100 Birds in Sanskrit Literature as well. These birds do not nest in buildings or houses and "never associate with man" and the name probably is after this habit of the two Martins. The first element #fg: in the name certainly implies an emphatic nega- tive, and af:gfe: means 'a bird that does not nest in a shop or house'. It is really interesting to note that, despite the confusion that obtains in the popular mind all over the world, the ancient Indians had distinguished three main types amongst these seemingly similar birds with a very fair degree of accuracy. 6. The Swallow and the Swift are known in Marathi as raitet which is capable of more than one derivation (i) पाका, पुत्रिका, and अवली -little birds living or moving in groups or parties (ii) Prak. (+) very confused, referring to the erratic flight of a party of such birds; and (iii)as bearing a close affinity to the first of the correlated expressions, “उत्पत्यपाकला" and "निषण्णश्यामा", explained as a bird which looks white when high up on the wing and black when settled on the ground or the nest: "उत्पत्य आकाशे भूत्वा या पाकला पाण्डर्भवति सा उत्पत्यपाकला. निषण्णा सती श्यामा जाता निषण्णश्यामा--" गणरत्नमहोदधि, 122-23. The birds referred to in the above statement are evidently the Common and Wire-tailed Swallows and the House Martins which are black above and white or pale-white below. They have very short tarsi, than half an inch, and therefore sit very low, so that in this position they look black. (fr) but when they are high in the air they appear to be white (). The Hindi Sabda-Sagara gives you as one of the names for a Swallow (under arter) perhaps from some Sansk. lexicon and this name seems to be an analogue of निषण्णश्यामा as पाकोली may be of उत्पत्यपाकला. 7. The शब्दार्थं चिन्तामणि has इल्वल and M. Williams इल्लल for a kind of bird'. If the names are connected with the root lying down and going up' they would seem to correspond in meaning to the correlated expressions considered above. : are five stars in the head of Orion perhaps implies the idea of shining high in the air or sky which and is true of the birds under discussion. On the other hand the name may be imitative of the bird's call and therefore identical with aferer, and if so, it would apply to the Swift (Art. 45) and reading of the former. would be a wrong and 5. Cf. terms like implying change of colour from green to purple on ripening and from dark to white on burning, respectively. Prakrit वाउप्पइया (बातोत्पतिका) for a kind of bird is clearly allied to this word. It probably refers to the Swifts which spend most of their time in the air and never descend to the ground (Art. 45). 101 Martins and Swallows 8. A certain, small Sparrow like bird named पूजनी शकुनि (चटका इति भरत:- शब्दकल्पद्रुम) is mentioned in the story of king ब्रह्मदत्त in महाभारत' while it appears under the name of पूजनीया शकुनिका in हरिवंश, where it is said to frequent tanks and rivers and is described as below:- "farfarven forfører forfargest ferarent" Commentator नीलकण्ठ explains शितिपक्षा as "white-wingeds and शितिपुष्ठा as "black-backed" and lets fat severely alone. Looking, however, to the fact that the little bird is in the habit of visiting tanks and rivers, and further that the term rec means also a Swallow, it seems more reasonable to interpret farfarrer as "having black and white wings", i.e. black above and white below; farfargest as "black above" and feated as 'having white lower parts'. This would also fit in with a clever and yet punning or mystifying use of the word fafar by the poet in three different senses. Subject to the correctness of this interpretation, the Indian Wire-tailed Swallow fully stands up to the description given in the verse. It has a chest-nut red head, black wings with a white lining to them, and white under-parts. It visits water regularly for insect food, builds an open cup-shaped nest from which the young ones can be gently taken out and replaced. This Swallow would thus seem to be the gf bird and the physical basis of the story where the other details are of course imaginary and intended to heighten the effect and lead up to a moral. The name. gafar is happily conceived inasmuch as the black and white bird appears to have been worshipped with on the head, for it has no red else- where on its body. Alternatively the names also imply that the bird is one that has to be respected or treated with hospitality, i.e., to be allowed to nest and breed in one's house and therefore protected. Swifts also are to be treated in a similar way and a person who does so is known as refer (Art. 45). These birds often establish themselves at one place. and continue to breed from generation to generation if not disturbed. This has given rise to a belief that the family owning and occupying the house would also continue to prosper in the same way. 6. 12.139. 7. 1.20 8. 1.20.81.
