Birds in Sanskrit Literature probable that fa is a fish and not a deer as taken by the commenta- tors. All three water creatures are of very active habits, befitting the nature of Water-nymphs. 106 9. A few of the so-called lexical common names of the bird may now be explained. The adnoun fe (whose nest is not visible) for can only refer to the White and Yellow Wagtails which do not breed in the plains of India. gas refers to a particular phase in the plum- age of the White and White-faced Wagtails in which the black on the breast is reduced to a narrow crescent in summer. This corresponds to अम्बरभद्र of वसन्तराज :- "कृष्णा भवेत् कण्ठगतंव रेखा यस्य त्वसौ चाऽम्बरभद्रनामा"-10.7. The रिक्त खजन of बृहत्संहिता and आकाशभद्र of वसन्तराज is the immature White- faced Wagtail or a young Hodgson's Pied Wagtail in both of which the black patch on the breast is a small one. कर्कराक्ष (कर्कर, a mirror; holding a mirror to an excellent eye, i.e. resembling one); कर्कराज (कर्कर, hard, having a neat and compact body); (moving on the sands); कलाटीन and खजवेल (cf. तण्डक; tripping beautifully ); मिथुनिन् ( going about in pairs). ftreter (surpassing the fish in agility and beauty of form, both fish and bird being used as comparisons for beautiful eyes); (auspicious named; cf. भद्र of बृहत्संहिता and names ending in भद्र in वसन्तराज); and [तनिधि (abounding in love or passionate "प्रचुरतरमन्मयविकारवत्त्वात् " as the male bird not only displays before the female but also sings lustily during consummation and after the act). This last name, afafa, derived differently (fafa: a) and therefore, inisunderstood, gave rise to the belief that there is wealth underneath where the birds mate:- "तस्मिन्निधिर्भवति मैथुनमेति यस्मिन्" -बृ. संहिता, 14.12. However eager or ardent, the bird will not mate except where there is wealth underground:- "अङ्गेषु जीयंति परं खञ्जनयूनोर्मनोभव प्रसरः न पुनरनन्तगभितनिधिनि धरामण्डले केलि:"——आर्यासप्तशती, 7. effe also adds that there is likely to be coal underground where the bird voids, and advises the curious actually to dig for wealth or coal at such places: "तत्कौतुकापनयनाय खनेद्धरित्रीम्" – 44.12. In literature the (the White or the White-faced Wagtail) is a standard of comparison for (i) the light, sportive gait of a young lady, and (ii) dark, beautiful, sparkling and longish-looking eyes: (1) for the playful gait of a goddess: "क्षेमा क्षेमावती चैव खेलत् खञ्जनगामिनी" --पद्मिनीस्तोत्र. (2) Lover, willing to stake his life for the sake of a maiden possessing eyes like a बञ्जन : Wagtails and Pipits "युष्मत्कृते खञ्जनगञ्जनाक्षि ! शिरोमदीयं यदि याति यातु"-उद्भट. (3) A pair of White Wagtails, supposed to face each other, as it were, at the root of the nose of the beloved--the contrasting black breast-patches of the birds representing the black of the eyes. “अन्योन्यचञ्चपुटचुम्बनखजरीट- युग्माभिरामनयना शयने स्मरामि" -बिल्हणकाव्य (4) The almond-shaped long eyes of Srikrsna :- "कर्णोपान्त चरन्नेव खञ्जरीट मनोहरम्"वायुपुराण, 104.46 (5) The river Ganga personified as a young woman with a pair of white Wagtails for her eyes: "तन्वी शरत् विपथगा पुलिने कपोलो लोले दृशौ रुचिरचञ्चलखञ्जरीटौ” 107 -अमरुशतक
- Cf. "स्फोट: चट चटा शब्द:"Corn on कामन्दकीय नीतिसार, 7.16.
B. PIPITS Pipits are small brown birds, whitish or pale-fulvous below and strea- ked on the breast. On one side, they are related to the Wagtails like which they run on the ground and wag their tails up and down but more, sedately, and on the other to the larks which they resemble somewhat in plumage and other characters. According to their habits, they are called Tree- Pipits, Ground- or Indian-Pipits and Water-Pipits. In the breeding season, the males suddenly rise in the air, uttering their song and after reaching the highest point (which is not very high) come down in an abrupt curve, with stiff partly extended wings. They are known as T (from Sanskrit चचरी हर्षीडा ) in Hindi and स्फोटिका* in Sanskrit after the manner of their flight and song. Other Sanskrit names are तुलिका or दुलिका (दुल-उन्माने, "तुलिका enten an." free, from their tail wagging habit). The equation, "खञ्जरी चलपिच्छक: " of धन्वन्तरि if not applicable to the Red-start as suggested in Art.10 would certainly apply to these birds which are closely allied to Wagtails.
