128 Birds in Sanskrit Literature frever though, independently of the latter, it can stand by itself as "Crow- tailed" which, however, is quite colourless and uninteresting. the female Koel, (fathe Crow's father's sister) for on the other hand, seems to be an excellent name based upon the bird's parasitism. In India a sister often leaves her little children with a brother. for rearing them and this is exactly how the female Cuckoo deals with her supposed brother, the Crow, and hence her nick-name, 'the Crow's aunt' The Koel shares the names afer and fire with the European and the Asiatic Cuckoos which breed in the Himalayas and, very sparingly, on the hills in certain parts of the country. It is therefore difficult to say. to the Koel. whether a given reference is to the Cuckoo proper 2 अन्यवाग in "art"-V.S., 24.34. would be the Cuckoo if the Samhita was compiled in the North-West, for the Koel is non-existent in the extreme North-West and rare in the Punjab, but if the compila- tion took place in the art, it is more probably the Koei. The reason for the dedication of the bird to the deity presiding over the Half-months is apparently the fact that the bird performs only half its part in reproduc- tion and the particular name chosen emphasises this. Spring. 3. The poets of Kashmir and others describing Himalayan scenery (e.g. in the Puranas and other literature) have mentioned the Cuckoo by names like कलकण्ठ, पिक, परभूत, परपुष्टा, and पुंस्कोकिल and these names in the particular context refer to the European or the Asiatic Cuckoo both of which have a similar and very sonorous call of two notes 'ku-koo'. In "कामाय पिक:" V.S., 24.29 पिक is one of these and the name, used purposely (f), must refer to the sweet amorous voice of the bird in Poetic names like and would again seem to refer to these two birds as their voice is more melodious than the Koel's; Cf. "gegee the extro कोकिलो... अतिवियमधुरगिरो" Kunala Jataka, pleasant and full-throated voice of the geef (Cuckoo with spotted or variegated plumage; पुष्प a spot, cf. फुस्सरथ for पुष्परथ, v.1. पुष्परथ) is inentioned. Both the birds are grey above and barred or spotted white below and have been distinguished from the Koel (काल, कृष्ण or श्यामकोकिल) as श्वेतकोकिल :- "भास्करोदयकालोऽयं गता भगवती निशा। Cuckoo birds असौ सुकृष्णो विहगः कोकिलस्तात कूजति" - रामायण, 2.52.2 "देवलोकोद्भवाः श्वेता विलेपुः कोकिलास्तदा"-हरिवंश, 2.88.69 In the आवश्यक सूत्र, a Jain work by मलयगिर्याचार्य, two. ('दो कोइला') are one of the ten different items seen in a dream, and the scholiast explains the birds to be a श्वेत कोकिल and a विचित्र कोकिल श्वेत कोकिल being the same as फुस्स or चित्र कोकिल in Pali the latter विचित कोकिल is either a mistake for कृष्ण कोकिन or is to be rendered as वि not चित्र, variegated i.e. of a uniform colour viz. black, or again it may 2. "देवलोकोद्भवाः in bred in the Himalayas, देवलोक. Cuckoos refer to one of the Malkohas which have a variegated plumage. In the Kunala Jataka, the Koel is called and the Asiatic Cuckoo. फुस्स कोकिल फुस्स* is Pali for Sansk. पुष्प and has taken the place of पुण्फ (i.e. पुष्प) due to an erroncous substitution of पुष्य for पुष्प, e.g.in पुष्यरच चित्र कोकिल is a synonym for it in the Pali-English Dictionary (PTS. Edition). Hindi फुफु, पुफु or पुड्डुपु fr. पुहुप-पुष्प a flower, for the same bind is a more correct form of पुण्फ (पुष्प). 129 4. The Himalayan Cuckoo, breeding in the Himalayas from Kashmir Eastwards, resembles Asiatic Cuckoo in coloration and size but has a different voice. The male has a spring-song consisting of four dull booming notes, 'hud-hud-hud-hud' similar in tone to the call of the Hoopoe (Smy- thies). This Cuckoo would therefore seem to be the ggf, a ga bird of चरक. "दुन्दुभिः दुन्दुभिध्वनि:" is the definition given for it in the कल्पद्रु कोश, and gf is also a small child's drum in Prakrit. The name is thus fully. descriptive of the bird. This is apparently the Cuckoo whose voice has been described by जिनसेन as "कोकिलानकनिस्वन:” (like the sound of a drum) in (जैन) आदि पुराण 33.89. In the preceding verse he uses the common classical expression for the Koel. The name gf may also apply to the Indian Cuckoo which too has a similar call of four melodious notes, "bo-ko-ta-ko", capable of being syllabified as "pu-pu, pu-pu" as well. मद्दालक (from मर्दल, a drum) is a kind of Himalayan bird in वेस्संतर verse 2099 and from the similarity of the name to gf it may also be for the Himalayan Cuckoo. Two other bird-names have been derived from the names of different kinds of drum डिण्डिमाणवक (डिण्डिम- माणवक), the Little Barbet, and पाणविक (पणव), the Stone Plover-Sce Arts. 35 and 64. 5. No description of in Sanskrit literature, but refers to the Sweet Song of the "thrice welcome darling of the spring"-the Cuckoo or the Koel, the age of India. :- “कुसुमजन्म ततो नवपल्लवास्तदनुषट्पदकोकिलकूजितम् । इति यथाक्रममाविरभून्मधुर्दुमवतीभवतीर्य वनस्थलीम् ।। रघुवंश, 9.26. I give below just a few examples illustrate the knowledge of the ancients regarding some of their peculiarities, e.g.-- (i) Cuckoos do not pair for the breeding season like other birds and promiscuity is very common with them (Jerdon) and this fact not only underlies the Prakrit adnoun g (Sk. aig a libertine) for the male Cuckoo but also the punishment prescribed for a man who has insul- ted his brother's wife. He is to be reborn as a so that he may 3. Is it possible that फुस्स कोकिल is the Pali rendering of Sansk. पुंस्कोकिल ? If so, the latter would be specific for the Himalayan Cuckoo though the later poets extended. term to the male of the Koel well.
