46 Birds in Sanskrit Literature description of a pair oft given by the latter leaves no doubt in regard to the identity of the bird. "ग्राम्येण तुल्यचटकेन नीलो योऽसौ पुमान्पाण्डुर पुण्डुपक्षः । लध्वी ततो धूमनिभा च नारी तत्पोदकी युग्ममुदाहरन्ति ।। " Trans: Equal in size to the House-sparrow the cock-bird is of a black colour and has a white wing-patch. The hen is smaller and of a smoky-brown colour. This is how a pair is identified. The prayer formula to be addressed to the bird at the time of putting a question to it for purposes of augury contains not only names that really belong to it but also of other birds of the same group and several flattering epithets consisting of names of goddess पार्वती "श्यामा वराही शकुनी कुमारी, दुर्गा च देवी चटका तथोमा। त्वं पोदकी पाण्डविका त्वमेव, त्वं कृष्णिका त्वं सितपक्षिणी च ॥ त्वं ब्रह्मपुत्री शकुनैक देवी, धनुर्धरी पान्थसमूहमाता।" It has also been called gf and gf respectively. The name पोतकी is evidently connected with Pali and Prakrit पुत्तक and पोतक for 'a litte child, a young bird or animal', cf. 'पोइय-पोतित, इतस्तत: सन्दिते" presum- ably like a frisky young goat or colt; पोआई-पोताकी, शकुन्तिकायाम्" - अभिधान- राजेन्द्र पोतकी, देवी, चटका (the Sparrow par excellence), 4 कृष्ण पक्षी, कृष्णिका and TRT are names that properly belong to it while the others are merely intended for its glorification and to stress its exceptional importance in augury. It shares the names and gure with the Shama proper, and the name rret (grafa) with the Blue-headed Rock-Thrush. The term. ferraferit though of the feminine gender like the others, refers to the male which has a white wing-bar. The popular Hindi name ret fit for it is the equivalent of कृष्ण पक्षी, 4. The Shama and the Magpie Robin are the two of the best songsters of India. The head, neck, breast, and upper plumage of the male in both are glossy black; both have a black and white tail; but as against the chestnut under-parts of the Shama those of the Magpie Robin are pure white. The latter has also a broad white wing-bar in addition while the Shama has a longer and a graduated tail. Because of the black head and neck both are the कालकण्ठ कलविङ्क of the lexicons, कलविङ्क proper of the poets and 1. 7.25. 2. 7.23-24. In the same way पिङ्गला, an Owlet has been called ब्रह्मपुवी in मानसोल्लास, 1, pp. 107 108 Names of goddess पार्वती include श्यामा, कृष्णा कुमारी, कृष्णपिङ्गला, तारा, उमा देवी, and बराही. 3. 7.19; 7.344. 4. CI. शकुनकदेवी viz.. the chief Bird-goddess of augury, and देवचकली, from देवचटक, its name. Gujarat. The Thrush Family 47 authors of the Puranas, and Pali ft of the . For different types offe see Art. 23A. are 5. Hemachandra defines आसाथ i.e. अश्वाच्य as the श्रीबद पक्षी (bird with an auspicious song, or fefe affa, uttering or ft-like whistle).sta may also be rendered as a song-bird-trafe. Now it is well-known that the Magpie Robin has, in addition to its beautiful song, a long whistling call, principally heard during the non-breeding season. It is a bird of the अश्वक group, so that अश्वाख्य and probably also अश्यक specific for it according to the rule of Hemachandra "सामान्योऽपि विशेषे वर्तते" अभिधानचिन्तामणि, 1 i.e. as the particular or typical अश्वक. 6. The Magpie Robin is mentioned as afges in to Hindi दहियर or दहिगल for it. The 'संस्कृत व प्राकृत कोश of (1872) equates with "ar", the same as Hindi names for the bird are far and g, both meaning 'a milk maid' or seller of milk and curds (af,) while in Prakrit also means a songstress. afgre, for ought one can say, may be a Prakrit form of Sanskrit f (seller of curds), or दध्यच्दध्यच् ( दधिना अञ्चितः), दध्य (दधिना अतः) and the idea underlying the name is perhaps the supposition that the original black plumage of the bird has been splashed over with curds as it were. That the idea is not foreign to the Indian mind may be seen from the ata (274) where a Crow is deprived of its feathers and painted white with curds as a punishment for stealing food from the kitchen of a Brahmaṇa. The Magpie Robin is afga in Prakrit as well:- which corresponds Godbole, Poona fr. Other Hindi "जं लावय तितिर दहिय मोरं, मारति श्रद्धोस विन्के वि घोर कुमारपाल प्रतिबोध (427 ) 7. TT means, among other things, (i) of a dark or bluish colour; (ii) 'a pretty young woman possess by implication a beautiful voice as well'; and (iii) musk or r. As a bird-name the term applies to the Shama (Turdus Macrourus) and the Indian Robin, and there is reason to believe that other blue or brown song-birds also went by this name with qualifying epithets, e.g. the Brown Rock Chat is known as far (fear earthy brown) in Hindi and the Blue Rock thrush is North and in the in the South and must have been known in Sanskrit as VTT because of its light blue colour. ef for 'a kind of Sparrow' in M. Williams and fe appropriated by a to the Indian Robin, should be the same. Again, the name gef ifnot purely honorific, would also seem to be a misappropriation, for it implies a bird of a blue colour; Cf. the complexion of goddess gaf described as blue like the linseed-flower:- 1. 404 2. 8.2,52. 3. Now renamed Kittacincla macroura in F. B. I. 2nd Edn. 4. See Para 3.
