Finch
Songbirds are mentioned in Explorers of Gor
as found in the Schendi
jungle. Although it is likely that many varieties of finch can be
found all over Gor, one variety is specified by name among those
of Schendi, that of the whistling finch.
The term
finch, to Earth birders, refers to any of numerous short stouted
songbirds (especially families Fringillidae, Estrildidae, and Emberizidae).
Finch have a conical bill adapted for crushing seeds;, they exist
in a vast array of colors, sizes and shapes, some crested, some
tiny, some as large as doves. Most however have in common the ability
to sing.
...In the
second level, that of the canopies, is found an incredible variety
of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the
common lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, some varieties
of parrot, and many more....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
...In the
ground zone, and on the ground itself, are certain birds, some
flighted, like the hook-billed gort, which preys largely on rodents,
such as ground urts, and the insectivorous whistling finch, and
some unflighted, like the grub borer and land gim. Along the river,
of course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle
gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Fisher
Waterside birds mentioned in Explorers of Gor
, the 'tufted' variety,
as well as the white, wading 'Ushindi' variety are said to live
by the waters of lakes in the Jungle areas of Schendi.
...His
head was surmounted by an elaborate headdress, formed largely
from the long, white, curling feathers of the Ushindi fisher,
a long legged, wading bird....
---Explorers of Gor
, 18:236
...Along
the river, of course, many other species of birds may be found,
such as jungle gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged
waders....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Fleer
A long billed night hunting bird which is found in at least three
varieties. The first mentioned is simply refered to as 'fleer'
and found in the Northern forests. The jungles of Schendi and
the Barren lands would be home to two more of the Fleer family,
respectively, the long billed variety and the yellow prairie fleer,
also called the Maize Bird.
My master
looked upward, at the moons. From through the trees, on the other
side of the camp, came what I took to be the sound of a bird,
the hook-billed, night-crying fleer, which preys on nocturnal
forest urts. The cry was repeated three times.
---Slave Girl of Gor
, 5:117
...The
canopy, or zone of the canopies, ranges from about sixty to one
hundred and twenty-five feet high, Gorean measure. The first zone
extends from the ground to the beginning of the canopies above,
some sixty feet in height, Gorean measure. We may perhaps, somewhat
loosely, speak of this first zone as the "floor," or, better,
"ground zone," of the rain forest. In
the level of the emergents there live primarily birds, in particular
parrots, long-billed fleers, and needle-tailed lits....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
...The
fleer is a large, yellow, long-billed, gregarious, voracious bird
of the Barrens. It is sometimes also called the Corn Bird or the
Maize Bird....
---Savages of Gor
, 14:246
Note to
bird lovers: One of the Webster definitions offered for the word
fleer relates it to 'mocking', which may have been at the source
of the choice of name for this bird. If this is so, then likely,
the Gorean fleer would belong to the mocker family.
Gant
The gant is a ducklike bird which is present in various climates,
usually found near water. The Marsh gant is native to the Marsh
areas on the Delta of the Vosk. Other varieties found throughout
Gor include the jungle gant, said to be found on the riversides
of the Schendi Jungle area, and the artic variety, which nests on
the Northern cliffs. The eggs of the artic gant are eaten frozen.
I heard a
bird some forty or fifty yards to my right; it sounded like a marsh
gant, a small, horned, web-footed aquatic fowl, broad-billed and
broad-winged. Marsh girls, the daughters of rence growers, sometimes
hunt them with throwing sticks.
---Raiders of Gor
, 1:4
I stepped
aside to let a young girl pass, who carried two baskets of eggs,
those of the migratory arctic gant. They nest in the mountain of
the Hrimgar and in steep, rocky outcroppings, called bird cliffs,
found here and there jutting out of the tundra. The bird cliffs
doubtless bear some geological relation to the Hrimgar chains. When
such eggs are frozen they are eaten like apples.
---Beasts of Gor
, 12:196
...In the
ground zone, and on the ground itself, are certain birds, some flighted,
like the hook-billed gort, which preys largely on rodents, such
as ground urts, and the insectivorous whistling finch, and some
unflighted, like the grub borer and land gim. Along the river, of
course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle
gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Gim
An owlike bird that is seen in different varieties, the most common
being the purplish Horned gim of the northern forests. Other
varieties such as the lang gim (said to be flightless) and the yellow
gim can be found in the regions of Schendi.
...and, somewhere,
the call of a tiny horned gim, the tiny purplish owllike bird.
---Captive of Gor
, 8:97
...I heard
the throaty warbling, so loud for such a small bird, of the tiny
horned gim....
---Hunters of Gor
, 7:106
...In the
ground zone, and on the ground itself, are certain birds, some flighted,
like the hook-billed gort, which preys largely on rodents, such
as ground urts, and the insectivorous whistling finch, and some
unflighted, like the grub borer and land gim. Along the river, of
course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle
gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders....."
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
...In the
second level, that of the canopies, is found an incredible variety
of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the common
lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, some varieties
of parrot, and many more....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Gort
A hooked billed variety which feeds on rodents is said to inhabit
the jungles of Schendi.
...In the
ground zone, and on the ground itself, are certain birds, some flighted,
like the hook-billed gort, which preys largely on rodents, such
as ground urts, and the insectivorous whistling finch, and some
unflighted, like the grub borer and land gim. Along the river, of
course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle
gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Grub borer
A flightless bird which inhabits the ground levels of the Rainforests
of Schendi.
...In the
ground zone, and on the ground itself, are certain birds, some flighted,
like the hook-billed gort, which preys largely on rodents, such
as ground urts, and the insectivorous whistling finch, and some
unflighted, like the grub borer and land gim....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Gull
Shore birds found along various coastlines. The Vosk Gull, which
is said to migrate North in the spring, the more Northern Torvalsdland
Gull, possibly also called Coast Gull, said to have 'black tipped'
feathers on its wings and tail, and the Schendi Gull, which nests
inland at night, found, as its name implies, on the coasts of Schendi,
are three of the varieties mentioned throughout the books.
We then waited
about a minute, and I saw several birds--river gulls--flying north.
"Those are Vosk gulls," said Kamchak. "In the spring,
when the ice breaks in the Vosk, they fly north."
---Nomads of Gor
, 11:137
Twice yesterday,
in long games, until the Torvaldsland gulls had left the sea and
returned inland, I had failed to meet the gambit.
---Marauders of Gor
, 5:69
It was plied
with iron, barbed. Its feathers were five inches long, set in the
shaft on three sides, feathers of the black-tipped coasting gull,
a broad-winged bird, with black tips on its wings and tail feathers,
similar to the Vosk gull.
---Marauders of Gor
, 16:234-235
Coast gulls
screamed overhead. The air was sharp and clear. The sky was very
blue.
"Those
are Schendi gulls," said Ulafi, pointing to birds which circled
about the mainmast. "They nest on land at night."
---Explorers of Gor
, 6:99
Hermit
A woodpecker-type, yellow breasted bird of the Northern forest which
bores the bark of Tur trees for larvae.
...Somewhere,
far off, but carrying through the forest, was the rapid, staccato
slap of the sharp beak of the yellow-breasted hermit bird, pounding
into the reddish bark of the Tur tree, hunting for larvae.
---Hunters of Gor
, 7:106
Herlit
Large, broad winged, carnivorous bird of the Barrens sometimes called
also Sun Striker, whose feathers are prized by Red Savages who use
them in the making of ceremonial head dresses.
It was of
peeled Ka-la-na wood and, from its top, there dangled two long,
narrow, yellow, black tipped feathers, from the tail of the taloned
Herlit, a large, broad-winged, carnivorous bird, sometimes called
in Gorean the Sun Striker, or, more literally, though in clumsier
English, Out-of-the-sun-it-strikes, presumably from its habit of
making its descent and strike on prey, like the tarn, with the sun
above and behind it.
---Savages of Gor
, 9:143
An adult
Herlit is often four feet in height and has a wingspan of some seven
to eight feet. The hunter must beware of being blinded or having
an artery slashed in the struggle. The fifteen tail feathers are
perhaps the most highly prized. They are some fourteen to fifteen
inches in height, and yellow with black tips.
---Blood Brothers of Gor
, 37:315
Hurlit
More specifically referred to as 'Forest Hurlit', this bird is briefly
mentioned in Nomads of Gor
as 'migrating'. There is no description
found.
"The
first southern migrations of meadow kites," he said, "have
already taken place. The migrations of the forest hurlit and the
horned gim do not take place until later in the spring. This is
the time that the Vosk gulls fly."
---Nomads
of Gor, 11:138
Jard
Scavenger bird possibly reminiscent of Earth's vultures, mentioned
in various areas as feading on carcasses. The Schendi variety is
described as yellow-winged.
Fluttering
jards, covering many of the carcasses like gigantic flies, stirred,
swarming upward as Inmak passed them, and then returned to their
feasting.
---Beasts of Gor
, 11:170
Within the
next Ahn we passed more than sixty bodies, dangling at the side
of the river. None was that of Shaba. About some of these bodies
there circled scavenging birds. On the shoulders of some perched
small, yellow-winged jards....
---Explorers of Gor
, 49:415
Kite
A 'meadow' variety of this bird is briefly mentioned in Nomads of
Gor as 'migrating'. No description found. The kites of Earth are
small hawks (family Accipitridae) with long narrow wings and often
a notched or forked tail.
"The
first southern migrations of meadow kites," he said, "have
already taken place. The migrations of the forest hurlit and the
horned gim do not take place until later in the spring. This is
the time that the Vosk gulls fly."
---Nomads
of Gor, 11:137
Lit
The common, crested and needle tail varieties of this brightly plumaged
bird inhabit the rainforest inlands of Schendi.
...Behind
and about him had swirled a gigantic cloak of yellow and red feathers,
from the crested lit and the fruit tindel, brightly plumaged birds
of the rain forest....
---Explorers of Gor
, 18:236
...In the
level of the emergents there live primarily birds, in particular
parrots, long-billed fleers, and needle-tailed lits....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
...In the
second level, that of the canopies, is found an incredible variety
of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the common
lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, some varieties
of parrot, and many more....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
From Webster,
to lit: To descend from flight, and rest, perch, or settle, as a
bird or insect.
On
the tree tops a crested peacock lit. --Tennyson.
Mindar
A yellow and red short-winged bird of the Schendi regions that feeds
from the insects and larvae it finds by digging into flowertree
bark with its long sharp bill.
In the level
of the emergents there live primarily birds, in particular parrots,
long-billed fleers, and needle-tailed lits. Monkeys and tree urts,
and snakes and insects, however, can also be found in this highest
level. In
the second level, that of the canopies, is found an incredible variety
of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the common
lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, some varieties
of parrot, and many more....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Parrots
Colorful birds of the jungles of Schendi
...The canopy,
or zone of the canopies, ranges from about sixty to one hundred
and twenty-five feet high, Gorean measure. The first zone extends
from the ground to the beginning of the canopies above, some sixty
feet in height, Gorean measure. We may perhaps, somewhat loosely,
speak of this first zone as the "floor," or, better, "ground zone,"
of the rain forest. In
the level of the emergents there live primarily birds, in particular
parrots, long-billed fleers, and needle-tailed lits....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Tanagers
A variety of birds said to be found in at least the Schendi regions
of Gor.
The term
tanager is well known to bird lovers around the world as an adaptation
of the Portuguese word tangará, which refers to any of numerous
chiefly tropical American oscine birds (family Thraupidae). Tanagers
of Earth are usually brightly colored, unmusical and inhabit mostly
woodlands.
...In the
second level, that of the canopies, is found an incredible variety
of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the common
lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, some varieties
of parrot, and many more....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Tarn
Gigantic, fierce,
hawklike, crested draft and/or saddlebird of Gor.
There are
many sorts of tarns, war tarns, racing tarns, draft tarns, and so
on.
One mistake
that I think many artists have made with tarns is not to understand
how large these birds are. For example, a human being would appear
small in comparison with them. Their wingspan could be thirty or
more feet.
The common
saddle is equipped with a safety strap, to minimize the danger of
falling. Warriors' tarn saddles often have rings on the sides, before
the warrior, to which loot, of one sort or another, might be secured.
Presumably there would also be saddlebags, and a boot, for the butt
of the spear or lance. A flat curved part of the saddle, before
the rider, can accommodate a sack of loot or a supine captive, tied
over its surface. Other could be fastened to the saddle rings. Draft
tarns usually carry, suspended below them, on ropes, tarn baskets.
Hooded slaves can be roped within these.
Free women
can also use tarn baskets, standing within them, rather as within
chariots. They may, or may not, have a driver, a tarnmaster. Few
free woman would think of ascending, or would desire to ascend,
the saddle of a tarn. Presumably their garments and their modesty
would preclude their consideration of such a thing. They would not
be likely to have this experience except as the guest of a tarnsman,
perhaps enfolded in his arms as a capture.
The flights
of tarn cavalries may be kept in "step," so to speak,
by the beating of tarn drums, the wingbeats synchronized to the
beat of the drum.
---John Norman, Letter to The Gorean Group, Sept 20th, 2000
...The Goreans
believe, incredibly enough, that the capacity to master a tarn is
innate and that some men possess this characteristic and that some
do not. One does not learn to master a tarn. It is a matter of blood
and spirit, of beast and man, of a relation between two beings which
must be immediate, intuitive, spontaneous. It
is said that a tarn knows who is a tarnsman and who is not, and
that those who are not die in this first meeting.
My first
impression vas that of a rush of wind and a great snapping sound,
as if a giant might be snapping an enormous towel or scarf; then
I was cowering, awestricken, in a great winged shadow, and an immense
tarn, his talons extended like gigantic steel hooks, his wings sputtering
fiercely in the air, hung above me, motionless except for the beating
of his wings.
'Stand clear
of the wings,' shouted the Older Tarl.
I needed
no urging. I darted from under the bird. One stroke of those wings
would hurl me yards from the top of the cylinder.
The tarn
dropped to the roof of the cylinder and regarded us with his bright
black eyes.
Though the
tarn, like most birds, is surprisingly light for its size, this
primarily having to do with the comparative hollowness of the bones,
it is an extremely powerful bird, powerful even beyond what one
would expect from such a monster. Whereas
large Earth birds, such as the eagle, must, when taking flight from
the ground, begin with a running start, the tarn, with its incredible
musculature, aided undoubtedly by the somewhat lighter gravity of
Gor, can with a spring and a sudden flurry of its giant wings lift
both himself and his rider into the air. In
Gorean, these .birds are sometimes spoken of as Brothers of the
Wind.
The plumage
of tarns is various, and they are bred for their colors as well
as their strength and intelligence. Black tarns are used for night
raids, white tarns in winter campaigns, and multicolored, resplendent
tarns are bred for warriars who wish to ride proudly, regardless
of the lack of camouflage. The most common tarn, however, is greenish
brown. Disregarding the disproportion in size, the Earth bird which
the tarn most closely resembles is the hawk, with the exception
that it bas a crest somewhat of the nature of a jay's.
Tarns, who
are vicious things, are seldom more than half tamed and, like their
diminutive earthly counterparts, the hawks, are carnivorous. It
is not unknown for a tarn to attack and devour his own rider. They
fear nothing but the tarn-goad. They are trained by men of the Caste
of Tarn Keepers to respond to it while still young, when they can
be fastened by wires to the training perches. Whenever
a young bird soars away or refuses obedience in some fashion, he
is dragged back to the perch and beaten with the tarn-goad. Rings,
comparable to those which are fastened on the legs of the young
birds, are worn by the adult birds to reinforce the memory of the
hobbling wire and the tarn-goad. Later, of course, the adult
birds are not fastened, but the conditioning given them in their
youth usually holds, except when they become abnormally disturbed
or have not been able to obtain food. The tarn is one of the two
most common mounts of a Gorean warrior; the other is the high tharlarion,
a species of saddle lizard, used mostly by clans who have never
mastered tarns. No
one in the City of Cylinders, as far as I knew, maintained tharlarions,
though they were supposedly quite common on Gor, particularly in
the lower areas--in swampland and on the deserts.
The Older
Tarl had mounted his tarn, climbing up the five-rung leather mounting
ladder which hangs on the left side of the saddle and is pulled
up in flight. He fastened himself in the saddle with a broad purple
strap. He tossed me a small object which. nearly fell from my fumbling
hands. It was a tarn whistle, with its own note, which would summon
one tarn, and one tarn only, the mount which was intended for me.
Never
since the panic of the disoriented compass back in the mountains
of New Hampshire had I been so frightened, but this time I refused
to allow my fear the fatal inch it required. If I was to die, it
would be; if I was not to die, I would not.
I smiled
to myself in spite of my fear, amused at the remark I had addressed
to myself. It sounded like something out of the code of the Warrior,
something which, if taken literally, would seem to encourage its
believer to take not the slightest or most sane precautions for
his safety. I
blew a note on the whistle, and it was shrill and different, of
a new pitch from that of the Old Tarl.
Almost immediately
from somewhere, perhaps from a ledge out of sight; rose a fantastic
object, another giant tarn, even larger than the first, a glossy
sable tarn which circled the cylinder once and then wheeled toward
me, landing a few feet away, his talons striking on the roof with
a sound like hurled gauntlets. His talons were shod with steel--a
war tarn. He raised his curved beek to the sky and screamed, lifting
and shaking his wings enormous head turned toward me, and his round,
wicked eyes blazed in my direction. The
next thing I knew his beak was open; I caught a brief sight of his
thin,sharp tongue, as long as a man's arm; darting out and back,
and then, snapping at me, he lunged forward, striking at me with
that monstrous beak, and I heard the Older Tarl cry out in horror,
'The goad! The goad!'
---Tarnsman of Gor
, 3:51-53
The goad, described below,
is a tool used in the training and the riding of tarns, much like
the crop would be used here for horses.
...He entered
my apartment, carrying a metal rod about two feet long, with a leather
loop attached. It had a switch on the handle, which could be set
for two positions, on and off, like a simple torch. 'What is it?'
I asked. 'A Tarn Goad,' he replied. He snapped the switch in the
barrel to the "on" position and struck the table. It showered
sparks in a sudden cascade of yellow light, but left the table unmarked...
It had been like a sudden, severe electric charge.
---Tarnsman of Gor
, 3:50
Tibit
A small bird found on the shores of Thassa, described as 'stick-legged',
it feeds on small mollusks it pecks from the sand. The tibit woud
probably be somewhat similar to a sandpiper or a plover, commonly
found on the beaches that line the shores of Earth oceans.
There were
no signs of sails on the breadth of gleaming Thassa. The great circle
of the horizon was empty. There were swift, white clouds in the
sky. I heard the cry of sea birds, broad-winged gulls and the small,
stick-legged tibits, pecking in the sand for tiny mollusks. There
was a salt smell in the air, swift and bright in the wind. Thassa
was beautiful.
---Hunters of Gor
, 18:247
Tindel
Brightly plumaged bird of the rain forests of the Schendi area.
...Behind
and about him had swirled a gigantic cloak of yellow and red feathers,
from the crested lit and the fruit tindel, brightly plumaged birds
of the rain forest....
---Explorers of Gor
, 18:236
Tumit
Large flightless bird of the prairy lands. It is said the Wagon
People's much used bola was invented initially as a weapon for hunting
this bird. This particularity would make the tumit sound much like
the Rhea, a large flightless bird of the South American plains of
Earth, which was hunted in the same fashion, by natives of these
lands.
...beyond
them I saw one of the tumits, a large, flightless bird whose
hooked beak, as long as my forearm, attested only too clearly to
its gustatory habits; I lifted my shield and grasped the long spear,
but it did not turn in my direction; it passed, unaware...
---Nomads of Gor
, 1:2
Umbrella bird
Bird of the rain forests of the Schendi area.
...In the
lower portion of the canopies, too, can be found heavier birds,
such as the ivory-billed woodpecker and the umbrella bird....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Veminium bird
Songbird mentioned in Magicians of Gor
; it is likely thatthe name
would indicate this bird to be found in veminium fields. The only
comment made on it is in reference to its charming song.
Perhaps in
one of these times, due to no fault of Mistress he was charmed by
her voice, as by the songs of the veminium bird, or again, by her
grace and manner ...
---Magicians of Gor
, 21:363
Vulo
A domesticated pigeon-like bird, raised for its eggs and meat.
She was a
peasant, barefoot, her garment little more than coarse sacking.
She had been carrying a wicker basket containing vulos, domesticated
pigeons raised for eggs and meat.
---Nomads of Gor
, 1:1
Wader
Both the ring-necked and the yellow legged variety of this waterbird
inhabit the rainforest areas of Schendi. The
term wader, to Earth bird lovers, refers to many species of limicoline
or grallatorial long-legged birds more commonly called 'wading birds',
that wade in the water in search of food.
...In the
ground zone, and on the ground itself, are certain birds, some flighted,
like the hook-billed gort, which preys largely on rodents, such
as ground urts, and the insectivorous whistling finch, and some
unflighted, like the grub borer and land gim. Along the river, of
course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle
gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Warbler
Songbirds mentioned in Explorers of Gor
as part of the Schendi jungle
fauna.
The term
'warbler' is synonymous to 'singer', and applied to a species of
numerous small Old World oscine birds (family Sylviidae) of Earth,
most of which are noted songsters.
...Monkeys
and tree urts, and snakes and insects, however, can also be found
in this highest level. In
the second level, that of the canopies, is found an incredible variety
of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the common
lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, some varieties
of parrot, and many more....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Woodpecker
At least one variety of woodpeckers is noted, the ivory billed variety
which is spoken of in Explorers of Gor
as one of the Schendi Jungle
inhabitants.
...In the
lower portion of the canopies, too, can be found heavier birds,
such as the ivory-billed woodpecker and the umbrella bird....
---Explorers of Gor
, 32:311
Zad
A scavenging bird found in at least two varieties, the Tahari species
being described as large, black and white, the jungle variety, said
to be less agressive. Both do however share the rather gruesome
custom of tearing out the eyes of weakened victims.
I heard,
a short time later, wings, the alighting of one or more large birds.
Such birds, broad-winged, black and white, from afar, follow the
marches to Klima; their beaks, yellowish, narrow, are long and slightly
hooked at the end, useful for probing and tearing.
The birds
scattered, squawking, as a Kaiila sped past. The birds are called
zads
---Tribesmen of Gor
, 14:232
...About
some of these bodies there circled scavenging birds. On the shoulders
of some perched small, yellow-winged jards. One was attacked even
by zads, clinging to it and tearing at it with their long, yellowish,
slightly curved beaks. These were jungle zads. They are less to
be feared than desert zads, I believe, being less aggressive. They
do, however, share one ugly habit with the desert zad, that of tearing
out the eyes of weakened victims. That serves as a practical guarantee
that the victim, usually an animal, will die. Portions of flesh
the zad will swallow and carry back to its nest, where it will disgorge
the flesh into the beaks of its fledglings. The zad is, in its way,
a dutiful parent.
---Explorers of Gor
, 49:415
Zadit
A bird of the Tahari that feeds on desert insects.
...The zadit
is a small, tawny-feathered, sharp-billed bird. It feeds on insects.
When sand flies and other insects, emergent after rains, infest
kaiila, they frequently light on the animals, and remain for some
hours, hunting insects. This relieves the kaiila of the insects
but leaves it with numerous small wounds, which are unpleasant and
irritating, where the bird had dug insects out of its hide....
---Tribesmen of Gor
, 10:152