17 GOLD-CRESTS These tiny and inconspicuous birds keep to the higher branches of coni- fers in the Himalayas and are obviously very difficult of observation, and even if known they would simply be put down as for refer. 18 THE FAIRY BLUE-BIRD This is "one of the most beautiful birds known" and could certainly not have escaped observation by the ancients. The male is shining ultra- marine-blue above and black in other parts including the sides of the head and the fore-neck. It occurs in Eastern Himalayas and South India, and from its size and colour the term fe would include it. M. Williams, however has नीलच्छवी (च्छवि ?) for a kind of bird' and the कल्पद्रुकोश defines it as below: "नीलच्छवि कृष्णगलः स ग्रामचटकाकृतिः " "1 i.c., the trafr (Blue Beauty' fr. of beauty or splendour) has a black throat and is as big as the common Sparrow. These particulars and the significant name are fully descriptive of the bird and ff should be specific for it. It may be added that the second half of the verse in the lexicon:- "ककुभः ककुभाकारः स्थलजो रक्तपर्णक: " relates to a much larger bird (ger), viz., the Coucal or the Crow- Pheasant, which is larger than the Common Crow and it would be absurd to describe it as af. Nevertheless some commentators have cited the entire verse or its variant to explain the bird-name . See Art. 37-B for a further criticism of this half
