28 THE WHITE EYE The White Eye is a small arboreal bird chiefly oiive-green and pale yellow in colour, and easily recognised by a conspicuous white ring round the eye. A tiny and pretty bird like this would simply pass for a gfarer* or ref in Sanskrit, and indeed its Hindi name an (a little child) shows that it was just a gfarer in Sanskrit. Its short pretty song, rather nasal in tone, should claim for it the name (a kind of bird-M.W.) for it. means 'having colour'and also 'a nasal tone' and admirably suits the White Eye in both the senses.
- For gfart in the sense of a small or dear little bird, see Art. 22 B.
29 THE RUBY-CHEEK The tiny Ruby-cheek does not occur west of Sikkim, and we cannot expect a Sanskrit name for it. It is a brilliant metallic green bird with coppery-red about the face, and stands very close to the Sun-birds in size and habits and would ordinarily pass for one. Its twittering call notes. resemble those of the White Eye.
