23 FINCHES AND BUNTINGS A. FINCHES 1. This family includes a very large number of birds recognizable from their short massive bills, more or less forked tails, and the general resem- blance they bear to the common House Sparrow. Many species are to be found in the higher Himalayas though quite a few of them are forced down to lower levels in winter. 2. The basic terms, चटक, कुलिङ्ग, and कलविड which are applicable not only to birds of the present but of other families also, have been treated in the Glossaries as synonymous, but mentions f and कुलिङ्गक separately, and सुश्रुत distinguishes कुलिङ्ग, गृह-कुलिङ्ग and कलवि but places the last in the विष्किर group. भावप्रकाश, मांसवर्ग, includes कलबिङ, for and within the meaning of but distinguishes between चटक and कलविङ्क in the अर्शोऽधिकार section. चटक, besides being specific for Swallows and Swifts (Art. 25), is a wider and more general term for, (i) 'a bird in general e.g, in compound bird-names like मयूरचटक, मृगेन्द्रघटक, कालचटक, etc. and (ii) any bird of the size of a common Sparrow, and it is from this latter sense of the term that diminutives like चटिका, चटकका, or चटकिका have been formed for the still smaller birds like the Warblers, White-eye, Munias, etc. Grammarians derive the name from the root 'to break or kill' but it is probably of onomatopoetic origin in reference to their twittering notes, or the snapping sound made by the bill of a bird like the smaller Flycatchers when catching insects (Art. 11). The term f (को पथिव्यां भक्षणायें सिङ्गति गच्छति) refers to the habit of Sparrows moving about on the ground in search of food, while the name कलविङ्क (कलं मधुरास्फुटं व रौति) applies to several song-birds of the size of a Sparrow which are also beautiful to look at. Both these are also specific for particular types of song birds. 3. The House Sparrow is fr or we as against the Tree- Sparrows, plain looking Buntings and other wild Finches which go under the common names of कुलिङ्ग, वनचटक, वनकुलिङ्ग, etc. The House Sparrow being under every-day observation has won for itself several poetic adnouns, e.g., कामुक, कामचारी and वृषायण after the male's amorous behaviour towards the female; faqes for its variegated back; from its nesting in human Finches and Buntings dwellings; and after or from the black patch on its fore-neck. These so-called names are merely descriptive epithets, some of which have been applied to other birds as well: 93 “कामी स्यात्कामुके चक्रवाके पारावतेऽपि च" -- मेदिनी, "कालकण्ठस्तु दात्यूहे कलबिच खञ्जने" – विश्वप्रकाश. (singing कलवि on the other hand shares the epithet beautifully) with the large black Bee, the Hawk-Cuckoo and the Grey Partridge, the last two being fu- “कलानुनादी रोलम्बे कलबिङ्के कपिञ्जले" -विश्वप्रकाश. Everyone of the three best songsters of India, (i) the Magpie Robin, (ii) the Shama (T), both of which are also as they have black head and neck, and (iii) the Blackbird, is af. In literature they are mentioned simply as fa. Poetic courtesy, however, has extended the term (कालकण्ठ-) कलविडक to what was merely the गुहकुलिङ्ग or ग्रामचटक simply because of its black throat and upper breast: "कलविकः स्मृतो ग्रामचटकेऽपि कुलिङ्गके" --विश्वप्रकाश, where the use of the term 'af' is perhaps significant. feft, however, reads कलिङ्गक. If कुलिङ्गक is the correct reading it would refer to the Grey-winged Blackbird or the Magpie Robin (Art. 10), but if with कलिङ्गक (के मूनि लिङ्गं चूडा यस्य), supported as it is by the विश्वलोचनकोश, the bird meant would be the तिलककण्टक कलविङ्क i.e., the Crested Lark ( Art. 27). श्रीहर्षं mentions the House Sparrow by the name of fag in a rather vulgar reference in नैषधचरित 18.16. 4. The has listed several Sparrow-like bird as types of चटक:- "चटको वर आटकः बलिभुक् कलविश्व सेव्यस्तिलककण्टकः कलविङ्कस्त्वसौ पीतमुण्ड:" as a common name for a sparrow is probably intended to serve as a base for the qualifying epithets that follow it. Thus: (i) वर चटक (वर कुकूमे श्रेष्ठ and therefore, of 'a red colour and 'excellent') refers probably to the Scarlet and Rose Finches, the रक्तशीषं कलविङ्क of डल्हणाचार्य; (ii) * (*wandering Sparrow') are the Buntings, one variety of which, the Crested Bunting, is चिरिटीक in चरक; (iii) बलिभुक् चटक the House Sparrow, the same as गृहकुलिङ्ग (iv) af are the Magpie Robin, the Shama, and the Black- bird (Art. 10); (v) सेव्य चटक is the Red Munia, the same as सुनार कलविङ्क (Art. 22 B);
