96 Birds in Sanskrit Literature most probably incorrect (गृहकृति + अक्षम गृहकृती अक्षमः, arera) and gafsar in (i) and (iii) above. are readings or inadvertent variants of गृहकृत्यक्षम does build one), the original unable to build a nest, or one that reading of af or other lexicon correctly reproduced in (ii). The expression means that the wree birds do not nest in the country. If on the other hand it is split up into two separate words, or af and S or 3, they hardly make any sense so far as these birds are concerned. They do not breed in India and cannot be described as af, while or (competent or incompetent) can hardly be a bird-name. The misunderstanding and the consequent confusion is not difficult to explain. ger is an independent bird-name in 12.66, for the Weaver- Bird (Art. 22-A) and lexicographers, missing the significance of the adjec- tive गुहुकृत्यक्षम read into it गृहस्तू or गृहकर्ता as synonyms of बृहकारी and substituted what each believed to be the correct reading. In doing so one retained the negative & before and the other omitted it. It is this negative, a, happily preserved in the current edition of aft, that helps to dissolve the expression correctly as indicated above. for a kind of Sparrow in M.W. is, therefore, incorrect. The Black-headed and the Red-headed Buntings are (i) श्यामचटक (श्याम-हरिद्वणं, the yellow sparrow, cf. श्यामा-हरिद्रा) and (ii) भारीट (v.l. भोरिट, भारिट-भरेण समूहन arefa, going in flocks). The epithets, and fufae correspond to अन्नदूषक of चरक and mark them out as enemies of cultivation. भीरु means 'dreadful or awful' (Wilson) while #fre describes all the Buntings as winter visitors. 2. The Grey-necked and the Ortolan Buntings, both migrating to India in flocks, have no yellow in their plumage and are not but they are certainly मंशिर चटक or भारीट. They go by the name of जमजोहरा (fr. Sansk. 4, moving, marching, or यम god of death, and यवहर grain-robber) and the Red-headed variety as zaferet in Hindi. Both the names mean 'a bird that moves in large flocks' or in the alternative the crop-destroying host of death ()'. Other local Hindi names are भर्रा and हुर्रा (fr. भारीट); cf. "हारन में हुर्रा हजारन लागे"-"Buntings by the thousand are attacking the crops." ce v po 3. चिरिटीक (v.1. चिरीटीक) is a प्रतुद bird in चरक, 1.27 and is evidently the same as freer in Hindi for the Crested Bunting. It is a bird of solitary habits and wanders a good deal. fare means 'a head ornament and also a kind of sparrow'. This Bunting has an upright crest (fe) and would seem to be the तिरीट (चटक) of M. W. Perhaps the terms किरोटी, fra and fat are closely allied. The second, viz., fret occurs as a bird name in "fret g faff" which appears to be a wrong reading of 'चिरीटी तु चिरीटिका or चिराटिका'. If, on the other hand, चिरिटीक is from चिर+टीक, चिरंटीकते, the name would correspond to the आटक चटफ of वैजयन्ती, and would then refer to the Buntings as a class. 1. Also means a panther or tiger in fauce. 24 WAXWING This family is represented by a single Species, Bombaycilla. It breeds in the Arctic region, is a rare winter visitor to the extreme North-west, and has been observed at Bannu and Kohat on a few occasions only. Except for a single plaintive note, uttered occasionally, it is a silent bird and no Sanskrit name is possible for it.
