throat and breast, and to quote Whistler, "It is a very lively cheerful little bird. going about in parties. In the breeding season the cock has a delightful song of some variety and compass." I need not add a word more, for no other bird matches the beautiful description of अश्वघोष. 4. The same author portrays another beautiful bird in the following verse- मनः शिलाभैवंदनविहङ्गा यत्राक्षिभिः स्फाटिकसन्निभैश्च । शादैश्च (VL श्यावैच) पक्षरतिलोहितान्तैः माञ्जिष्ठकरधंसितैश्च पाद: ।। Ibid. 10.28 The Silver-cared Mesia², closely allied to the Liothrix described above, makes the nearest approach to the poet's description. The Cock-bird's golden-yellow forehead, orange-yellow chin and throat, and yellow-ochre bill, red-brown iris, wing-coverts edged with green, wings brown edged with crimson, crimson upper and lower tail coverts, the former showing up close to the folded wing-tips, and legs and feet fleshy-yellow, answer fully to the colour pattern described in the above verse. The only apparent. difficulty is as regards the colour of the eyes which are said to resemble enfe, ordinarily supposed to be colourless and transparent, but reddish and dark-coloured rock-crystals described as अशोकपल्लवच्छाय, लोहिताकार and कृष्ण were also known varieties of स्फटिक (शब्दकल्पद्रुम quoting युक्तिकल्पतरु) 50 that it is not incorrect to describe the red-brown eyes of the bird as 1. From Greek leios, 'smooth' and thrix, 'hair', after the sleek plumage of the bird. 2. Greek mesos, 'middle'? Laughing Thrushes and Babblers 33 esfe afww. It has clear loud whistling notes and a party of these pretty little birds "form a wonderful spectacle of bright colour in front of heavy green bushes and undergrowth" (S. Baker in F. B. I.). Like its cousin, the Liothrix, it is also a favourite cage-bird of North India. 5. The last bird of the group to have a Sanskrit name is the Chloropsis¹, known as (fr. fa, green) in Hindi. Corresponding Sanskrit names. पक्षगुप्त and पत्रगुप्त which clearly imply that the bird is effectively camouflaged or rendered invisible in the foliage as the colour of their plumage merges with that of the trees in which they live. This is perfectly true of the Chloropsis. "The green Bulbul (i.e., the Chloropsis) is a bird of talent and it is a wag. It mocks a King-Crow, now a Sparrow-Hawk and now a Sun-bird. You stare into the tree and see none of them..... Not till he flits across to another tree will you find out who has been fooling you. For this reason few even of those who take an interest in birds know how very common the Green Bulbul really is". This reminds one of what Wordsworth has said about the Cuckoo in England. "No bird but an invisible thing, A Voice, a Mystery." The पक्षगुप्त of महाव्युत्पत्ति, Section 213 and the auspicious पत्रगुप्त of ललित- frer, Ch. 5, are, therefore, no other than the golden-fronted and the Orange-bellied Chloropsis both of which occur in the outer Himalayas. It is also interesting to note that the Green Finch which invariably nests in the trees has been called 'brother of the leaves'. For a possible reference to these birds as gfar: in the are see Art. 34. 1. Gr. chloros, light green; opis, appearance. 2. EHA in the Common Birds of Bombay. 3. "Adventures in Woodcraft," p. 68
