Austral English / A dictionary of Australasian words, phrases and usages with those aboriginal-Australian and Maori words which have become incorporated in the language, and the commoner scientific words that have had their origin in Australasia

<hw>Nailrod</hw>, n. a coarse dark tobacco smoked by bushmen. The name alludes to the shape of the plug, which looks like a thin flat stick of liquorice. It is properly applied to the imported brand of "Two Seas," but is indiscriminately used by up-country folk for any coarse stick of tobacco.

1896. H. Lawson, `While the Billy boils,' p. 118:

"`You can give me half-a-pound of nailrod,' he said, in a quiet tone.'"

<hw>Nail-tailed Wallaby</hw>, n. See Onychogale.

<hw>Namma hole</hw>, n. a native well. Namma is an aboriginal word for a woman's breast.

1893. `The Australasian,' August 5, p. 252, col. 4:

"The route all the way from York to Coolgardie is amply watered, either `namma holes' native wells) or Government wells being plentiful on the road."

1896. `The Australasian,' March 28, p. 605, col. 1:

"The blacks about here [far west of N.S.W.] use a word nearly resembling `namma' in naming waterholes, viz., `numma,' pronounced by them `ngumma,' which means a woman's breast. It is used in conjunction with other words in the native names of some waterholes in this district, e.g., `Tirrangumma' = Gum-tree breast; and ngumma-tunka' = breast-milk, the water in such case being always milky in appearance. In almost all native words beginning with n about here the first n has the ng sound as above."

<hw>Nancy</hw>, n. a Tasmanian name for the flower Anguillaria (q.v.).

<hw>Nankeen Crane</hw>, or <hw>Nankeen Bird</hw>, or <hw>Nankeen Night Heron</hw>, n. the Australian bird Nycticorax caledonicus, Gmel. Both the Nankeen Bird and the Nankeen Hawk are so called from their colour. Nankeen is "a Chinese fabric, usually buff, from the natural colour of a cotton grown in the Nanking district" of China. (`Century.')

1838. James, `Six Months in South Australia, p. 202:

"After shooting one or two beautiful nankeen birds."

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 121:

"The nankeen crane (Nycticorax caledonicus), a very handsome bright nankeen-coloured bird with three long white feathers at the back of the neck, very good eating."

<hw>Nankeen Gum</hw>. See Gum.

<hw>Nankeen Hawk</hw>, n. an Australian bird, Tinnunculus cenchroides, Vig. and Hors., which is otherwise called Kestrel (q.v.).

1827. Vigors and Horsfield, `Transactions of the Linnaean Society,' vol. xv. p. 184:

"`This bird,' as we are informed by Mr. Caley, `is called
Nankeen Hawk by the settlers. It is a migratory species.'"

<hw>Nannygai</hw>, n. aboriginal name for an Australian fish, Beryx affinis, Gunth.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 52:

"Amongst the early colonists it used also to be called `mother nan a di,' probably a corruption of the native name, mura ngin a gai."

1884. E. P. Ramsay, `Fisheries Exhibition Literature,' vol. v. p. 308:

"Known among the fishermen of Port Jackson as the `nannagai,' or as it is sometimes spelt `nannygy.' It is a most delicious fish, always brings a high price, but is seldom found in sufficient numbers."

<hw>Nardoo</hw>, or <hw>Nardu</hw>, n. aboriginal word for the sporocarp of a plant, Marsilea quadrifolia, Linn., used as food by the aboriginals, and sometimes popularly called Clover-fern. The explorers Burke and Wills vainly sought the means of sustaining life by eating flour made from the spore-cases of nardoo. "Properly Ngardu in the Cooper's Creek language (Yantruwunta)." (A. W. Howitt.) Cooper's Creek was the district where Burke and Wills perished. In South Australia Ardoo is said to be the correct form.

1861. `Diary of H. J. Wills, the Explorer,' quoted in Brough Smyth's `Aborigines of Victoria,' p. 216:

"I cannot understand this nardoo at all; it certainly will not agree with me in any form. We are now reduced to it alone, and we manage to get from four to five pounds a day between us. . . . It seems to give us no nutriment. . . . Starvation on nardoo is by no means very unpleasant, but for the weakness one feels and the utter inability to move oneself, for, as far as appetite is concerned, it gives me the greatest satisfaction."

1862. Andrew Jackson, `Burke and the Australian Exploring Expedition of 1860,' p. 186:

"The [wheaten] flour, fifty pounds of which I gave them, they at once called `whitefellow nardoo,' and they explained that they understood that these things were given to them for having fed King."

1865. W. Howitt, `Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 247:

"They now began to inquire of the blacks after the nardoo seed, imagining it the produce of a tree; and received from the natives some of their dried narcotic herbs, which they chew, called pitchery. They soon found the nardoo seed in abundance, on a flat, and congratulated themselves in the idea that on this they could subsist in the wilderness, if all other food failed, a hope in which they were doomed to a great disappointment."

1877. F. von Mueller, `Botanic Teachings,' p. 130:

"Of Marsiliaceae we have well known examples in the nardoo (Marsilea quadrifolia, with many varieties), the foliage resembling that of a clover with four leaflets."

1878. R. Brough Smyth, `Aborigines of Victoria,' p. 209:

"They seem to have been unacquainted generally with the use, as a food, of the clover-fern, Nardoo, though the natives of the North Western parts of Victoria must have had intercourse with the tribes who use it, and could have obtained it, sparingly, from the lagoons in their own neighbourhood."

1879. J. D. Wood, `Native Tribes of South Australia,' p. 288:

"Ardoo, often described by writers as Nardoo. A very hard seed, a flat oval of about the size of a pea. It is crushed for food."

1879 (about). `Queensland Bush Song':

"Hurrah for the Roma Railway!
Hurrah for Cobb and Co.!
Hurrah, hurrah for a good fat horse
To carry me Westward Ho!
To carry me Westward Ho! my boys;
That's where the cattle pay,
On the far Barcoo, where they eat nardoo,
A thousand miles away."

1879. S. Gason, in `The Native Tribes of South Australia,' p. 288:

"Ardoo. Often described in news papers and by writers as Nardoo. A very hard seed, a flat oval of about the size of a split pea; it is crushed or pounded, and the husk winnowed. In bad seasons this is the mainstay of the native sustenance, but it is the worst food possible, possessing very little nourishment, and being difficult to digest."

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Proceedings of the of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales,' p. 82 [Botanical Notes on Queensland]:

"Sesbania aculeata. The seeds of this plant are eaten by the natives. It grows in all warm or marshy places in Queensland. By many it is thought that this was the Nardoo which Burke and Wills thought came from the spores of a Marsilea. It is hard to suppose that any nourishment would be obtained from the spore cases of the latter plant, or that the natives would use it. Besides this the spore-cases are so few in number."

1890. E. D. Cleland, `White Kangaroo,' p. 113:

"The great thing with the blacks was nardoo. This is a plant which sends up slender stems several inches high; at the tip is a flower-like leaf, divided into four nearly equal parts. It bears a fruit, or seed, and this is the part used for food. It is pounded into meal between two stones, and is made up in the form of cakes, and baked in the ashes. It is said to be nourishing when eaten with animal food, but taken alone to afford no support."

<hw>Native</hw>, n. This word, originally applied, as elsewhere, to the aboriginal inhabitants of Australia, is now used exclusively to designate white people born in Australia. The members of the "Australian Natives' Association" (A.N.A.), founded April 27, 1871, pride themselves on being Australian-born and not immigrants. Mr. Rudyard Kipling, in the `Times' of Nov. 1895, published a poem called " The Native-Born," sc. born in the British Empire, but outside Great Britain. As applied to Plants, Animals, Names, etc., the word Native bears its original sense, as in "Native Cabbage," "Native Bear," "Native name for," etc., though in the last case it is now considered more correct to say in Australia "Aboriginal name for," and in New Zealand "Maori name for."

1861. Mrs. Meredith, `Over the Straits,' c. v. p. 161:

"Three Sydney natives (`currency' not aboriginal) were in the coach, bound for Melbourne."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 43:

"They were long and wiry natives from the rugged mountain side."

<hw>Native</hw>, or <hw>Rock-Native</hw>, n. a name given to the fish called Schnapper, after it has ceased to "school." See Schnapper.

<hw>Native Arbutus</hw>, n. See Wax-cluster.

<hw>Native Banana</hw>, n. another name for Lilly-pilly (q.v.).

<hw>Native Banyan</hw>, n. another name for Ficus rubiginosa. See Fig.

<hw>Native Bear</hw>, n. See Bear.

<hw>Native Beech</hw>, n. See Beech.

<hw>Native Blackberry</hw>, n. See Blackberry.

<hw>Native Borage</hw>, n. See Borage.

<hw>Native Box</hw>, n. See Box.

<hw>Native Bread</hw>, n. See Bread.

<hw>Native Broom</hw>, n. See Broom.

<hw>Native Burnet</hw>, n. See Burnet.

<hw>Native Cabbage</hw>, n. The Nasturtium palustre, De C., N.O. Cruciferae, is so called, but in spite of its name it is not endemic in Australia. In New Zealand, the name is sometimes applied to the Maori Cabbage (q.v.).

<hw>Native Carrot</hw>, n. See Carrot.

<hw>Native Cascarilla</hw>, n. See Cascarilla.

<hw>Native Cat</hw>, n. See Cat.

<hw>Native Celery</hw>, or <hw>Australian Celery</hw>, n. See Celery.

<hw>Native Centaury</hw>, n. See Centaury.

<hw>Native Cherry</hw>, n. See Cherry.

<hw>Native-Companion</hw>, n. an Australian bird-name, Grus australasianus, Gould. See also Crane.

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 125:

"Here we saw the native-companion, a large bird of the crane genus . . . five feet high, colour of the body grey, the wings darker, blue or black."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 38:

"With native-companions (Ardea antigone) strutting round."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vi. pl. 48:

"Grus Australasianus, Gould, Australian Crane; Native-Companion of the Colonists."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 146:

"A handsome tame `native-companion,' which had been stalking about picking up insects, drew near. Opening his large slate-coloured wings, and dancing grotesquely, the interesting bird approached his young mistress, bowing gracefully from side to side as he hopped lightly along; then running up, he laid his heron-like head lovingly against her breast."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 21:

"The most extraordinary of Riverina birds is the native-companion."

1890. Tasma, `In her Earliest Youth,' p. 145:

"A row of native-companions, of course, standing on one leg— as is their wont—like recruits going to drill."

[Query, did the writer mean going "through" drill.]

1891. `Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne,' p. 23:

"In this paddock are some specimens of the Native Companion, whose curious habit of assembling in groups on the plains and fantastically dancing, has attracted much attention. This peculiarity is not confined to them alone, however, as some of the other large cranes (notably the crowned cranes of Africa) display the same trait."

<hw>Native Cranberry</hw>, n. See Cranberry.

<hw>Native Currant</hw>, n. See under Currant.

<hw>Native Daisy</hw>, n. See Daisy.

<hw>Native Damson</hw>, n. See Damson.

<hw>Native Dandelion</hw>, n. See Dandelion.

<hw>Native Daphne</hw>, n. See Daphne.

<hw>Native Date</hw>, n. See Date.

<hw>Native Deal</hw>, n. See Deal.

<hw>Native Dog</hw>, n. Another name for the Dingo (q.v.).

<hw>Native Elderberry</hw>, n. See Elderberry.

<hw>Native Flag</hw>, n. See under Flax, Native, and New Zealand.

<hw>Native Fuchsia</hw>, n. See Fuchsia.

<hw>Native Furze</hw>, n. See Hakea.

<hw>Native Ginger</hw>, n. See Ginger.

<hw>Native Grape</hw>, n. See Grape, Gippsland.

<hw>Native-hen</hw>, n. name applied to various species of the genus Tribonyx (q.v.). The Australian species are—

Tribonyx mortieri, Du Bus., called by Gould the Native Hen of the Colonists;

Black-tailed N.-h.,
T. ventralis, Gould;

and in Tasmania,
Tribonyx gouldi, Sclater. See Tribonyx.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vi. pl. 71:

"Tribonyx Mortierii, Du Bus., native-hen of the colonists."

<hw>Native Hickory</hw>, n. See Hickory.

<hw>Native Holly</hw>, n. See Holly.

<hw>Native Hops</hw>, n. See Hops.

<hw>Native Hyacinth</hw>, n. See Hyacinth.

<hw>Native Indigo</hw>. n. See Indigo.

<hw>Native Ivy</hw>, n. See Ivy, and Grape, Macquarie Harbour.

<hw>Native Jasmine</hw>, n. See Jasmine.

<hw>Native Juniper</hw>, n. Same as Native Currant. See under Currant.

<hw>Native Kumquat</hw>, n. Same as Desert Lemon (q.v.).

<hw>Native Laburnum</hw>, n. See Laburnum.

<hw>Native Laurel</hw>, n. See Laurel.

<hw>Native Lavender</hw>, n. See Lavender.

<hw>Native Leek</hw>, n. See Leek.

<hw>Native Lilac</hw>, n. a Tasmanian plant. See Lilac.

<hw>Native Lime</hw>, n. See Lime.

<hw>Native Lucerne</hw>, n. i.q. Queensland Hemp. See under Hemp.

<hw>Native Mangrove</hw>, n. Tasmanian name for the Boobialla (q.v.).

<hw>Native Mignonette</hw>, n. See Mignonette.

<hw>Native Millet</hw>, n. See Millet.

<hw>Native Mint</hw>, n. See Mint.

<hw>Native Mistletoe</hw>, n. See Mistletoe.

<hw>Native Mulberry</hw>, n. See Mulberry.

<hw>Native Myrtle</hw>, n. See Myrtle.

<hw>Native Nectarine</hw>, n. another name for the Emu-Apple. See under Apple.

<hw>Native Oak</hw>, n. See Oak.

<hw>Native Olive</hw>, n. See under Olive and Marblewood.

<hw>Native Onion</hw>, n. Same as Native Leek. See Leek.

<hw>Native Orange</hw>, n. See under Orange.

<hw>Native Passion-flower</hw>, n. See Passion-flower.

<hw>Native Peach</hw>, n. i.q. Quandong (q.v.).

<hw>Native Pear</hw>, n. See Hakea and Pear.

<hw>Native Pennyroyal</hw>, n. See Pennyroyal.

<hw>Native Pepper</hw>, n. See Pepper.

<hw>Native Plantain</hw>, n. See Plantain.

<hw>Native Plum</hw>, n. See Plum, Wild.

<hw>Native Pomegranate</hw>, n. See Orange, Native.

<hw>Native Potato</hw>, n. See Potato.

<hw>Native Quince</hw>, n. Another name for Emu-Apple. See Apple.

<hw>Native Raspberry</hw>, n. See Raspberry.

<hw>Native Rocket</hw>, n. See Rocket.

<hw>Native Sandalwood</hw>, n. See Sandalwood and Raspberry-Jam Tree.

<hw>Native Sarsaparilla</hw>, n. See Sarsaparilla.

<hw>Native Sassafras</hw>, n. See Sassafras.

<hw>Native Scarlet-runner</hw>, n. See Kennedya.

<hw>Native Shamrock</hw>. n. See Shamrock.

<hw>Native Sloth</hw>, n. i.q. Native Bear. See Bear.

<hw>Native Speedwell</hw>, n. See Speedwell.

<hw>Native Tamarind</hw>, n. See Tamarind-tree.

<hw>Native Tiger</hw>, n. See Tasmanian Tiger.

<hw>Native Tobacco</hw>, n. See Tobacco.

<hw>Native Tulip</hw>, n. See Waratah.

<hw>Native Turkey</hw>, n. Same as Wild Turkey. A vernacular name given to Eupodotis australis, Gray, which is not a turkey at all, but a true Bustard. See Turkey.

<hw>Native Vetch</hw>, n. See Vetch.

<hw>Native Willow</hw>, n. See Boobialla and Poison-berry Tree.

<hw>Native Yam</hw>, n. See Yam.

<hw>Necho</hw>, and <hw>Neko</hw>. See Nikau.

<hw>Nectarine, Native</hw>, n. another name for Emu-Apple. See Apple.

<hw>Needle-bush</hw>, n. name applied to two Australian trees, Hakea leucoptera, R. Br., N.O. Proteaceae; called also Pin-bush and Water-tree (q.v.) and Beefwood; Acacia rigens, Cunn., N.O. Leguminosae (called also Nealie). Both trees have fine sharp spines.

<hw>Negro-head</hw> Beech, n. See Beech.

<hw>Neinei</hw>, n. Maori name for New Zealand shrub, Dracophyllum longifolium, R. Br., also D. traversii, N.O. Epacrideae.

1865. J. Von Haast, `A Journey to the West Coast, 1865' (see `Geology of Westland,' p. 78):

"An undescribed superb tree like Dracophyllum, not unlike the D. latifolium of the North Island, began to appear here. The natives call it nene. (Named afterwards D. traversii by Dr. Hooker.) It has leaves a foot long running out into a slender point, of a reddish brown colour at the upper part, between which the elegant flower- panicle comes forth."

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 128:

"Neinei, an ornamental shrub-tree, with long grassy leaves. Wood white, marked with satin-like specks, and adapted for cabinet-work."

1888. J. Adams, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xxi. art. ii. p. 40:

"On the flat and rounded top the tallest plants are stunted neinei."

<hw>Nephrite</hw>, n. See Greenstone.

<hw>Nestor</hw>, n. scientific name for a genus of New Zealand Parrots. See Kaka and Kea.

1863. S. Butler, `First Year in Canterbury Settlement,' p. 58:

"There was a kind of dusky, brownish-green parrot too, which the scientific call a Nestor. What they mean by this name I know not. To the unscientific it is a rather dirty-looking bird, with some bright red feathers under its wings. It is very tame, sits still to be petted, and screams like a parrot."

<hw>Nettle-tree</hw>, n. Two species of Laportea, N.O. Urticaceae, large scrub-trees, are called by this name—Giant Nettle, L. gigas, Wedd., and Small-leaved Nettle, L. photiniphylla, Wedd.; they have rigid stinging hairs. These are both species of such magnitude as to form timber-trees. A third, L. moroides, Wedd., is a small tree, with the stinging hairs extremely virulent. See also preceding words. /??/

1849. J. P. Townsend, `Rambles in New South Wales,' p. 34:

"In the scrubs is found a tree, commonly called the nettle- tree (Urtica gigas). It is often thirty feet in height, and has a large, broad, green leaf. It is appropriately named; and the pain caused by touching the leaf is, I think, worse than that occasioned by the sting of a wasp."

<hw>Never, Never Country</hw>, or <hw>Never, Never Land</hw>. See quotations. Mr. Cooper's explanation (1857 quotation) is not generally accepted.

1857. F. de Brebant Cooper, `Wild Adventures in Australia,' p. 68:

"With the aid of three stock-keepers, soon after my arrival at Illarrawarra, I had the cattle mustered, and the draft destined for the Nievah vahs ready for for the road."

[Footnote]: "Nievah vahs, sometimes incorrectly pronounced never nevers, a Comderoi term signifying unoccupied land."

1884. A. W. Stirling, `The Never Never Land: a Ride in North Queensland,' p. 5:

"The `Never Never Land,' as the colonists call all that portion of it [Queensland] which lies north or west of Cape Capricorn."

1887. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. i. p. 279:

"In very sparsely populated country, such as the district of Queensland, known as the Never Never Country—presumably because a person, who has once been there, invariably asseverates that he will never, never, on any consideration, go back."

1890. J. S. O'Halloran, Secretary Royal Colonial Institute, apud Barrere and Leland:

"The Never, Never Country means in Queensland the occupied pastoral country which is furthest removed from the more settled districts."

1890. A. J. Vogan, `The Black Police,' p. 85:

"The weird `Never, Never Land,' so called by the earliest pioneers from the small chance they anticipated, on reaching it, of ever being able to return to southern civilization."

<hw>Newberyite</hw>, n. [Named after J. Cosmo Newbery of Melbourne.] "A hydrous phosphate of magnesium occurring in orthorhombic crystals in the bat-guano of the Skipton Caves, Victoria." (`Century.')

<hw>New Chum</hw>, n. a new arrival, especially from the old country: generally used with more or less contempt; what in the United States is called a `tenderfoot.'

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 99:

"He was also what they termed a `new chum,' or one newly arrived."

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 366:

"`New Chum,' in opposition to `Old Chum.' The former `cognomen' peculiarizing [sic] the newly-arrived Emigrant; the latter as a mark of respect attached to the more experienced Colonist."

1855. `How to Settle in Victoria,' p. 15:

"They appear to suffer from an apprehension of being under- sold, or in some other way implicated by the inexperience of, as they call him, the `new chum.'"

1865. `Once a Week,' `The Bulla Bulla Bunyip':

"I was, however, comparatively speaking, a `new chum,' and therefore my explanation of the mystery met with scant respect."

1874. W. M. B., `Narrative of Edward Crewe,' p. 17:

"To be a new chum is not agreeable—it is something like being a new boy at school—you are bored with questions for some time after your arrival as to how you like the place, and what you are going to do; and people speak to you in a pitying and patronizing manner, smiling at your real or inferred simplicity in colonial life, and altogether `sitting upon' you with much frequency and persistence."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Head Station,' p. 32:

"A new chum is no longer a new chum when he can plait a stock-whip."

1886. P. Clarke [Title]:

"The New Chum in Australia."

1887. W. S. S. Tyrwhitt [Title]:

"The New Chum in the Queensland Bush."

1890. Tasma, `In her Earliest Youth,' p. 152:

"I've seen such a lot of those new chums, one way and another.
They knock down all their money at the first go-off, and then
there's nothing for them to do but to go and jackaroo up in
Queensland."

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 4:

"The buggy horse made a bolt of it when a new-chum Englishman was driving her."

1892. Mrs. H. E. Russell, `Too Easily jealous,' p. 155:

"One man coolly told me it was because I was a new chum, just as though it were necessary for a fellow to rusticate for untold ages in these barbarous solitudes, before he is allowed to give an opinion on any subject connected with the colonies."

<hw>New Chumhood</hw>, n. the period and state of being a New Chum.

1883. W. Jardine Smith, in `Nineteenth Century,' November, p. 849:

"The `bumptiousness' observable in the early days of `new chumhood.'"

<hw>New Holland</hw>, n. the name, now extinct, first given to Australia by Dutch explorers.

1703. Capt. William Dampier,' Voyages,' vol. iii. [Title]:

"A Voyage to New Holland, &c., in the Year 1699."

1814. M. Flinders, `Voyage to Terra Australis,' Intro. p. ii:

"The vast regions to which this voyage was principally directed, comprehend, in the western part, the early discoveries of the Dutch, under the name of New Holland; and in the east, the coasts explored by British navigators, and named New South Wales."

1845. J. O. Balfour, `Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 2:

"The Spaniards at the commencement of the seventeenth century were the discoverers of New Holland; and from them it received the name of Australia. It subsequently, however, obtained its present name of New Holland from the Dutch navigators, who visited it a few years afterwards."

[The Spaniards did not call New Holland Australia
(q.v.). The Spaniard Quiros gave the name of Australia del
Espiritu Santo to one of the New Hebrides (still known as
Espiritu Santo), thinking it to be part of the `Great South
Land.' See Captain Cook's remarks on this subject in
`Hawkesworth's Voyages,' vol. iii. p. 602.]

1850. J. Bonwick, `Geography for Australian Youth,' p. 6:

"Australasia, or Australia, consists of the continent of New
Holland, or Australia, the island of Tasmania, or Van Diemen's
Land, and the islands of New Zealand."

[In the map accompanying the above work `Australia' is
printed across the whole continent, and in smaller type `New
Holland' stretches along the Western half, and `New
South Wales' along the whole of the Eastern.]

<hw>New South Wales</hw>, n. the name of the oldest and most important colony in Australia. The name "New Wales" was first given by Captain Cook in 1770, from the supposed resemblance of the coast to that of the southern coast of Wales; but before his arrival in England he changed the name to "New South Wales." It then applied to all the east of the continent. Victoria and Queensland have been taken out of the parent colony. It is sometimes called by the slang name of Eastralia, as opposed to Westralia (q.v).

<hw>New Zealand</hw>, n. This name was given to the colony by Abel Jansz Tasman, the Dutch navigator, who visited it in 1642. He first called it Staaten-land. It is now frequently called Maoriland (q.v.).

<hw>New Zealand Spinach</hw>, n. See Spinach.

<hw>Ngaio, <i</hw>>n. Maori name for a New Zealand tree, Myoporum laetum, Forst.; generally corrupted into Kaio, in South Island.

1873. `Catalogue of Vienna Exhibition':

"Ngaio: wood light, white and tough, used for gun-stocks."

1876. J. C. Crawford, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. ix. art. xiv. p. 206:

"A common New Zealand shrub, or tree, which may be made useful for shelter, viz. the Ngaio."

1880. W. Colenso, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xiii. art. i. p. 33:

"The fruits of several species of Rubus, and of the Ngaio (Myoporum laetum), were also eaten, especially by children."

1892. `Otago Witness,' Nov. 3, `Native Trees':

"Myoporum Laetum (Ngaio). This is generally called kio by colonists. It is a very rapid-growing tree for the first five or six years after it has been planted. They are very hardy, and like the sea air. I saw these trees growing at St. Kilda, near Melbourne, thirty years ago."

<hw>Nicker Nuts</hw>, n. i.q. Bonduc Nuts (q.v.).

<hw>Nigger</hw>, n. an Australian black or aboriginal. [Of course an incorrect use. He is not a negro, any more than the Hindoo is.]

1874. M. C., `Explorers,' p. 25:

"I quite thought the niggers had made an attack."

1891. `The Argus,' Nov. 7, p. 13, col. 5:

"The natives of Queensland are nearly always spoken of as `niggers' by those who are brought most directly in contact with them."

<hw>Nigger-head</hw>, n. (1) Name given in New Zealand to hard blackstones found at the Blue Spur and other mining districts. They are prized for their effectiveness in aiding cement-washing. The name is applied in America to a round piece of basic igneous rock.

(2) Name used in Queensland for blocks of coral above water.

1876. Capt. J. Moresby, R. N., `Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea,' pp. 2-3:

"The gigantic Barrier Reef is submerged in parts, generally to a shallow depth, and traceable only by the surf that breaks on it, out of which a crowd of `nigger heads,' black points of coral rock, peep up in places . . ."

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 111:

"Abundantly on the Queensland coast, especially on the coral reefs, where all the outstanding blocks of coral (nigger-heads) are covered with them."

<hw>Nightjar</hw>, n. English bird-name, applied in Australia to the following species—

Large-tailed Nightjar—
Caprimulgus macrurus, Hors.

Little N.—
AEgotheles novae-hollandiae, Gould.

Spotted N.—
Eurostopodus guttatus, Vig. and Hors.

White-throated N.—
E. albogularis, Vig. and Hors.

<hw>Nikau</hw>, n. Maori name for a New Zealand palm-tree, Areca sapida, N.O. Palmeae. Spelt also Necho and Neko.

1843. `An Ordinance for imposing a tax on Raupo Houses, Session II. No. xvii. of the former legislative Council of New Zealand':

[From A. Domett's collection of Ordinances, 1850.]

"Section 2. . . . there shall be levied in respect of every building constructed wholly or in part of raupo, nikau, toitoi, wiwi, kakaho, straw or thatch of any description [ . . . L20]."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. i. p. 270:

[The house was] "covered with thick coating of the leaves of the nikau (a kind of palm) and tufts of grass."

1854. W. Golder, `Pigeons' Parliament,' [Note] p. 75:

"The necho or neko is a large tree-like plant known elsewhere as the mountain cabbage."

1862. `All the Year Round,' `From the Black Rocks on Friday,' May 17, No. 160:

"I found growing, as I expected, amongst the trees abundance of the wild palm or nikau. The heart of one or two of these I cut out with my knife. The heart of this palm is about the thickness of a man's wrist, is about a foot long, and tastes not unlike an English hazel-nut, when roasted on the ashes of a fire. It is very nutritious."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 86:

"The pale green pinnate-leaved nikau."

1888. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iii. p. 210:

"With the exception of the kauri and the nekau-palm nearly every tree which belongs to the colony grows in the `seventy-mile bush' of Wellington."

<hw>Nipper</hw>, n. local name in Sydney for Alphaeus socialis, Heller, a species of prawn.

<hw>Nobbler</hw>, n. a glass of spirits; lit. that which nobbles or gets hold of you. Nobble is the frequentative form of nab. No doubt there is an allusion to the bad spirits frequently sold at bush public-houses, but if a teetotaler had invented the word he could not have invented one involving stronger condemnation.

1852. G. F. P., `Gold Pen and Pencil Sketches,' canto xiv.:

"The summit gained, he pulls up at the Valley,
To drain a farewell `nobbler' to his Sally."

1859. Frank Fowler, `Southern Lights and Shadows,' p. 52:

"To pay for liquor for another is to `stand,' or to `shout,' or to `sacrifice.' The measure is called a `nobbler,' or a `break-down.'"

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 201:

"A nobbler is the proper colonial phrase for a drink at a public-house."

1876. J. Brenchley, `May Bloom,' p. 80:

"And faster yet the torrents flow
Of nobblers bolted rapidly."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 249:

"When cruising about . . . with a crew of Kurnai . . . I heard two of my men discussing where we could camp, and one, on mentioning a place, said, speaking his own language, that there was `le-en (good) nobler.' I said, `there is no nobler there.' He then said in English, `Oh! I meant water.' On inquiry I learned that a man named Yan (water) had died shortly, before, and that not liking to use that word, they had to invent a new one."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 36:

"Only to pull up again at the nearest public-house, to the veranda of which his horse's bridle was hung until he had imbibed a nobbler or two."

<hw>Nobblerise</hw>, v. to drink frequent nobblers (q.v.).

1864. J. Rogers, `The New Rush,' p. 51:

"And oft a duffer-dealing digger there
Will nobblerize in jerks of small despair . ."

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 268:

"The institution of `nobblerising' is carried out in far different places."

<hw>Noddy</hw>, n. common English name for the sea-bird. The species observed in Australia are—

The Noddy—
Anous stolidus, Linn.

Black-cheeked N.—
A. melanogenys, Gray.

Grey N.—
A. cinereus, Gould.

Lesser N.—
A. tenuirostris, Temm.

White-capped N.—
A. leucocapillus, Gould.

<hw>Nonda</hw>, n. aboriginal name for a tree, Parinarium Nonda, F. v. M., N.O. Rosaceae, of Queensland. It has an edible, mealy fruit, rather like a plum.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 315:

"We called this tree the `Nonda,' from its resemblance to a tree so called by the natives in the Moreton Bay district."

<hw>Noogoora Bur</hw>, n. a Queensland plant, Xanthium strumarium, Linn., N.O. Compositae.

<hw>Noon-flower</hw>, n. a rare name for the Mesembryanthemum. See Pig-face.

1891. `The Argus,' Dec. 19, p. 4, col. 2:

"The thick-leaved noon-flower that swings from chalk cliffs and creek banks in the auriferous country is a delectable salad."

<hw>Norfolk Island Pine</hw>, n. See Pine.

<hw>Note</hw>, n. short for Bank-note, and always used for a one-pound note, the common currency. A note = L1.

1864. J. Rogers, `New Rush,' pt. ii. p. 28:

"A note's so very trifling, it's no sooner chang'd than gone;
For it is but twenty shillings."

1875. Wood and Lapham, `Waiting for Mail,' p. 39:

"And even at half fifty notes a week
You ought to have made a pile."

1884. Marcus Clarke, `Memorial Volume,' p. 92:

"I lent poor Dick Snaffle a trotting pony I had, and he sold him for forty notes."

<hw>Notornis</hw>, n. a bird of New Zealand allied to the Porphyrio (q.v.), first described from a fossil skull by Professor Owen (1848), and then thought to be extinct, like the Moa. Professor Owen called the bird Notornis mantelli, and, curiously enough, Mr. Walter Mantell, in whose honour the bird was named, two years afterwards captured a live specimen; a third specimen was captured in 1879. The word is from the Greek notos, south, and 'ornis, bird. The Maori names were Moho and Takahe (q.v.).

<hw>Notoryctes</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus to which belongs the Marsupial Mole (q.v.).

<hw>Nugget</hw>, n. a lump of gold. The noun nugget is not Australian, though often so supposed. Skeat (`Etymological Dictionary,' s.v.) gives a quotation from North's `Plutarch' with the word in a slightly different shape, viz., niggot. "The word nugget was in use in Australia many years before the goldfields were heard of. A thick-set young beast was called `a good nugget.' A bit of a fig of tobacco was called `a nugget of tobacco.'" (G. W. Rusden.)

1852. Sir W. T. Denison, `Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen s Land,' vol. ii. p. 203:

`In many instances it is brought to market in lumps, or `nuggets' as they are called, which contain, besides the gold alloyed with some metal, portions of quartz or other extraneous material, forming the matrix in which the gold was originally deposited, or with which it had become combined accidentally."

1869. Marcus Clarke, `Peripatetic Philosopher' (reprint), p. 51:

"They lead a peaceful, happy, pastoral life—dig in a hole all day, and get drunk religiously at night. They are respected, admired, and esteemed. Suddenly they find a nugget, and lo! the whole tenor of their life changes."

<hw>Nugget</hw>, v. Queensland slang. See quotation.

1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. iii. p. 25:

"To nugget: in Australian slang, to appropriate your neighbours' unbranded calves."

Ibid. c. xviii. p. 182:

"If he does steal a calf now and then, I know several squatters who are given to nuggeting."

<hw>Nuggety</hw>, adj. applied to a horse or a man. Short, thick-set and strong. See G. W. Rusden's note under Nugget.

1896. Private Letter, March 2:

"Nuggety is used in the same sense as Bullocky (q.v.), but with a slight difference of meaning, what we should say `compact.' Bullocky has rather a sense of over-strength inducing an awkwardness of movement. Nuggety does not include the last suggestion."

<hw>Nulla-nulla</hw>, n. (spellings various) aboriginal name. A battle club of the aborigines in Australia.

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia,' vol. i. p. 71:

"He then threw a club, or nulla-nulla, to the foot of the tree."

1853. C. Harpur, `Creek of the Four Graves':

"Under the crushing stroke
Of huge clubbed nulla-nullas."

1873. J. B. Stephens, `Black Gin,' p. 61:

"Lay aside thy nullah-nullahs
Is there war betwixt us two?"

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 9:

"The blacks . . . battered in his skull with a nulla-nulla."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 11:

"They would find fit weapons for ghastly warriors in the long white shank-bones gleaming through the grass—appropriate gnulla-gnullas and boomerangs."

1889. P. Beveridge, `Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina,' p. 67:

"The nulla-nulla is another bludgeon which bears a distinctive character . . . merely a round piece of wood, three feet long and two and a half inches thick, brought to a blunt point at the end. The mallee is the wood from which it is generally made."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 72:

"I frequently saw another weapon, the `nolla-nolla' or club, the warlike weapon of the Australian native most commonly in use. It is a piece of hard and heavy wood sharpened to a point at both ends. One end is thick and tapers gradually to the other end, which is made rough in order to give the hand a more secure hold; in using he weapon the heavy end is thrown back before it is hurled."

1892. J. Fraser, `Aborigines of New South Wales,' p. 73:

"One of the simplest of Australian clubs, the `nulla-nulla' resembles the root of a grass-tree in the shape of its head . . . in shape something like a child's wicker-rattle."

<hw>Nut</hw>, n. (1) Slang. Explained in quotation.

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 60:

"The peculiar type of the Australian native (I do not mean the aboriginal blackfellow, but the Australian white), which has received the significant sobriquet of `The Nut,' may be met with to all parts of Australia, but more particularly . . . in far-off inland bush townships. . . . What is a Nut? . . . Imagine a long, lank, lantern jawed, whiskerless, colonial youth . . . generally nineteen years of age, with a smooth face, destitute of all semblance of a crop of `grass,' as he calls it in his vernacular."

(2) Dare-devil, etc. "Tommy the Nut" was the alias of the prisoner who, according to the story, was first described as "a-larrikin," by Sergeant Dalton. See Larrikin.

<hw>Nut, Bonduc</hw>, n. See Bonduc Nut.

<hw>Nut, Burrawang</hw>, n. See Burrawang.

<hw>Nut, Candle</hw>, n. See Candle-nut.

<hw>Nut, Nicker</hw>, n. See Bonduc Nut.

<hw>Nut, Queensland</hw>, n. See Queensland Nut.

<hw>Nut, Union</hw>, n. See Union Nut.

<hw>Nut-Grass</hw>, n. an Australian plant, Cyperus rotundus, Linn., N.O. Cyperaceae. The specific and the vernacular name both refer to the round tubers of the plant; it is also called Erriakura (q.v.).

<hw>Nutmeg, Queensland</hw>, n. See Queensland Nutmeg.

<hw>Nut-Palm</hw>, n. a tree, Cycas media, R. Br., N.O. Cycadeae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 21:

"Nut-Palm. Employed by the aborigines as food. An excellent farina is obtained from it."

O

Oak, n. The Oak of the Northern Hemisphere (Quercus) is not found among the indigenous trees of Australia; but the name Oak is applied there to the trees of the genus Casuarina (q.v.), and usually in the curious form of She-Oak (q.v.). The species have various appellations in various parts, such as Swamp-Oak, River-Oak, Bull-Oak, Desert-Oak; and even the word He-Oak is applied sometimes to the more imposing species of She-Oak, though it is not recognised by Maiden, whilst the word Native Oak is indiscriminately applied to them all.

The word Oak is further extended to a few trees, not Casuarinae, given below; and in New Zealand it is also applied to Matipo (q.v.) and Titoki, or Alectryon (q.v.).

The following table of the various trees receiving the name of
Oak is compiled from J. H. Maiden's `Useful Native Plants'—

Bull-Oak—
Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst.;
C. glauca, Sieb.

Forest-O.—
Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst.;
C. suberosa; Otto and Diet.;
C. torulosa, Ait.

Mountain-O.—
Queensland name for Casuarina torulosa, Ait.

River Black-O.—
Casuarina suberosa, Otto and Diet.

River-O.—
Callistemon salignus, De C., N.O. Myrtaceae;
Casuarina cunninghamii, Miq.;
C. distyla, Vent.;
C. stricta, Ait.;
C. torulosa, Ait.

Scrub Silky-O.— Villaresia moorei, F. v. M., N.O. Olacineae. Called also Maple.

She-Oak:—

Coast S.-O.—
Casuarina stricta,

Desert S.-0.—
C. glauca, Sieb.

Erect S.-O.—
C. suberosa, Otto and Diet.

River S.-O.—
 C. glauca, Sieb.

Scrub S.-O.—
C. cunninghamii, Miq.

Stunted S.-O.—
C. distyla, Vent.

Shingle-O.—
Casuarina stricta, Ait.;
C. suberosa, Otto and Diet.

Silky-O.— Stenocarpus salignus, R. Br., N.O. Proteaceae; called also Silvery-Oak. See also Grevillea and Silky-Oak.

Swamp-O.—
Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst.;
C. glauca, Sieb.;
C. suberosa, Otto and Diet.;
C. stricta, Ait.; called also Saltwater Swamp-Oak.

White-O.—
Lagunaria patersoni, G. Don., N.O. Malvaceae.

Botany-Bay Oak, or Botany-Oak, is the name given in the timber trade to the Casuarina.

The `Melbourne Museum Catalogue of Economic Woods' (1894) classes the She-Oak in four divisions—

Desert She-Oak—
Casuarina glauca, Sieb.

Drooping S.-O.—
C. quadrivalvis, Labill.

Shrubby S.-O.—
C. distyla, Vent.

Straight S.-O.—
C. suberosa, Otto.

1770. Captain Cook, `Journal,' Sunday, May 6 (edition Wharton, 1893, pp. 247, 248):

"The great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander found in this place occasioned my giving it the name of Botany Bay. . . . Although wood is here in great plenty, yet there is very little Variety; . . . Another sort that grows tall and Strait something like Pines—the wood of this is hard and Ponderous, and something of the Nature of America live Oak."

1770. R. Pickersgill, `Journal on the Endeavour' (in `Historical Records of New South Wales'), p. 215:

"May 5, 1770.—We saw a wood which has a grain like Oak, and would be very durable if used for building; the leaves are like a pine leaf."

1802. Jas. Flemming, `Journal of Explorations of Charles Grimes,' in `Historical Records of Port Phillip' (edition 1879, J. J. Shillinglaw), p. 22:

"The land is a light, black-sand pasture, thin of timber, consisting of gum, oak, Banksia, and thorn."

[This combination of timbers occurs several times in the `Journal.' It is impossible to decide what Mr. Flemming meant by Oak.]

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 38:

"We found lofty blue-gum trees (Eucalyptus) growing on the flats near the Peel, whose immediate banks were overhung by the dense, umbrageous foliage of the casuarina, or `river-oak' of the colonists."

1845. J. O. Balfour, `Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 38:

"The river-oak grows on the banks and rivers, and having thick foliage, forms a pleasant and useful shade for cattle during the heat of the day; it is very hard and will not split. The timber resembles in its grain the English oak, and is the only wood in the colony well adapted for making felloes of wheels, yokes for oxen, and staves for casks."

1846. C. Holtzapffel, `Turning,' p. 75:

"Botany-Bay Oak, sometimes called Beef-wood, is from New South Wales. . . . In general colour it resembles a full red mahogany, with darker red veins."

1860. G. Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 323:

"The Casuarina trees, with their leafless, thin, thread-like, articulated branches, have been compared to the arborescent horse-tails (Equisetaceae), but have a much greater resemblance to the Larch-firs; they have the colonial name of Oaks, which might be changed more appropriately to that of Australian firs. The dark, mournful appearance of this tree caused it to be planted in cemeteries. The flowers are unisexual; the fruit consists of hardened bracts with winged seeds. The wood of this tree is named Beef-wood by the colonists."

1862. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 56:

"The wail in the native oak."

1878. W. R. Guilfoyle, `First Book of Australian Botany,' p. 54:

"It may here be remarked that the term `oak' has been very inaptly—in fact ridiculously—applied by the early Australian settlers; notably in the case of the various species of Casuarina, which are commonly called `she-oaks."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 252:

"They chose a tall He-oak, lopped it to a point."

1885. J. Hood, `Land of the Fern,' p. 53:

"The sighing of the native oak,
Which the light wind whispered through."

1892. A. Sutherland, `Elementary Geography of British Colonies,' p. 27:

"A peculiar class of trees, called by the scientific name of Casuarina, is popularly known as oaks, `swamp-oaks,' `forest-oaks,' `she-oaks,' and so forth, although the trees are not the least like oaks. They are melancholy looking trees, with no proper leaves, but only green rods, like those of a pine-tree, except that they are much longer, and hang like the branches of a weeping-willow."

<hw>Oak-Apple</hw>, n. the Cone of the Casuarina or She-Oak tree.

1862. G. T. Lloyd, `Thirty-three Years in Tasmania and Victoria,' p. 32:

"The small apple of this tree (she-oak) is also dark green . . . both apple and leaf are as acid as the purest vinegar.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 15:

"In cases of severe thirst, great relief may be obtained from chewing the foliage of this and other species [of Casuarina], which, being of an acid nature, produces a flow of saliva—a fact well-known to bushmen who have traversed waterless portions of the country. This acid is closely allied to citric acid, and may prove identical with it. Children chew the young cones, which they call `oak-apples.'"

<hw>Oamaru Stone</hw>, n. Oamaru is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It produces a fine building stone.

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand', p. 64:

"A white, granular limestone, called the Oamaru stone, is worked in extensive quarries in the Oamaru district. . . . A considerable quantity has been exported to Melbourne."

<hw>Oat-Grass</hw>, n. Anthistiria avenacea, F. v. M., N.O. Gramineae. A species of Kangaroo- Grass (q.v.). See also Grass.

<hw>Oat-shell</hw>, n. the shell of various species of Columbella, a small marine mollusc used for necklaces.

<hw>Oats, Wild</hw>, an indigenous grass, Bromus arenarius, Labill, N.O. Gramineae.Called also Seaside Brome-Grass. "It makes excellent hay." (Maiden, p. 79.)

<hw>Officer Plant</hw>, n. another name for Christmas-Bush (q.v.), so called "because of its bright red appearance." (Maiden, p. 404.)

<hw>Old Chum</hw>, n. Not in common use: the opposite to a new chum.

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 366:

"`New chum,' in opposition to `old chum.' The former `cognomen' peculiarizing [sic] the newly-arrived emigrant; the latter as a mark of respect attached to the more experienced colonist."

<hw>Old Hat</hw>, a Victorian political catch-word.

1895. `The Argus,' May 11, p. 8, col. 3:

"Mr. Frank Stephen was the author of the well-known epithet `Old Hats,' which was applied to the rank and file of Sir James M'Culloch's supporters. The phrase had its origin through Mr. Stephen's declaration at an election meeting that the electors ought to vote even for an old hat if it were put forward in support of the M'Culloch policy."

<hw>Old Lady</hw>, n. name given to a moth, Erebus Pluto.

<hw>Old Man</hw>, n. a full-grown male Kangaroo. The aboriginal corruption is Wool-man.

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 160:

"To your great relief, however, the `old man' turns out to possess the appendage of a tail, and is in fact no other than one of our old acquaintances, the kangaroos."

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 141:

"If he (greyhound) has less ferocity when he comes up with an `old man,' so much the better. . . . The strongest and most courageous dog can seldom conquer a wool-man alone, and not one in fifty will face him fairly; the dog who has the temerity is certain to be disabled, if not killed."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 33:

"Mr. Gilbert started a large kangaroo known by the familiar name of `old man.'"

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 172:

"The settlers designate the old kangaroos as `old men' and `old women;' the full-grown animals are named `flyers,' and are swifter than the British hare."

1864. W. Westgarth, `Colony of Victoria,' p. 451:

"The large kangaroo, the `old man,' as he is called, timorous of every unwonted sound that enters his large, erected ears, has been chased far from every busy seat of colonial industry."

1873. J. B. Stephens, `Black Gin,' p. 39:

"Where the kangaroo gave hops,
The old man fleetest of the fleet."

1893. `The Times,' [Reprint] `Letters from Queensland,' p. 66:

"The animals, like the timber, too, are strange. Kangaroo and wallaby are as fond of grass as the sheep, and after a pelican's yawn there are few things funnier to witness than the career of an `old man' kangaroo, with his harem after him, when the approach of a buggy disturbs the family at their afternoon meal. Away they go, the little ones cantering briskly, he in a shaggy gallop, with his long tail stuck out for a balance, and a perpetual see-saw maintained between it and his short front paws, while the hind legs act as a mighty spring under the whole construction. The side and the back view remind you of a big St. Bernard dog, the front view of a rat. You begin an internal debate as to which he most resembles, and in the middle of it you find that he is sitting up on his haunches, which gives him a secure height of from five to six feet, and is gravely considering you with the air of the old man he is named from."

Old-Man, adj. large, or bigger than usual. Compare the next two words.

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 233:

"I stared at a man one day for saying that a certain allotment of land was `an old-man allotment': he meant a large allotment, the old-man kangaroo being the largest kangaroo."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 7:

"Who that has ridden across the Old-Man Plain . . ."

<hw>Old-Man Fern</hw>, a Bush-name in Tasmania for the Tree-fern (q.v.).

<Mhw>Old-Man Salt-Bush</hw>, Atriplex nummularium, Lindl. See Salt-Bush.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 118:

"One of the tallest and most fattening and wholesome of Australian pastoral salt-bushes; also highly recommended for cultivation, as natural plants. By close occupation of the sheep and cattle runs, have largely disappeared, and as this useful bush is not found in many parts of Australia, sheep and cattle depastured on saltbush country are said to remain free of fluke, and get cured of Distoma-disease, and of other allied ailments (Mueller)."

<hw>Old-Wife</hw>, n. a New South Wales fish, Enoplosus armatus, White, family Percidae. The local name Old-Wife in England is given to a quite different fish, one of the Sea-Breams.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 32:

"The `old-wife' (Enoplosus armatus, White) is another fish which from its small size is not esteemed nearly so highly as it ought to be. It is a most exquisite fish."

<hw>Olive, Mock</hw>, i.q. Axe-breaker (q.v.).

<hw>Olive, Native</hw>, n. one of the many names given to four trees—

Bursaria spinosa, Cav., N.O. Pittosporeae,; Elaeocarpus cyaneus, Ait., N.O. Tiliaceae; Notelaea ovala, R. Br., N.O. Jasmineae,; and, in Queensland, to Olea paniculata, R. Br., N.O. Jasmineae,, a tree of moderate size, with ovoid fruit resembling a small common Olive.

<hw>Olive, Spurious</hw>, n. another name for the tree Notelaea ligustrina, Vent. See Ironwood.

<hw>On</hw>, prep. Used for In, in many cases, especially of towns which sprang from Goldfields, and where the original phrase was, e.g. "on the Ballarat diggings, or goldfield." Thus, an inhabitant still speaks of living On Ballarat, On Bendigo; On South Melbourne (formerly Emerald Hill).

1869. J. F. Blanche, `The Prince's Visit,' p. 21:

"When came Victoria's son on Ballarat."

1896. H. Lawson, `While the Billy boils, etc.' p. 3:

"After tea they would sit on a log of the wood-heap, . . and yarn about Ballarat and Bendigo—of the days when we spoke of being `on' a place oftener than `at' it: on Ballarat, on Gulgong, on Lambing Flat, on Creswick."

<hw>Onion, Native</hw>, n. i.q. Native Leek. See Leek.

<hw>Onychogale</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus containing the Nail-tailed Wallabies (q.v.). They derive their name from the presence of a peculiar horny appendage to their tails. (Grk. 'onux, 'onuchos, a claw, and galae, a weasel.) For the species, see Wallaby.

<hw>Opossum</hw>, n. The marsupial animal, frequent all over Australia, which is called an Opossum, is a Phalanger (q.v.). He is not the animal to which the name was originally applied, that being an American animal of the family Didelphyidae. See quotations below from `Encycl. Brit.' (1883). Skeat (`Etym. Dict.') says the word is West Indian, but he quotes Webster (presumably an older edition than that now in use), "Orig. opassom, in the language of the Indians of Virginia," and he refers to a translation of Buffon's Natural History' (Lond. 1792), Vol. i. p. 214. By 1792 the name was being applied in Australia. The name opossum is applied in Australia to all or any of the species belonging to the following genera, which together form the sub-family Phalangerinae, viz.—Phalanger, Trichosurus, Pseudochirus, Petauroides, Dactylopsila, Petaurus, Gymnobelideus, Dromicia, Acrobates.

The commoner forms are as follows:—

Common Dormouse O.—
Dromicia nana, Desm.

Common Opossum—
Trichosurus vulpecula, Kerr.

Common Ring-tailed-O.—
Pseudochirus peregrinus, Bodd.

Greater Flying-O.—
Petauroides volans, Kerr.

Lesser Dormouse O.—
Dromicia lepida, Thomas.

Lesser Flying-O.—
Petaurus breviceps, Water.

Pigmy Flying-O.-
Acrobates pygmaeus.

Short-eared-O.—
Trichosurus caninus, W. Ogilby.

Squirrel Flying-O., or Flying Squirrel—
Petaurus sciureus, Shaw.

Striped O.—
Dactylopsila trivirgata, Gray.

Tasmanian, or Sooty O.—
Trichosurus vulpecula, var. fuliginosus.

Tasmanian Ring-tailed-O.—
Pseudochirus cooki, Desm.

Yellow-bellied Flying-O.—
Petaurus australis, Shaw.

Of the rare little animal called Leadbeater's Opossum, only one specimen has been found, and that in Victoria; it is Gymnobelideus leadbeateri, and is the only species of this genus.

1608. John Smith, `Travels, Adventures, and Observations in Europe, Asia, Africke, and America, beginning about 1593, and continued to 1629;' 2 vols., Richmond, U.S., reprinted 1819; vol. i. p. 124 [On the American animal; in the part about Virginia, 1608]:

"An Opassom hath a head like a Swine,—a taile like a Rat, and is of the bigness of a Cat. Under the belly she hath a bagge, wherein she lodgeth, carrieth and suckleth her young."

[This is the American opossum. There are only two known genera of living marsupials outside the Australian region.]

1770. `Capt. Cook's Journal' (edition Wharton, 1893), p. 294 [at Endeavour River, Aug. 4, 1770]:

"Here are Wolves, Possums, an animal like a ratt, and snakes."

1770. J. Banks, `Journal,' July 26, (edition Hooker, 1896, p. 291):

"While botanising to-day I had the good fortune to take an animal of the opossum (Didelphis) tribe; it was a female, and with it I took two young ones. It was not unlike that remarkable one which De Buffon has described by the name of Phalanger as an American animal. It was, however, not the same. M. de Buffon is certainly wrong in asserting that this tribe is peculiar to America, and in all probability, as Pallas has said in his Zoologia, the Phalanger itself is a native of the East Indies, as my animals and that agree in the extraordinary conformation of their feet, in which they differ from all others."

1789. Governor Phillip, `Voyage to Botany Bay,' p. 104:

"The pouch of the female, in which the young are nursed, is thought to connect it rather with the opossum tribe."

[p. 147]: "A small animal of the opossum kind."

[p. 293]: "Black flying-opossum. [Description given.] The fur of it is so beautiful, and of so rare a texture, that should it hereafter be found in plenty, it might probably be thought a very valuable article of commerce."

1793. J. Hunter, `Voyage,' p. 68:

"The opossum is also very numerous here, but it is not exactly like the American opossum: it partakes a good deal of the kangaroo in the strength of its tail and make of its fore-legs, which are very short in proportion to the hind ones; like that animal it has the pouch, or false belly, for the safety of its young in time of danger."

1798. D. Collins, `Account of New South Wales,' fol. i. p. 562:

"At an early age the females wear round the waist a small line made of the twisted hair of the opossum, from the centre of which depend a few small uneven lines from two to five inches long. This they call bar-rin."

1809. G. Shaw, `Zoological Lectures,' vol. i. p. 93:

"A still more elegant kind of New Holland opossum is the petaurine opossum . . . has the general appearance of a flying-squirrel, being furnished with a broad furry membrane from the fore to the hind feet, by the help of which it springs from tree to tree. . . . Known in its native regions by the name of hepoona roo."

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 67:

"Their food consists of fish when near the coasts, but when in the woods, of oppossums [sic], bandicoots, and almost any animal they can catch."

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 143:

"The sharp guttural noises of opossums."

Ibid. p. 174 [`The Native Woman's Lament']:

"The white man wanders in the dark,
We hear his thunder smite the bough;
The opossum's mark upon the bark
We traced, but cannot find it, now."

1853. J. West, `History of Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 324:

"The opossums usually abound where grass is to be found, lodging by day in the holes and hollows of trees. The most common species is the Phalangista vulpina (Shaw), under which are placed both the black and grey opossums. . . . The ringtail opossum (Phalangista or Hepoona Cookii, Desm.) is smaller, less common, and less sought after, for dogs will not eat the flesh of the ringtail even when roasted."

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 200:

"Dogs, immediately on coming into the Australian forest, become perfectly frantic in the pursuit of opossums."

1883. `Encyclopaedia Britannica' (ed. 9) [On the Australian animal], vol. xv. p. 382:

"A numerous group, varying in size from that of a mouse to a large cat, arboreal in their habits and abundantly distributed throughout the Australian region . . . have the tail more or less prehensile. . . . These are the typical phalangers or `opossums,' as they are commonly called in Australia. (Genus Phalangista.)"

Ibid. p. 380 [On the American animal]:

"The Didelphidae, or true opossums, differ from all other marsupials in their habitat, being peculiar to the American continent. They are mostly carnivorous or insectivorous in their diet, and arboreal in habits."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 11:

"Among the colonists the younger generation are very zealous opossum hunters. They hunt them for sport, going out by moonlight and watching the animal as it goes among the trees to seek its food."

1891. `Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':

"We see two fine pairs of the Tasmanian sooty opossum (Phalangista fuliginosa); this species is unapproached by any other in regard to size and the beauty of its fur, which is of a rich, fulvous brown colour. This opossum is becoming scarce in Tasmania on account of the value of its fur, which makes it much sought after. In the next compartment are a pair of short-eared opossums (P. canina), the mountain opossums of Southern Australia. The next is a pair of vulpine opossums; these are the common variety, and are found all over the greater part of Australia, the usual colour of this kind being grey."

1893. `Melbourne Stock and Station Journal,' May 10 (advertisement):

"Kangaroo, wallaby, opossum, and rabbit skins. . . . Opossum skins, ordinary firsts to 7s. 6d; seconds to 3s.; thirds to 1s. 6d; silver greys up to 9s. per doz.; do. mountain, to 18s. per doz."

<hw>Opossum-Mouse</hw>, n. the small Australian marsupial, Acrobates pygmaeus, Shaw; more correctly called the Pigmy Flying-Phalanger. See Flying- Phalanger. This is the animal generally so denoted, and it is also called the Flying-Mouse. But there is an intermediate genus, Dromicia (q.v.), with no parachute expansion on the flanks, not "flying," of which the name of Dormouse-Phalanger is the more proper appellation. The species are the—

Common Dormouse-Phalanger—
Dromicia nana, Desm.

Lesser D.-Ph.—
D. lepida, Thomas.

Long-tailed D.-Ph.—
D. caudata, M. Edw.

Western D.-Ph.—
D. concinna, Gould.

One genus, with only one species, the Pentailed-Phalanger, Distaechurus pennatus, Peters, is confined to New Guinea.

1832. J. Bischoff, `Van Diemen's Land,' p. 28:

"The opossum-mouse is about the size of our largest barn-mouse."

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 118:

"Resembling a common mouse in size, and hence known to the colonists as the flying-mouse or opossum-mouse, this little animal is one of the most elegant of the Australian marsupials."

<hw>Opossum-Tree</hw>, n. a timber-tree, Quintinia sieberi, De C., N.O. Saxifrageae.

<hw>Orange</hw>, n. i.q. Native Lime, Citrus australis. See Lime.

<hw>Orange, Mock</hw>, n. i.q. Native Laurel. See Laurel.

<hw>Orange, Native</hw>, n. name given to two Australian trees. (1) Capparis mitchelli, Lindl., N.O. Capparideae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 12:

"`Small Native Pomegranate,' `Native Orange.' The fruit is from one to two inches in diameter, and the pulp, which has an agreeable perfume, is eaten by the natives."

(2) Citriobatus pauciflorus, A. Cunn., N.O. Pittosporeae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 16:

"`Native Orange,' `Orange Thorn.' The fruit is an orange berry with a leathery skin, about one inch and a half in diameter. It is eaten by the aboriginals."

<hw>Orange, Wild</hw>, n. i.q. Wild Lemon. See under Lemon.

<hw>Orange-Gum</hw>, n. See Gum.

<hw>Orange-spotted Lizard</hw> (of New Zealand), Naultinus elegans, Gray.

<hw>Orange-Thorn</hw>, n. See Orange, Native(2).

<hw>Orange-Tree</hw>, n. The New Zealand Orange-Tree is a name given to the Tarata (q.v.), from the aromatic odour of its leaves when crushed.

<hw>Organ-Bird</hw>, or <hw>Organ-Magpie</hw>, n. other names for one of the Magpies (q.v.).

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 48:

"Gymnorrhina organicum, Gould, Tasmanian crow-shrike; Organ-Bird and White-Magpie of the Colonists. Resembling the sounds of a hand-organ out of tune."

1848. T. L. Mitchell, `Tropical Australia,' p. 176:

"The burita, or Gymnorrhina, the organ-magpie, was here represented by a much smaller bird."

<hw>Ornithorhynchus</hw>, n. i.q. Platypus (q.v.).

<hw>Orthonyx</hw>, n. a scientific name of a remarkable Australian genus of passerine birds, the spine-tails. It long remained of uncertain position . . . and finally it was made the type of a family, Orthonycidae. In the type species, O. spinacauda . . . the shafts of the tail-feathers are prolonged beyond the legs. (`Century.') Thename is from the Greek 'orthos, straight, and 'onux, a claw. See Log-Runner and Pheasant's Mother.

<hw>Osprey</hw>, n. another name for the Fish-Hawk (q.v.).

<hw>Ounce</hw>, n. used as adj. Yielding an ounce of gold to a certain measure of dirt, as a dish-full, a cradle-full, a tub-full, etc. Also used to signify the number of ounces per ton that quartz will produce, as "ounce-stuff," "three-ounce stuff," etc.

Out-run, n. a sheep-run at a distance from the Head-station (q.v.).

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. vi. p. 47 (1890):

"They'd come off a very far out-run, where they'd been, as one might say, neglected."

<hw>Out-station</hw>, n. a sheep or cattle station away from the Head-station (q.v.).

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' July 11, p. 1, col. 3:

"There are four out-stations with huts, hurdles . . . and every convenience."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. c. 8, p. 231:

"The usual fare at that time at the out-stations—fried pork and kangaroo."

1870. Paul Wentworth, `Amos Thorne,' c. iii. p. 26:

"He . . . at last on an out-station in the Australian bush worked for his bread."

<hw>Overland</hw>, v. to take stock across the country.

1874. W. H. L. Ranken, `Dominion of Australia,' c. xiii. p. 232:

"Herds used to be taken from New South Wales to South Australia across what were once considered the deserts of Riverina. That used to be called `overlanding.'"

1890. Lyth, `Golden South,' c. ix. p. 74:

"Several gentlemen were away from the two nearest stations, `overlanding,' i.e. taking sheep, cattle, and flour to Melbourne."

<hw>Overlander</hw>, n. (1) In the days before railways, and when much of the intervening country was not taken up, to travel between Sydney and Melbourne, or Melbourne and Adelaide, was difficult if not dangerous. Those who made either journey were called Overlanders. In this sense the word is now only used historically, but it retains the meaning in the general case of a man taking cattle a long distance, as from one colony to another.

(2) A slang name for a Sundowner (q.v.).

1843. Rev. W. Pridden, `Australia: Its History and Present Condition,' p. 335:

"Among the beings which, although not natives of the bush, appear to be peculiar to the wilds of Australia, the class of men called Overlanders must not be omitted. Their occupation is to convey stock from market to market, and from one colony to another."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. c. vi. p. 237:

"The Eastern extent of the country of South Australia was determined by the overlanders, as they call the gentlemen who bring stock from New South Wales."

1880. Garnet Walch, `Victoria in 1880,' p. 11:

"Overlanders from Sydney and Melbourne to Adelaide were making great sums of money."

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. ix. p. 69:

"He gave us the advice of an experienced overlander."

1880. A. J. Vogan, `Black Police,' p. 262:

"An `overlander,'—for, as you havn't any of the breed in New Zealand, I'll explain what that is,—is Queensland-English for a long-distance drover; and a rough, hard life it generally is. . . . Cattle have to be taken long distances to market sometimes from these `up-country' runs."

1890. `Melbourne Argus,' June 7, p. 4, col. 1:

"Then came overlanders of another sort—practical men who went out to develop and not to explore."

<hw>Owl</hw>, n. an English bird-name. The species in Australia are—

Boobook Owl—
Ninox boobook, Lath.

Chestnut-faced O.—
Strix castanops, Gould.

Grass O.—
S. candida, Tickell.

Lesser Masked O.—
S. delicatula, Lath.

Masked O.—
S. novae-hollandiae, Steph.

Powerful O.—
Ninox strenua, Gould.

Sooty O.—
Strix tenebricosa, Gould.

Spotted O.—
Ninox maculata, Vig. and Hors.

Winking O.—
N. connivens, Lath.

In New Zealand, the species are—Laughing Jackass, or L. Owl, Sceloglaux albifacies, Kaup (Maori name, Whekau, q.v.), and the Morepork, formerly Athene novae-zelandiae, Gray, now Spiloglaux novae-zelandiae, Kaup. (See Morepork.)

P

<hw>Pa</hw>, or <hw>Pah</hw>, n. The former is now considered the more correct spelling. A Maori word to signify a native settlement, surrounded by a stockade; a fort; a fighting village. In Maori, the verb pa means, to touch, to block up. Pa = a collection of houses to which access is blocked by means of stockades and ditches.

1769. `Captain Cook's Journal' (edition Wharton, 1893), p. 147:

"I rather think they are places of retreat or stronghold, where they defend themselves against the attack of an enemy, as some of them seemed not ill-design'd for that purpose."

Ibid. p. 156:

"Have since learnt that they have strongholds—or hippas, as they call them—which they retire to in time of danger."

[Hawkesworth spelt it, Heppahs; he = Maori definite article.]

1794. `History of New South Wales' (1818), p. 175:

"[On the coast of New Zealand] they passed many huts and a considerable hippah, or fortified place, on a high round hill, from the neighbourhood of which six large canoes were seen coming towards the ship."

1842. W. R. Wade, `Journey in New Zealand' (Hobart Town), p. 27:

"A native pa, or enclosed village, is usually surrounded by a high stockade, or irregular wooden fence, the posts of which are often of great height and thickness, and sometimes headed by the frightful carving of an uncouth or indecent image."

1858. `Appendix to Journal of House of Representatives,' E-4, p. 4:

"They seem, generally speaking, at present inveterate in their adherence to their dirty native habits, and to their residence in pas."

1859. A. S. Thomson, M.D., `Story of New Zealand,' p. 132:

"The construction of the war pas . . . exhibits the inventive faculty of the New Zealanders better than any other of their works. . . . Their shape and size depended much on the nature of the ground and the strength of the tribe. They had double rows of fences on all unprotected sides; the inner fence, twenty to thirty feet high, was formed of poles stuck in the ground, slightly bound together with supple-jacks, withes, and torotoro creepers. The outer fence, from six to eight feet high, was constructed of lighter materials. Between the two there was a dry ditch. The only openings in the outer fence were small holes; in the inner fence there were sliding bars. Stuck in the fences were exaggerated wooden figures of men with gaping mouths and out-hanging tongues. At every corner were stages for sentinels, and in the centre scaffolds, twenty feet high, forty feet long, and six broad, from which men discharged darts at the enemy. Suspended by cords from an elevated stage hung a wooden gong twelve feet long, not unlike a canoe in shape, which, when struck with a wooden mallet, emitted a sound heard in still weather twenty miles off. Previously to a siege the women and children were sent away to places of safety."

1863. T. Moser, `Mahoe Leaves,' p. 14:

"A pah is strictly a fortified village, but it has ceased to be applied to a fortified one only, and a collection of huts forming a native settlement is generally called a pah now-a-days."

1867. F. Hochstetter, `New Zealand,' p. 22:

"They found the pah well fortified, and were not able to take it."

1879. Clement Bunbury, `Fraser's Magazine, June, p. 761:

"The celebrated Gate Pah, where English soldiers in a panic ran away from the Maoris, and left their officers to be killed."

1889. Cassell's' Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 46:

"A sally was made from the pah, but it was easily repulsed.
Within the pah the enemy were secure."

<hw>Pachycephala</hw>, n. the scientific name for the typical genus of Pachycephalinae, founded in 1826 by Vigors and Horsfield. It is an extensive group of thick-headed shrikes, containing about fifty species, ranging in the Indian and Australian region, but not in New Zealand. The type is P. gutturalis, Lath., of Australia. (`Century.') They are singing-birds, and are called Thickheads (q.v.), and often Thrushes (q.v.). The name is from the Greek pachus, thick, and kephalae, the head.

<hw>Packer</hw>, n. used for a pack-horse.

1875. Wood and Lapham, `Waiting for Mail,' p. 59:

"The boys took notice of a horse, some old packer he looked like."

1890. `The Argus,' June 7, p. 4, col. 1:

"The Darling drover with his saddle-horses and packers."

<hw>Paddock</hw>. (1) 1n England, a small field; in Australia, the general word for any field, or for any block of land enclosed by a fence. The `Home-paddock' is the paddock near the Homestation, and usually very large.

1832. J. Bischoff, `Van Diemen's Land,' c. vi. p. 148:

"There is one paddock of 100 acres, fenced on four sides."

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' July 25, p. 3, col. 6:

"A 300-acre grass paddock, enclosed by a two-rail fence."

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 42:

"The paddocks are so arranged that hills may afford shelter, and plains or light-timbered flats an escape from the enormous flies and other persecuting enemies."

1892. `Scribner's Magazine,' Feb., p. 141:

"`Paddocks,' as the various fields are called (some of these `paddocks' contain 12,000 acres)."

(2) An excavation made for procuring wash-dirt in shallow ground. A place built near the mouth of a shaft where quartz or wash-dirt is stored. (Brough Smyth, `Glossary of Mining Terms,' 1869.)

1895. `Otago Witness,' Nov. 21, p. 22, col. 5:

"A paddock was opened at the top of the beach, but rock-bottom was found."

<hw>Paddock</hw>, v. to divide into paddocks.

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' c. xx. p. 302:

"When a run is paddocked shepherds are not required; but boundary riders are required."

<hw>Paddy Lucerne</hw>, n. i.q. Queensland Hemp. See under Hemp.

<hw>Paddymelon</hw>, n. the name of a small Wallaby (q.v.), Macropus thetidis, Less. It is certainly a corruption of an aboriginal name, and is spelt variously pademelon, padmelon, and melon simply. (See Melon-holes.) This word is perhaps the best instance in Australia of the law of Hobson-Jobson, by which a strange word is fitted into a language, assuming a likeness to existing words without any regard to the sense. The Sydney name for kangaroo was patagorang. See early quotations. This word seems to give the first half of the modern word. Pata, or pada, was the generic name: mella an adjective denoting the species. Paddymalla (1827) marks an intermediate stage, when one-half of the word had been anglicised. At Jervis Bay, New South Wales, the word potalemon was used for a kangaroo.

1793. J. Hunter, `Voyage,' p. 547:

"The pattagorang and baggaray frequently supplied our colonists with fresh meals, and Governor Phillip had three young ones, which were likely to live: he has not the least doubt but these animals are formed in the false belly."

1798. D. Collins, `Account of English Colony in New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 548:

"The pat-ta-go-rang or kangooroo was (bood-yer-re) good, and they ate it whenever they were fortunate enough to kill one."

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 310:

"The wallabee and paddymalla grow to about sixty pounds each."

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 212:

"Had hunted down a paddymelon (a very small species of kangaroo, which is found in the long grass and thick brushes)."

1845. Clement Hodgkinson, `Australia, from Port Macquarie to Moreton Bay,' p. 45:

"The brush-kangaroos or pademellas were thus gradually enclosed."

1846. G. H. Haydon, `Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 47:

"A small species of the kangaroo tribe, called by the sealers paddymelon, is found on Philip Island, while none have been seen on French Island."

1851. J. Henderson, `Excursions in New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 129:

"The small kind of kangaroo, however, called by the natives `Paddy Melon,' and which inhabits the dense brushes or jungles, forms a more frequent, and more easily obtained article of food."

1863. M. K. Beveridge, `Gatherings,' p. 41:

"An apron made from skin of Paddie-Melon."

1863. B. A. Heywood, `Vacation Tour at the Antipodes,' p. 107:

"In the scrub beyond, numbers of a small kind of kangaroo called `Paddy- Mellans,' resort."

[Footnote] "I cannot guarantee the spelling."

1888. Cassell's' Picturesque Australasia,' vol. ii. p. 90:

"The kangaroo and his relatives, the wallaby and the paddymelon."

1890. A. H. S. Lucas, `Handbook of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science,' p. 62:

"Onychogale fraenatus and its ally O. lunatus. Mr. Le Souef reports that the former are fairly numerous in the Mallee country to the north-west of the Colony, and are there known as Pademelon." [This seems to be only a local use.]

1893. J. L. Purves, Q.C., in `The Argus,' Dec. 14, p. 9, col. 7:

"On either side is a forest, the haunt of wombats and tree-bears, and a few paddymelons."

<hw>Paddymelon-Stick</hw>, n. a stick used by the aborigines for knocking paddymelons (q.v.) on the head.

1851. J. Henderson, `Excursions in New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 129:

"These are hunted in the brushes and killed with paddy mellun sticks with which they are knocked down. These sticks are about 2 feet long and an inch or less in diameter."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 56:

"Nulla-mullahs, paddy-melon sticks, boomerangs, tomahawks, and heelimen or shields lay about in every direction."

<hw>Pah</hw>, n. i.q. Pa (q.v.).

<hw>Pake</hw>, n. Maori name for a coarse mat used against rain. A sack thrown over the shoulders is called by the settlers a Pake.

<hw>Pakeha</hw>, n. Maori word for a white man. The word is three syllables, with even accent on all. A Pakeha Maori is an Englishman who lives as a Maori with the Maoris. Mr. Tregear, in his `Maori Comparative Dictionary,' s.v. Pakepakeha, says: "Mr. John White [author of `Ancient History of the Maoris'] considers that pakeha, a foreigner, an European, originally meant `fairy,' and states that on the white men first landing sugar was called `fairy-sand,' etc." Williams' `Maori Dictionary' (4th edit.) gives, "a foreigner: probably from pakepakeha, imaginary beings of evil influence, more commonly known as patupaiarehe, said to be like men with fair skins." Some express this idea by "fairy." Another explanation is that the word is a corruption of the coarse English word, said to have been described by Dr. Johnson (though not in his dictionary), as "a term of endearment amongst sailors." The first a in Pakeha had something of the u sound. The sailors' word would have been introduced to New Zealand by whalers in the early part of the nineteenth century.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 187:

"Pakeha, s. an European; a white man."

1832. A. Earle, `Narrative of Nine Months' Residence in New Zealand,' p. 146:

"The white taboo'd day, when the packeahs (or white men) put on clean clothes and leave off work" [sc. Sunday].

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. i. p. 73:

"We do not want the missionaries from the Bay of Islands, they are pakeha maori, or whites who have become natives."

1854. W. Golder, `Pigeons' Parliament,' canto iii. p. 44:

"Aiding some vile pakehas
In deeds subversive of the laws."

1876. F. E. Maning [Title]:

"Old New Zealand, by a Pakeha Maori."

1884. T. Bracken, `Lays of the Maori,' p. 15:

"Long ere the pale pakeha came to the shrine."

<hw>Palberry</hw>, n. a South Australian name for the Native Currant. See Currant. The word is a corruption of the aboriginal name Palbri, by the law of Hobson-Jobson.

<hw>Palm, Alexandra</hw>, n. a Queensland timber-tree, Ptychosperma alexandrae, F. v. M., N.O. Palmeae.

<hw>Palm, Black</hw>, n. a Queensland timber-tree, Ptychosperma normanbyi, F. v. M., N.O. Palmeae.

<hw>Palm, Cabbage</hw>, n. i.q. Cabbage-tree (q.v.)

<hw>Palm Nut</hw>, n. See under Nut.

<hw>Palm, Walking-Stick</hw>, n. a Queensland plant, Bacularia monostachya, F. v. M., N.O. Palmeae. So called because the stem is much used for making walking-sticks.

<hw>Panel</hw>, n. the part between two posts in a post-and-rail fence. See also Slip-panel.

1876. A. L. Gordon, `Sea-spray,' p. 148:

"In the jar of the panel rebounding,
In the crash of the splintering wood,
In the ears to the earth-shock resounding,
In the eyes flashing fire and blood."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xviii. p. 226:

"A panel of fencing is not quite nine feet in length."

<hw>Pan</hw>, or <hw>Pan-wash</hw>, <hw>Pan-out</hw>, <hw>Pan-off</hw>, verbs, to wash the dirt in the pan for gold. Some of the forms, certainly pan-out, are used in the United States.

1870. J. O. Tucker, `The Mute,' p. 40:

"Others to these the precious dirt convey,
Linger a moment till the panning's through."

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Gold fields,' p. 4:

"On the very day of their arrival they got a lesson in pan-washing."

Ibid. p. 36:

"All the diggers merely panned out the earth."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. vii. p. 79:

"These returned gnomes having been brought to light, at once commenced to pan off according to the recognized rule and practice."

<hw>Pannikin</hw>, n. a small tin cup for drinking. The word is not Australian. Webster refers to Marryat and Thackeray. The `Century' quotes Blackmore. This diminutive of pan is exceedingly common in Australia, though not confined to it.

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 200:

"He went to the spring and brought me a pannican full."

(p. 101): "Several tin pannicans."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 87:

"We caught the rain in our pannikins as it dropt from our extended blankets."

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 190:

"There is a well-known story of two bullock-drivers, who, at a country public-house on their way to the town, called for a dozen of champagne, which they first emptied from the bottles into a bucket, and then deliberately drank off from their tin pannikins."

1871. C. L. Money, `Knocking About in New Zealand,' p. 6:

"He was considered sufficiently rewarded in having the `honour' to drink his `pannikin' of tea at the boss's deal table."

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 44:

"A small pannikin full of gold dust."

<hw>Pannikin-boss</hw>, or <hw>Pannikin-overseer</hw>, n. The term is applied colloquially to a man on a station, whose position is above that of the ordinary station-hand, but who has no definite position of authority, or is only a `boss' or overseer in a small way.

<hw>Papa</hw>, n. Maori word for a bluish clay found along the east coast of the North Island.

<hw>Paper-bark Tree</hw>, or <hw>Paper-barked Tea-tree</hw>, n. Called also Milk-wood (q.v.). Name given to the species Melaleuca leucodendron, Linn. Its bark is impervious to water.

1842. `Western Australia,' p. 81:

"There is no doubt, from the partial trial which has been made of it, that the wood of the Melaleuca, or tea-tree, could be rendered very serviceable. It is sometimes known by the name of the paper-bark tree from the multitudinous layers (some hundreds) of which the bark is composed. These layers are very thin, and are loosely attached to each other, peeling off like the bark of the English birch. The whole mass of the bark is readily stripped from the tree. It is used by the natives as a covering for their huts."

[Compare the New Zealand Thousand-jacket.]

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries of Australia,' vol. i. c. v. p. 106:

"The face of the country was well but not too closely covered with specimens of the red and white gum, and paper-bark tree."

1847. E. W. Landor, `The Bushman; or, Life in a New Country,' p. 212:

"Fish and other things are frequently baked in the bark of the papertree."

1857. J. Askew, `Voyage to Australia and New Zealand,' p. 433:

"The dead bodies are burnt or buried, though some in North Australia place the corpse in the paper bark of the tea-tree, and deposit it in a hollow tree."

<hw>Paper-fish</hw>, n. a Tasmanian name. See Bastard Trumpeter and Morwong.

1883. `Royal Commission on Fisheries of Tasmania,' p. xxxvi:

"The young [of the bastard trumpeter] are always coloured, more or less, like the red, and are known by some as `paper-fish.' The mature form of the silver bastard is alone caught. This is conclusive as favouring the opinion that the silver is simply the mature form of the red."

<hw>Paradise, Bird of</hw>, n. English bird-name, originally applied in Australia to the Lyre-bird (q.v.), now given to Manucoda gouldii, Gray. Called also the Manucode (q.v.).

1802. D. Collins, `Account of New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 300:

"By him [Wilson, a convict] the first bird of paradise ever seen in this country had been shot." [This was the Lyre-bird.]

<hw>Paradise-Duck</hw>, n. bird-name applied to the New Zealand duck, Casarca variegata, Gmel. See Duck quotation, 1889, Parker.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. 1. p. 57:

"These (wild ducks of different sorts) are principally the black, the grey, the blue-winged, and the paradise-duck, or `pu tangi tangi,' as it is called by the natives. The last is nearly as large as a goose, and of beautiful plumage."

<hw>Paradoxus</hw>, n. a shortened form of the former scientific name of the Platypus, Paradoxus ornithorrhynchus. Sometimes further abbreviated to Paradox. The word is from the Greek paradoxos, `Contrary to opinion, strange, incredible.' (`L. & S.')

1817. O'Hara, `The History of New South Wales,' p. 452:

"In the reaches or pools of the Campbell River, the very curious animal called the paradox, or watermole, is seen in great numbers."

<hw>Paramatta</hw>/sic/, n. "A fabric like merino, of worsted and cotton. So named from Paramatta, a town near Sydney, New South Wales." (Skeat, `Etymological Dictionary,' s.v.) According to some, the place named Parramatta means, in the local Aboriginal dialect, "eels abound," or "plenty of eels." Others rather put it that para = fish, and matta= water. There is a river in Queensland called the Paroo, which means "fish-river."

NOTE.—The town Parramatta, though formerly often spelt with one r, is now always spelt with two.

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 367:

"A peculiar tweed, made in the colony, and chiefly at Paramatta, hence the name."

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand, p. 19:

"Paramattas, fine cloths originally made from the Paramatta wool, with silk warps, though now woollen."

<hw>Pardalote</hw>, n. anglicised form of the scientific bird-name Pardalotus (q.v.), generally called Diamond birds (q.v.); a genus of small short-tailed birds like the Flycatchers. The species are—

Black-headed Pardalote—
Pardalotus melanocephalus, Gould.

Chestnut-rumped P.—
P. uropygialis, Gould.

Forty-spotted P.— P. quadragintus, Gould; called also Forty-Spot (q.v.).

Orange-tipped P.—
P. assimilis, Ramsay.

Red-browed P.—
P. rubricatus, Gould.

Red-tipped P.—
P. ornatus, Temm.

Spotted P.— P. punctatus, Temm.; the bird originally called the Diamond Bird (q.v.).

Yellow-rumped P.—
P. xanthopygius, McCoy.

Yellow-tipped P.—
P. affinis, Gould.—

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 35:

"No species of the genus to which this bird belongs is more widely and generally distributed than the spotted pardalote, Pardalotus punctatus."

<hw>Pardalotus</hw>, n. scientific name for a genus of Australian birds, called Diamond birds (q.v.), and also Pardalotes (q.v.), from Grk. pardalowtos, spotted like the pard.

<hw>Parera</hw>, n. Maori name for the genus Duck (q.v.).

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 407:

"Family, Anatida—Parera, turuki (Anas superciliosa), the duck; very similar to the wild duck of England."

<hw>Parra</hw>, n. a popular use for the fuller scientific name Parra gallinacea. Called also the Jacana (q.v.), and the Lotus-bird (q.v.).

1893. `The Argus,' March 25, p. 4, col. 6:

"The egg of the comb-crested parra shines amongst its neighbours so vividly that it at once catches the eye, and suggests a polished agate rather than an egg. The bird itself is something of a gem, too, when seen skipping with its long water-walking claws over the floating leaves of pink and blue water-lilies."

<hw>Parrakeet</hw>, n. (various spellings). From French. Originally from Spanish periquito, dim. of sp. perico, a little parrot. Hence used generally in English to signify any small parrot. The Australian species are—

Alexandra Parrakeet—
Spathopterus (Polytelis) alexandra, Gould.

Beautiful P.—
Psephotus pulcherrimus, Gould.

Black-tailed P.— Polytelis melanura, Vig. and Hors.; called also Rock-pebbler.

Blue-cheeked P.—
Platycercus amathusiae, Bp.

Cockatoo P.—
Calopsittacus novae-hollandiae Gmel.

Crimson-bellied P.—
Psephotus haematogaster, Gould.

Golden-shouldered P.—
Psephotus chrysopterygius, Gould.

Green P.—
Platycercus flaviventris, Temm.

Ground P.—
Pezoporus formosus, Lath.

Mallee P.—
Platycercus barnardi, Vig. and Hors.

Many-coloured P.—
Psephotus multicolor, Temm.

Night P.—
Pezoporus occidentalis, Gould.

Pale-headed P:—
Platycercus pallidiceps, Vig.

Pheasant P.—
P. adelaidensis, Gould.

Red-backed P.—
Psephotus haematonotus, Gould.

Red-capped P.—
P. spurius, Kuhl.

Rock P.—
Euphema petrophila, Gould.

Smutty P.—
Platycercus browni, Temm.

Yellow P.—
P. flaveolus, Gould.

Yellow-banded P.
P. zonarius, Shaw.

Yellow-cheeked P.
P. icterotis, Temm.

Yellow-collared P.— P. semitorquatus, Quoy and Gaim.; called also Twenty-eight (q.v.).

Yellow-mantled P.—
P. splendidus, Gould.

Yellow-vented P.—
Psephotus xanthorrhous, Gould.

See also Grass-Parrakeet, Musk-Parrakeet, Rosella, and Rosehill. The New Zealand Green Parrakeet (called also Kakariki, q.v.) has the following species—

Antipodes Island P.-
Platycercus unicolor, Vig.

Orange-fronted P.—
P. alpinus, Buller.

Red-fronted P.—
P. novae-zelandiae, Sparrm.

Rowley's Parrakeet—
Platycercus rowleyi, Buller.

Yellow-fronted P.—
P. auriceps, Kuhl.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Journal,' p. 80:

"The cockatoo-parrakeet of the Gwyder River (Nymphicus
Novae-Hollandiae, Gould)."

1867. A. G. Middleton, `Earnest,' p. 93:

"The bright parroquet, and the crow, black jet,
For covert, wing far to the shade."

1889. Prof. Parker, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 118:

"There are three species of parrakeet, the red-fronted (Platycercus Novae-Zelandiae), the yellow-fronted (P. auriceps), and the orange-fronted (P. alpinus). The genus Platycercus is found in New Zealand, New Guinea, and Polynesia."

<hw>Parrot-bill</hw>, n. See Kaka-bill.

<hw>Parrot-fish</hw>, n. name given in Australia to Pseudoscarus pseudolabrus; called in the Australian tropics Parrot-perch. In Victoria and Tasmania, there are also several species of Labricthys. In New Zealand, it is L. psittacula, Rich.

<hw>Parrot-Perch</hw>, n. See Parrot-fish.

<hw>Parrot's-food</hw>, n. name given in Tasmania to the plant Goodenia ovata, Sm., N.O. Goodeniaceae.

<hw>Parsley, Wild</hw>, n. Apium leptophyllum, F. v. M., N.O. Umbelliferae. Parsley grows wild in many parts of the world, especially on the shores of the Mediterranean, and this species is not endemic in Australia.

<hw>Parsnip, Wild</hw>, n. a poisonous weed, Trachymene australis, Benth., N.O. Umbelliferae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 142:

"Recently (Dec. 1887) the sudden death of numbers of cattle in the vicinity of Dandenong, Victoria, was attributed to their having eaten a plant known as the wild parsnip. . . . Its action is so powerful that no remedial measures seem to be of any avail."

<hw>Parson-bird</hw>, n. the New Zealand bird Prosthemadera novae-zelandiae, Gmel.; Maori name, Tui (q.v.). See also Poe.

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 401:

"Cook named this beautiful and lively bird the parson and mocking-bird. It acquired the first name from its having two remarkable white feathers on the neck like a pair of clergyman's bands."

[Mr. Taylor is not correct. Cook called it the Poe-bird (q.v.). The name `Parson-bird' is later.]

1857. C. Hursthouse, `New Zealand the Britain of the South,' vol. i. p. 118:

"The most common, and certainly the most facetious, individual of the ornithology is the tui (parson-bird). Joyous Punchinello of the bush, he is perpetual fun in motion."

1858. C. W., `Song of the Squatters,' `Canterbury Rhymes' (2nd edit.), p. 47:

"So the parson-bird, the tui,
The white-banded songster tui,
In the morning wakes the woodlands
With his customary music.
Then the other tuis round him
Clear their throats and sing in concert,
All the parson-birds together."

1866. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 93:

"The tui, or parson-bird, most respectable and clerical-looking in its glossy black suit, with a singularly trim and dapper air, and white wattles of very slender feathers—indeed they are as fine as hair—curled coquettishly at each side of his throat, exactly like bands."

1888. Dr. Thomson, apud Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 95:

"Sitting on the branch of a tree, as a pro tempore pulpit, he shakes his head, bending to one side and then to another, as if he remarked to this one and to that one; and once and again, with pent-up vehemence, contracting his muscles and drawing himself together, his voice waxes loud, in a manner to awaken sleepers to their senses."

1890. W. Colenso, `Bush Notes,' `Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,' vol. xxxiii. art. lvii. p. 482:

"It is very pleasing to hear the deep rich notes of the parson-bird—to see a pair of them together diligently occupied in extracting honey from the tree-flowers, the sun shining on their glossy sub-metallic dark plumage."

<hw>Partridge-Pigeon</hw>, n. an Australian pigeon.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 8:

"The partridge-pigeon (Geophaps scripta) abounded in the
Acacia groves."

<hw>Partridge-wood</hw>, n. another name for the Cabbage-Palm (q.v.).

<hw>Passion-flower, Native</hw>, n. Several species of the genus Passiflora are so called in Australia; some are indigenous, some naturalised.

1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Hamlyn,' p. 398:

"The native passion-flower, scarlet and orange, was tangled up with the common purple sarsaparilla and the English honeysuckle and jessamine."

<hw>Pastoralist</hw>, n. The squatters are dropping their old name for this new one. A Pastoralist is a sheep or cattle-farmer, the distinction between him and an Agriculturist being, that cultivation, if he undertakes it at all, is a minor consideration with him.

1891. March 15 [Title]:

"The Pastoralists' Review," No. 1.

1892. `Scribner's Magazine,' Feb., p. 147:

"A combination has been formed by the squatters under the name of the Pastoralists' Union."

<hw>Patagorang</hw>, n. one of the aboriginal names for the Kangaroo (q.v.), and see Paddy-melon.

<hw>Pataka</hw>, n. Maori word for storehouse, supported on a post to keep off rats. See Whata.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. i. p. 283:

"We landed at the pataka, or stage."

<hw>Patiki</hw>, n. the Maori name for the Flounder (q.v.). The accent is on the first syllable of the word.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of the Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 190:

"Patiki, s. a fish so called."

1844. F. Tuckett, `Diary,' May 31:

"A fine place for spearing soles or patike (the best of fish)."

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 412:

"Patiki, common name for the sole and flat-fish; the latter is found in rivers, but decreases in size as it retires from the sea."

1879. Captain Mair, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xii. art. xlvi. p. 316:

"Large patiki, flat-fish, are occasionally speared up the river."

<hw>Patriot</hw>, n. Humorously applied to convicts.

1796. In `History of Australia,' by G. W. Rusden (1894), p. 49 [Footnote]:

"In 1796 the Prologue (erroneously imputed to a convict Barrington, but believed to have been written by an officer) declared:

`True patriots we, for be it understood
We left our country for our country's good.'"

<hw>Patter</hw>, v. to eat. Aboriginal word, and used in pigeon- English, given by Collins in his vocabulary of the Port Jackson dialect. Threlkeld says, ta is the root of the verb, meaning "to eat."

1833. C. Sturt, `Southern Australia,' vol. ii. c. vii. p. 223:

"He himself did not patter (eat) any of it."

<hw>Patu</hw>, n. Maori generic term for all hand-striking weapons. The mere (q.v.) is one kind.

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 82:

"It (fern-root) was soaked, roasted, and repeatedly beaten with a small club (patu) on a large smooth stone till it was supple."

<hw>Paua</hw>, n. the Maori name for the Mutton- fish (q.v.). Also used as the name for Maori fishhooks, made of the paua shell; the same word being adopted for fish, shell, and hook.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 191:

"Paua, s. a shell-fish so called."

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 416:

"Pawa (Haliotis iris), or mutton-fish. This beautiful shell is found of considerable size; it is used for the manufacture of fish-hooks."

1855. Ibid. p.397:

"The natives always tie a feather or two to their paua, or fish-hooks."

1877. W. L. Buller, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. x. art. xix. p. 192:

"Elaborately carved, and illuminated with paua shell."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 162:

"Immense piles of paua shells (Haliotis iris), heaped up just above the shore, show how largely these substantial molluscs were consumed."

<hw>Payable</hw>, adj. In Australia, able to be worked at a profit: that which is likely to pay; not only, as in England, due for payment.

1884. R. L. A. Davies, `Poems and Literary Remains,' p. 38:

"We . . . expect to strike a payable lead on a hill near . . . A shaft is bottomed there, and driving is commenced to find the bottom of the dip."

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 15:

"Good payable stone has been struck."

1894. `The Argus,' March 28, p. 5, col. 5:

"Good payable reefs have been found and abandoned through ignorance of the methods necessary to obtain proper results."

<hw>Pea, Coral</hw>, n. See Coral Pea.

<hw>Pea, Darling</hw>, n. See Darling Pea.

<hw>Pea, Desert</hw>, n. See Sturt's Desert Pea.

<hw>Pea, Flat</hw>, n. See Flat Pea.

<hw>Pea, Glory</hw>, n. another name for the Clianthus (q.v.).

<hw>Pea, Heart</hw>, n. i.q. Balloon-Vine (q.v.).

<hw>Pea-plant</hw>, n. The term is applied sometimes to any one of various Australian plants of the N.O. Leguminosae.

<hw>Peach-berry</hw>, n. a Tasmanian berry, Lissanthe strigosa, Smith, N.O. Epacrideae.

<hw>Peach, Native</hw>, n. another name for the Quandong (q.v.), and for Emu-Apple (q.v.).

1877. F. v. Mueller, `Botanic Teachings, p. 42:

"The so-called native Peach-tree of our desert tracts is a true Santalum, S. acuminatum."

<hw>Peacocking</hw>, vb. n. Australian slang. To peacock apiece of country means to pick out the eyes of the land by selecting or buying up the choice pieces and water-frontages, so that the adjoining territory is practically useless to any one else.

1894. W. Epps, `Land Systems of Australasia,' p. 28:

"When the immediate advent of selectors to a run became probable, the lessees endeavoured to circumvent them by dummying all the positions which offered the best means of blocking the selectors from getting to water. This system, commonly known as `peacocking' . . ."

<hw>Pear, Native</hw>, name given to a timber-tree, Xylomelum pyriforme, Sm., N.O. Proteaceae (called also Wooden Pear), and to Hakea acicularis. See Hakea.

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 219:

"The pear-tree is, I believe, an eucalyptus, and bears a pear of solid wood, hard as heart of oak."

[It is not a eucalypt.]

<hw>Pear, Wooden</hw>, i.q. Native Pear. See above.

<hw>Pearl-Perch</hw>, n. a rare marine fish of New South Wales, excellent for food, Glaucosoma scapulare, Ramsay, family Percidae.

<hw>Pedgery</hw>, n. i.q. Pituri (q.v.).

<hw>Pee-wee</hw>, n. a New South Wales name for the Magpie-Lark (q.v.).

<hw>Peg-out</hw>, v. tr. to mark out a gold-claim under the Mining Act, or a Free-Selection (q.v.) under the Land Act, by placing pegs at the corners of the land selected. Used also metaphorically.

1858. W. H. Hall, `Practical Experiences at the Diggings in Victoria,' p. 23:

"I selected an unoccupied spot between two holes . . . pegged out eight square feet, paid the licence fee."

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 58:

"He was in high hopes that he might be one of the first to peg out ground on the goldfield."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' c. iii. p. 32:

"The pegging out, that is, the placing of four stout sticks, one at each corner, was easy enough."

1891. W. Tilley, `Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 8:

"Making their way to Heemskirk, where they were the first to peg out land for ten."

Ibid. Preface:

"The writer . . . should be called on to defend his conduct in pegging out an additional section on the outskirts of the field of literature."

<hw>Pelican</hw>, n. English bird-name. The pelicans occur in nearly all temperate or tropical regions. The Australian species is Pelecanus conspicillatus, Temm.

1885. R. M. Praed, `Head Station,' p. 256 [Title of chapter 39]:

"Where the pelican builds her nest."

<hw>Penguin</hw>, n. common English bird-name. The species in Australia are—

Crested Penguin—
Catarractes chrysocome, Lath.

Fairy P.—
Eudyptula undina, Gould.

Little P.—
E. minor, Forst.

For the New Zealand species, see the quotation, and also Korora.

1889. Professor Parker, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 119:

"The Penguins are characteristic Southern Hemisphere sea-birds, being represented in the Northern by the Puffins. They are flightless, but their wings are modified into powerful fins or flappers. Among the most interesting forms are the following— the King Penguin, Aptenodytes longirostris; Rock Hopper P., Pygoscelis taeniatus; Yellow-Crowned P., Eudyptes antipodum; Crested P., E. pachyrhynchus; Little Blue P., E. minor and undina."

<hw>Pennyroyal, Native</hw>, n. Mentha gracilis, R. Br., N.O. Labiatae. Much more acrid than the European species of Mentha; but used widely as a herbal medicine. Very common in all the colonies. See also Mint.

<hw>Pepper, Climbing</hw>, n. Piper novae-hollandiae, Miq., N.O. Piperaceae. Called also Native Pepper, and Native Pepper-vine. A tall plant climbing against trees in dense forests.

<hw>Peppermint</hw>, or <hw>Peppermint-tree</hw>, n. a name given to various Eucalypts, from the aromatic nature of their leaves or extracted essence. See quotation below from White, 1790. There are many species, and various vernacular names, such as Brown Peppermint, Dandenong P., Narrow-leaved P., White P., etc. are given in various parts to the same species. See Maiden's note on Eucalyptus amygdalina, under Gum. Other vernacular names of different species are Bastard-Peppermint, Peppermint-Box, Peppermint-Gum.

1790. J. White, `Voyage to New South Wales' (Appendix by Dr. Smith or John Hunter), pp. 226-27:

"The Peppermint Tree, Eucalyptus piperita. . . . The name of peppermint-tree has been given to this plant by Mr. White on account of the very great resemblance between the essential oil drawn from its leaves and that obtained from the Peppermint (Mentha piperita) which grows in England. This oil was found by Mr. White to be much more efficacious in removing all cholicky complaints than that of the English Peppermint, which he attributes to its being less pungent and more aromatic."

1832. J. Bischoff, `Van Diemen's Land,' c. ii. p. 23:

"The peppermint, so called from the leaves imparting to the taste that flavour, grows everywhere throughout the island."

1874. Garnet Walch, I Head over Heels,' p. 75:

"Well, mate, it's snug here by the logs
That's peppermint—burns like a match."

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 30:

"A woody gully filled with peppermint and stringy-bark trees."

1884. R. L. A. Davies, `Poems and Literary Remains,' p. 231:

"The peppermints rose like pillars, with funereal branches
hung,
Where the dirge for the dead is chanted,
And the mourning hymn is sung."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 116:

"Down among the roots of a peppermint bush."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' 439:

"It [Eucalyptus capitella, Smith] is one of the numerous `peppermints' of New South Wales and Victoria, and is noteworthy as being the first eucalypt so called, at any rate in print."

<hw>Pepper, Native</hw>, i.q. Climbing Pepper (see above), Piper Novae-Hollandiae, Miq.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 198:

"`Native Pepper.' An excellent tonic to the mucous membrane. . . . One of the largest native creepers, the root being at times from six inches to a foot in diameter. The plant climbs like ivy to the tops of the tallest trees, and when full-grown weighs many tons, so that a good supply of the drug is readily obtainable."

<hw>Pepper-tree</hw>, n. The name is given to two trees, neither of which are the true pepper of commerce (Piper). They are—

(1) Schinus molle, which is a native of South America, of the Cashew family, and is largely cultivated for ornament and shade in California, and in the suburbs and public parks and gardens of all Australian towns where it has been naturalised. It is a very fast growing evergreen, with feathery leaves like a small palm or fern, drooping like a weeping willow. It flowers continuously, irrespective of season, and bears a cluster of red-berries or drupes, strongly pungent,-whence its name.

(2) The other tree is indigenous in Australia and Tasmania; it is Drimys aromatica, F. v. M., formerly called Tasmania aromatica, R. Br., N.O. Magnoliaceae. In New Zealand the name is applied to Drimys /corr/ axillaris, Forst. (Maori, Horopito; q.v.).

1830. `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 65:

"A thick grove of the pepper-shrub, Tasmania fragrans of Smith. It grows in a close thicket to the height of from six to ten feet. When in blossom, in the spring months of November or December, the farina of the flower is so pungent, especially if shaken about by the feet of horses or cattle, that it is necessary to hold a handkerchief to the nose in order to avoid continual sneezing."

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia,' vol. ii. p. 280:

"We also found the aromatic tree, Tasmania aromatica. . . . The leaves and bark of this tree have a hot, biting, cinnamon-like taste, on which account it is vulgarly called the pepper-tree."

1880. Mrs. Meredith, `Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 231:

"The handsome red-stemmed shrub known as native pepper. . . . Something like cayenne and allspice mixed, . . . the aromatic flavour is very pleasant. I have known people who, having first adopted its use for want of other condiments, continue it from preference."

1888. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iii. p. 138:

"Bright green pepper-trees with their coral berries."

<hw>Peragale</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus of Australian marsupial animals called Rabbit- Bandicoots. See Bandicoot. (Grk. paera, a bag or wallet, and galae, a weasel.)

<hw>Perameles</hw>, n. scientific name for the typical genus of the family of Australian marsupial animals called Bandicoots (q.v.), or Bandicoot-Rats. The word is from Latin pera (word borrowed from the Greek), a bag or wallet, and meles (a word used by Varro and Pliny), a badger.

<hw>Perch</hw>, n. This English fish-name is applied with various epithets to many fishes in Australia, some of the true family Percidae, others of quite different families. These fishes have, moreover, other names attached to them in different localities. See Black Perch, Fresh-water P., Golden P., Magpie P., Murray P., Pearl P., Red P., Red Gurnet P., Rock P., Sea P., Parrot Fish, Poddly, Burramundi, Mado, and Bidyan Ruffe.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 31:

"Lates colonorum, the perch of the colonists . . , really a fresh-water fish, but . . . often brought to the Sydney market from Broken Bay and other salt-water estuaries. . . . The perch of the Ganges and other East Indian rivers (L. calcarifer) enters freely into brackish water, and extends to the rivers of Queensland."

[See Burramundi. L. colonorum is called the Gippsland Perch, in Victoria.]

1882. Ibid. p. 45:

"The other genus (Chilodactylus) is also largely represented in Tasmania and Victoria, one species being commonly imported from Hobart Town in a smoked and dried state under the name of `perch.'"

<hw>Perish, doing a</hw>, modern slang from Western Australia. See quotation.

1894. `The Argus,' March 28, p. 5, col. 4:

"When a man (or party) has nearly died through want of water he is said to have `done a perish.'"

<hw>Perpetual Lease</hw>, though a misnomer, is a statutory expression in New Zealand. Under the former Land Acts, the grantee of a perpetual lease took a term of thirty years, with a right of renewal at a revalued rent, subject to conditions as to improvement and cultivation, with a right to purchase the freehold after six years' occupation.

<hw>Perriwinkle</hw>, n. See quotation. The most popular form in Melbourne is Turbo undulatus, Chemnitz. T. constricta is also called the Native Whelk.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish and Fisheries of New South Wales,' p. 122:

"Trochocochlea constricta, Lam., is used as a substitute for the British perriwinkle, but it is only consumed to a very small extent."

<hw>Perth Herring</hw>, i.q. Sardine (q.v.), and see Herring.

<hw>Petaurist</hw>, n. the general name for a Flying-Phalanger (q.v.), Flying-Opossum (q.v.), Australian Flying-Squirrel (q.v.). (Grk. petauristaes, a rope-dancer or tumbler). See Petaurus.

<hw>Petauroides</hw>, n. a genus closely allied to Petaurus (q.v.), containing only one species, the Taguan Flying-Phalanger.

<hw>Petaurus</hw>, n. the scientific name given by Shaw in 1793 to the Australian genus of Petaurists (q.v.), or so-called Flying-Squirrels (q.v.), or Flying-Phalangers (q.v.), or Flying-Opossums. The name was invented by zoologists out of Petaurist. In Greek, petauron was the perch or platform from which a "rope-dancer" stepped on to his rope. `L. & S.' say probably from pedauros, Aeolic for meteowros, high in air.

<hw>Pething-pole</hw>, n. a harpoon-like weapon used for pething (pithing) cattle; that is, killing them by piercing the spinal cord (pith, or provincial peth).

1886. P. Clarke, `New Chum in Australia,' p. 184 (`Century'):

"So up jumps Tom on the bar overhead with a long pething-pole, like an abnormally long and heavy alpenstock, in his hand; he selects the beast to be killed, stands over it in breathless . . . silence, adjusts his point over the centre of the vertebra, and with one plunge sends the cruel point with unerring aim into the spinal cord."

<hw>Petrogale</hw>, n. the scientific name for a Rock-Wallaby (q.v.). The name was given by J. E. Gray, in the `Magazine of Natural History' (vol. i. p. 583), 1837. (Grk. petra, rock, and galae, a weasel.)

<hw>Pezoporus</hw>, n. scientific name of a genus of Parrakeets peculiar to Australia, of which one species only is known, P. formosus, the Ground Parrakeet, or Swamp Parrakeet. From Grk. pezoporos, "going on foot." It differs from all the other psittaci in having a long hind toe like that of a lark, and is purely terrestrial in its habits.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. i. pl. 46:

"Pezoporus Formosus, Ill., Ground-parrakeet; Swamp-parrakeet, Colonists of Van Diemen's Land; Ground-parrakeet, New South Wales and Western Australia."

<hw>Phalanger</hw>, n. the scientific name for the animal called an Opossum (q.v.) in Australia, and including also the Flying-squirrel (q.v.), and other Marsupials. See also Flying-Phalanger. The word is sometimes used instead of Opossum, where precise accuracy is desired, but its popular use in Australia is rare. The Phalangers are chiefly Australian, but range as far as the Celebes. The word is from the Greek phalanx, one meaning of which is the bone between the joints of the fingers or toes. (The toes are more or less highly webbed in the Phalanger.)

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' p. 249:

"The cry of the night-bird, the rustle of the phalangers and the smaller marsupials, as they glided through the wiry frozen grass or climbed the clear stems of the eucalypti."

1891. `Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':

"A pair of the Short-headed Phalanger (Belideus breviceps) occupy the next division."

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 75:

"The second great family of the herbivorous Diprotodont Marsupials is typically represented by the creatures properly known as phalangers, which the colonists of Australia persist in misnaming opossums. It includes however several other forms, such as the Flying-Phalangers [q.v.] and the Koala [q.v.]."

<hw>Phascolarctus</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus of the Koala (q.v.) or Native Bear, of which there is only one species, P. cinereus. It is, of course, marsupial.(Grk. phaskowlos, a leather apron, and 'arktos, a bear.) See Bear.

<hw>Phascologale</hw>, n. contracted often to Phascogale: the scientific name for the genus of little marsupials known as the Kangaroo-Mouse or Pouched-Mouse (q.v.). (Grk. phaskowlos, a leather apron, and galae, a weasel.) "The pretty little animals belonging to the genus thus designated, range over the whole of Australia and New Guinea, together with the adjacent islands and are completely arboreal and insectivorous in their habits. The [popular] name of Pouched-Mouse is far from being free from objection, yet, since the scientific names of neither this genus nor the genus Sminthopsis lend themselves readily for conversion into English, we are compelled to use the colonial designation as the vernacular names of both genera. . . . The largest of the thirteen known species does not exceed a Common Rat in size, while the majority are considerably smaller." (R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 166.)

1853. J. West, `History of Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 324:

"The phascogales are small insectivorous animals found on the mountains and in the dense forest-parts of the island, and little is known of their habits."

<hw>Phascolome</hw>, and <hw>Phascolomys</hw>, n. The first is the anglicised form of the second, which is the scientific name of the genus called by the aboriginal name of Wombat (q.v.) (Grk. phaskowlos = leathern bag, and mus = mouse.)

<hw>Phasmid</hw>, n. the name for the insects of the genus Phasma (Grk. phasma = an appearance), of the family Phasmidae, curious insects not confined to Australia, but very common there. The various species are known as Leaf-insects, Walking leaves, Stick-caterpillars, Walking-sticks, Spectres, etc., from the extraordinary illusion with which they counterfeit the appearance of the twigs, branches, or leaves of the vegetation on which they settle. Some have legs only, which they can hold crooked in the air to imitate twigs; others have wings like delicate leaves, or they are brilliant green and covered with thorns. They imitate not only the colour and form of the plant, but its action or motion when swayed slightly by the wind.

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 209:

"A span-long Phasmid then he knew,
Stretching its fore-limbs like a branching twig."

<hw>Pheasant</hw>, n. This common English bird-name is applied in Australia to two birds, viz.—

(1) The Lyre-bird (q.v.).

(2) The Lowan (q.v.), and see Turkey.

For Pheasant-fantail, see Fantail.

1877 (before). Australie, `From the Clyde to Braidwood,' quoted in `Australian Ballads and Rhymes' (edition Sladen, p. 10):

". . . Echoing notes
Of lyre-tailed pheasants, in their own rich notes,
Mocking the song of every forest-bird."

1885. Wanderer, `Beauteous Terrorist, etc., p. 60:

"And have we no visions pleasant
Of the playful lyre-tail'd pheasant?"

<hw>Pheasant-Cuckoo</hw>, n. another name for the Coucal (q.v.), Centropus phasianellus, Gould. See also Swamp-Pheasant.

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. c. vi. p. 125:

"I shot over the island and enjoyed some very fair sport, especially with the pheasant-cuckoo."

<hw>Pheasant's Mother</hw>, n. an old name of an Australian bird. See Orthonyx.

1860. G. Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 180:

"That remarkable little bird, the `Pheasant's Mother' of the colonists, or Spine-tailed Orthonyx (Orthonyx spinicauda), about which also ornithologists have some difference of opinion respecting its situation in the natural system:'

<hw>Philander</hw>, n. an old scientific name, now abandoned, for certain species of the Kangaroo family. The word was taken from the name of the explorer, Philander de Bruyn. See quotation.

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 36:

"Aru Island Wallaby. Macropus brunnii, Cuvier (1817). Didelphys brunnii, Schreber (1778). . . Distribution.— Aru and Kei Islands. This species has an especial interest as being the first member of the Kangaroo-family known to Europeans, specimens having been seen in the year 1711 by [Philander de] Bruyn living in the gardens of the Dutch Governor of Batavia. They were originally described under the name of Philander or Filander."

<hw>Phormium</hw>, n. scientific name of the genus to which New Zealand Flax (P. tenax) belongs. See Flax. (Grk. phormion, dim. of phormos, anything plaited of reeds or rushes.)

<hw>Pialler</hw>, v. used as pigeon-English, especially in Queensland and New South Wales, in the sense of yabber, to speak.

1834. L. E. Threlkeld, `Australian Grammar,' p. 10:

[As a barbarism] "piyaller, to speak."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Head Station,' p. 314:

"Hester seized the shrinking black and led him forward, wildly crying that she would `pialla' the Great Spirit, so that no evil should befall him."

<hw>Piccaninny</hw>, and <hw>Pickaninny</hw>, n. a little child. The word is certainly not Australian. It comes from the West Indies (Cuban piquinini, little, which is from the Spanish pequeno, small, and nino, child). The English who came to Australia, having heard the word applied to negro children elsewhere, applied it to the children of the aborigines. After a while English people thought the word was aboriginal Australian, while the aborigines thought it was correct English. It is pigeon-English.

1696. D'Urfey's `Don Quixote,' pt. iii. c. v. p. 41 (Stanford):

"Dear pinkaninny [sic],
If half a guiny
To Love wilt win ye."

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 12:

"`I tumble down pickaninny here,' he said, meaning that he was born there."

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 103:

"Two women, one with a piccaninny at her back."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 520:

"Bilge introduced several old warriors . . . adding always the number of piccaninies that each of them had."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 305:

"We can even trace words which the Europeans have imported from the natives of other countries—for example picaninny, a child. This word is said to have come originally from the negroes of Africa, through white immigrants. In America the children of negroes are called picaninny. When the white men came to Australia, they applied this name to the children of the natives of this continent."

<hw>Piccaninny</hw>, used as adj. and figuratively, to mean little.

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 104:

"The hut would be attacked before `piccaninny sun.'"

[Footnote]: "About daylight in the morning."

1884. J. W. Bull, `Early Life in South Australia,' p. 69:

[An Englishman, speaking to blacks] "would produce from his pocket one of his pistols, and say, `Picaninny gun, plenty more.'"

<hw>Pick-it-up</hw>, n. a boys' name for the Diamond bird (q.v.).

1896. G. A. Keartland, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' part ii. Zoology, Aves, p. 69:

"Pardalotus ornatus and Pardalotus affinis give forth a treble note which has secured for them the name of `Pick-it-up' from our country boys."

<hw>Picnic</hw>, n. Besides the ordinary meaning of this word, there is a slang Australian use denoting an awkward adventure, an unpleasant experience, a troublesome job. In America the slang use is "an easy or agreeable thing." (`Standard.') The Australasian use is an ironical inversion of this.

1896. Modern:

"If a man's horse is awkward and gives him trouble, he will say, `I had a picnic with that horse,' and so of any misadventure or disagreeable experience in travelling. So also of a troublesome business or other affair; a nursemaid, for instance, will say, `I had a nice picnic with Miss Nora's hair.'"

<hw>Picton Herring</hw>, n. a name for several fishes when dried (like "kipper"), especially for the Sea-Mullet, or Makawhiti or Aua (q.v.) (Maori names); and for the New South Wales fish called Maray (q.v.).

<hw>Pieman Jolly-tail</hw>, n. See Jolly-tail.

<hw>Pig-Dog</hw>, n. a dog used in hunting wild pigs.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. ii. p. 6:

"The pig-dogs are of rather a mongrel breed, partaking largely of the bull-dog, but mixed with the cross of mastiff and greyhound, which forms the New South Wales kangaroo-dog" [q.v.]

1877. R. Gillies, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. x. art. xliii. p. 321:

"A pig-dog of the bull-terrier breed."

<hw>Pigeon</hw>, n. The Australian species are—

Bronze-wing Pigeon (q.v.)—
Phaps chalcoptera, Lath.

Brush Bronze-wing P.—
P. elegans, Temm.

Crested P.—
Ocyphaps lophotes, Temm.

Flock or Harlequin Bronze-wing (called also Squatter, q.v.)— Phaps histrionica, Gould.

Little-Green P.—
Chalcophaps chrysochlora, Wagl.

Naked-eye Partridge-P.—
Geophaps smithii, Jard. and Selb.

Nutmeg P.—
Carpophaga spilorrhoa, G. R. Gray.

Partridge-P.—
Geophaps scripta, Temm.

Pheasant-tailed P.—
Macropygia phasianella, Temm.

Plumed P.—
Lophophaps plumifera, Gould.

Red-plumed Pigeon— Lophophaps ferruginea, Gould. [He gives vernacular "Rust-coloured."]

Rock P.—
Petrophassa albipennis, Gould.

Top-knot P.—
Lopholaimus antarcticus, Shaw.

White-bellied Plumed P.—
Lophophaps leucogaster, Gould.

Wonga-wonga P. (q.v.)—
Leucosarcia picata, Lath.

See also Fruit-Pigeon, Harlequin Pigeon, Partridge-Pigeon, Torres Straits Pigeon.

For New Zealand Pigeon, see Kuku.

<hw>Pigeon-berry Tree</hw>, n. i.q. Native Mulberry. See Mulberry.

<hw>Pig-face</hw>, <hw>Pig-faces</hw>, and <hw>Pig's-face, or Pig's-faces. Names given to an indigenous "iceplant," Mesembryanthemum aequilaterale, Haw., N.O. Ficoideae, deriving its generic name from the habit of expanding its flower about noon.

1834. Ross, `Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 133:

"Mesembryanthemum aequilaterale, pig faces; called by the aborigines by the more elegant name of canagong. The pulp of the almost shapeless, but somewhat ob-conical, fleshy seed vessel of this plant, is sweetish and saline; it is about an inch and a half long, of a yellowish, reddish, or green colour."

1844. Mrs. Meredith, `Notes and Sketches of New South Wales,' p. 45:

"Great green mat-like plants of the pretty Mesembryanthemum aequilaterale, or fig-marigold, adorned the hot sandy banks by the road-side. It bears a bright purple flower, and a five-sided fruit, called by the children `pig-faces.'"

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 132:

"The pig's face is an extremely common production of the Australian soil, growing like a thick and fleshy grass, with its three-sided leaf and star-shaped pink or purple flower, occupying usually a rocky or dry light soil."

1879. C. W. Schuermann, in `The Native Tribes of South Australia,' p. 217:

"Though this country is almost entirely destitute of indigenous fruits of any value to an European, yet there are various kinds which form very valuable and extensive articles of food for the aborigines; the most abundant and important of these is the fruit of a species of cactus, very elegantly styled pig's-faces by the white people, but by the natives called karkalla. The size of the fruit is rather less than that of a walnut, and it has a thick skin of a pale reddish colour, by compressing which, the glutinous sweet substance inside slips into the mouth."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 44:

"Pig-faces. It was the canajong of the Tasmanian aboriginal. The fleshy fruit is eaten raw by the aborigines: the leaves are eaten baked."

<hw>Pig-faced Lady</hw>, n. an old name in Tasmania for the Boar-fish (q.v.).

<hw>Pig-fish</hw>, n. name given to the fish Agriopus leucopaecilus, Richards., in Dunedin; called also the Leather-jacket (q.v.). In Sydney it is Cossyphus unimaculatus, Gunth., a Wrasse, closely related to the Blue-groper. In Victoria, Heterodontus phillipi, Lacep., the Port Jackson Shark. See Shark.

<hw>Pig-footed Bandicoot</hw>, n. name given to Choeropus castanotis, Gray, an animal about the size of a rabbit, belonging to the family Peramelidae, which includes all the bandicoots. It lives in the sandy, dry interior of the continent, making a small nest for itself on the surface of the ground out of grass and twigs. The popular name is derived from the fact that in the fore-feet the second and third toes are alone well developed, the first and fifth being absent, and the fourth very rudimentary, so that the foot has a striking resemblance to that of a pig. See also Bandicoot.

1838. T. L. Mitchell, `Expeditions into Eastern Australia,' p. 131:

"The feet, and especially the fore feet, were singularly formed, the latter resembling those of a hog."

1893. A. R. Wallace, `Australasia,' p. 68:

"Another peculiar form, the Choeropus, or pig-footed bandicoot."

<hw>Pigmeater</hw>, n. a beast only fit for pigs to eat: one that will not fatten.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. xiv. p. 105:

"Among them was a large proportion of bullocks, which declined with fiendish obstinacy to fatten. They were what are known by the stock-riders as `ragers' [q.v.] or `pig-meaters.'"

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Colonial Reformer,' p. 218:

"`Pig-meaters!' exclaimed Ernest; `what kind of cattle do you call those? Do bullocks eat pigs in this country?' `No, but pigs eat them, and horses too, and a very good way of getting rid of rubbish.'"

<hw>Piharau</hw>, n. Maori name for Geotria chilensis, Gray, a New Zealand Lamprey (q.v.).

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 15:

"We procured an abundant supply of piarau, a `lamprey,' which is taken in large numbers in this river, and some others in the neighbourhood, when the waters are swollen."

<hw>Pihoihoi</hw>, n. Maori name for a New Zealand bird, the Ground-lark (q.v.). The word has five syllables.

<hw>Pike</hw>, n. name applied in Australia and Tasmania to two species of marine fish—Sphyraena obtusata, Cuv. and Val.; S. novae-hollandiae; Gunth. See also Sea-pike.

<hw>Pilchard</hw>, n. The fish which visits the Australian shores periodically, in shoals larger than the Cornish shoals, is Clupea sagax, Jenyns, the same as the Californian Pilchard, and closely related to the English Pilchard, which is Clupea pilchardus.

<hw>Pilgrims, Canterbury</hw>, n. The first settlers in Canterbury, New Zealand, were so called in allusion to the pilgrims to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. Chaucer's `Canterbury Tales' were told by such pilgrims. The name was given probably by Mr. William Lyon, who in 1851 wrote the `Dream.' See quotation, 1877.

1865. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 20:

"The `Pilgrims,' as the first comers are always called.
I like the name; it is so pretty and suggestive."

1877. W. Pratt, `Colonial Experiences or Incidents of Thirty-four Years in New Zealand,' p. 234:

"In the `Dream of a Shagroon,' which bore the date Ko Matinau, April 1851, and which first appeared in the `Wellington Spectator' of May 7, the term `Pilgrim' was first applied to the settlers; it was also predicted in it that the `Pilgrims' would be `smashed,' and the Shagroons left in undisputed possession of the country for their flocks and herds."

<hw>Pilot-bird</hw>, n. This name is given to a sea-bird of the Caribbean Islands. In Australia it is applied to Pycnoptilus floccosus, Gould.

1893. `The Argus,' March 25, p. 4, col. 6:

"Here, close together, are eggs of the lyre-bird and the pilot-bird—the last very rare, and only found quite lately in the Dandenong Ranges, where the lyre-bird, too, has its home."

<hw>Pimelea</hw>, n. scientific name for a large genus of shrubs or herbs, N.O. Thymeleaceae. There are over seventy species, all confined to Australia and New Zealand. They bear terminal or axillary clusters of white, rose, or yellow flowers, and being very beautiful plants, are frequently cultivated in conservatories. A gardener's name for some of the species is Rice-flower. Several of the species, especially P. axiflora, F. v. M., yield excellent fibre, and are among the plants called Kurrajong (q.v.); another name is Toughbark. For etymology, see quotation, 1793.

1793. J. E. Smith, `Specimen of Botany of New Holland,' p. 32:

"Gaertner . . . adopted the name of Pimelea from the manuscripts of Dr. Solander. It is derived from pimelae, fat, but is rather a pleasantly sounding than a very apt denomination, unless there may be anything oily in the recent fruit."

<hw>Pimlico</hw>, n. another name for the Friar-bird (q.v.).

<hw>Pin-bush</hw>, n. i.q. Needle-bush (q.v.)

<hw>Pinch-out</hw>, v. to thin out and disappear (of gold-bearing). This use is given in the `Standard,' but without quotations; it may be American.

18W. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 22:

"Sometimes 100 to 200 tons of payable quartz would be raised from one of these so-called reefs, when they would pinch out, and it would be found that they were unconnected with other leaders or veins."

<hw>Pine</hw>, n. The Pines are widely distributed in Australasia, and include some of the noblest species. The name, with various epithets, is given to a few other trees besides those of the Natural Order Coniferae,; the following is a list of the various Pines in Australasia. They belong to the Natural Order Coniferae,, unless otherwise indicated—

Black Pine—
Frenela endlicheri, Parlat.
Irenela robusta,A. Cunn.

(Of Otago)— Podocarpus ferruginea,Don.; Maori name, Miro (q.v.).; P. spicata, R. Br.; Maori name, Mai, or Matai (q.v.).

Celery-topped P. (q.v.)—
(In Australia)—
Phyllocladus rhomboidalis, Rich.

(In New Zealand)—

P. trichomanoides, Don.; Maori name, Tanekaha
(q.v.);
P. glauca, and
P. alpinus; Maori name, Toatoa, and often also
called Tanekaha.

Colonial P.—
Araucaria cunninghamii, Ait.

Common P.—
Frenela robusta, A. Cunn.

Cypress P.—
Frenela endlicheri, Parlat.
F. rhomboidea, Endl.
F. robusta (var. microcarpa), A. Cunn.
F. robusta (var. verrucosa), A. Cunn.

Dark P.— (In Western New South Wales)— Frenela robusta, A. Cunn.

Dundathu P.—
Dammara robusta, F. v. M.

Hoop P.—
Araucaria cunninghamii, Ait.

Huon P. (q.v.)—
Dacrydium franklinii, Hook.

Illawarra Mountain P.—
Frenela rhomboidea, Endl.

Kauri P. (q.v.)
Agathis australis, Salis.

Lachlan P.—
Frenela robusta, A. Cunn.

Light P.—
(Of Western New South Wales)—
Frenela rhomboidea, Endl.

Macquarie P.—
Dacrydium franklinii, Hook.

Mahogany Pine— Podocarpus totara, A. Cunn.; Maori name, Totara, (q.v.).

Moreton Bay P.—
Araucaria cunninghamii, Ait.

Mountain Cypress P.—
Frenela parlatorii, F. v. M.

Murray P.—
Frenela endlicheri, Parlat.

Murrumbidgee P.—
Frenela robusta, A. Cunn.

New Caledonian P.—
(Of New Caledonia and the New Hebrides)—
Araucaria cookii, Cook.

Norfolk Island P.—
Araucaria excelsa, Hook.

Oyster Bay P. (q.v.)—
(In Tasmania)—
Frenela rhomboidea, Endl.

Port Macquarie P.—
Frenela macleayana, Parlat.

Prickly P.—
(In Queensland)—
Flindersia maculosa, F. v. M., N.O. Meliaceae;
called also Leopard Tree (q.v.).

Queensland Kauri P.—
Dammara robusta, F. v. M.

Red P.—
(In Australia)—
Frenela endlicheri, Parlat.
(In New Zealand)—
Dacrydium cupressinum, Soland; called also Rimu
(q.v.).

Rock P.—
(In Western New South Wales)—
Frenela robusta (var. verrucosa), A. Cunn.

Screw P.— Pandanus odoratissimus, Linn., N.O. Pandaneae; not endemic in Australia.

Scrub P.—
Frenela endlicheri, Parlat.

She P.—
(In Queensland)—
Podocarpus elata, R. Br.

Silver P.—
Dacrydium colensoi, Hook.; i.q. Yellow Pine.

Stringy Bark P.—
Frenela parlatorei, F. v. M.

Toatoa P.— Phyllocladus alpinus, Hook.; Maori name, Toatoa (q.v.).

White P.—
(In Australia)—
Frenela robusta, A. Cunn.
F. robusta (var. microcarpa), A. Cunn.
Podocarpus elata, R. Br.

(In New Zealand)— P. dacryoides, A. Rich.; Maori name, Kahikatea (q.v.).

Yellow P.— Dacrydium colensoi, Hook.; Maori name, Manoao (q.v.).

1832. J. Bischoff, `Van Diemen's Land,' p. 180:

"The Green Forest . . . comprises myrtle, sassafras, celery-top pine, with a little stringy-bark."

1838. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol- i. p. 51.

"On the little hill beside the river hung pines (Callitris pyramidalis) in great abundance."

<hw>Piner</hw>, n. In Tasmania, a man employed in cutting Huon Pine.

1891. W. Tilley, `Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 43:

"The King River is only navigable for small craft . . . Piners' boats sometimes get in."

<hw>Pinkwood</hw>, n. a name for a Tasmanian wood of a pale reddish mahogany colour, Eucryphia billardieri, Sparrm., N.O. Saxifrageae,, and peculiar to Tasmania; also called Leatherwood; and for the Wallaby- bush, Beyera viscosa, Miq., N.O. Euphorbiaceae, common to all the colonies of Australasia.

<hw>Piopio</hw>, n. Maori name for a thrush of New Zealand, Turnagra crassirostris, Gmel. See Thrush.

<hw>Pipe</hw>, n. an obsolete word, explained in quotations.

1836. Ross, `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 105:

"These were the days of `pipes.' Certain supposed home truths . . . were indited in clear and legible letters on a piece of paper which was then rolled up in the form of a pipe, and being held together by twisting at one end was found at the door of the person intended to be instructed on its first opening in the morning."

1852. J. West, `History of Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 107:

"Malice or humour in the early days expressed itself in what were called pipes—a ditty either taught by repetition or circulated on scraps of paper: the offences of official men were thus hitched into rhyme. These pipes were a substitute for the newspaper, and the fear of satire checked the haughtiness of power."

<hw>Pipe-fish</hw>, n. common fishname. The species present in Australia and New Zealand is Ichthyocampus filum, Gunth., family Syngnathidae, or Pipe-fishes.

<hw>Piper</hw>, n. an Auckland name for the Garfish (q.v.). The name is applied to other fishes in the Northern Hemisphere.

1872. Hutton and Hector, `Fishes of New Zealand,' p. 118:

"Angling for garfish in Auckland Harbour, where it is known as the piper, is graphically described in `The Field,' London, Nov. 25, 1871. . . . the pipers are `just awfu' cannibals,' and you will be often informed on Auckland wharf that `pipers is deeth on piper.'"

<hw>Pipi</hw>, n. Maori name of a shellfish, sometimes (erroneously) called the cockle, Mezodesma novae-zelandiae.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 193:

"Pipi, s. a cockle."

1881. J. L.Campbell, `Poenamo,' p. 107:

"With most deliciously cooked kumeras, potatoes and peppies" [sic].

Ibid. p. 204:

"The dernier ressort—fern-root, flavoured with fish and pippies."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p.25:

"Each female is busily employed in scraping the potatoes thoroughly with pipi-shells."

<hw>Piping-Crow</hw>, n. name applied sometimes to the Magpie (q.v.).

1845. `Voyage to Port Phillip,' etc., p. 53:

"The warbling melops and the piping crow,
The merry forest fill with joyous song."

<hw>Pipit</hw>, n. another name for Ground-Lark (q.v.).

<hw>Pitau</hw>, n. Maori name for the Tree-fern. In Maori, the word means—(1) Soft, tender, young shoots. The verb pihi means "begin to grow"; pi means "young of birds," also "the flow of the tide." (2) Centre-fronds of a fern. (3) Name of a large fern.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. i. p. 57:

"The pitau, or tree-ferns, growing like a palm-tree, form a distinguishing ornament of the New Zealand forest."

<hw>Pitchi</hw>, n. name given to a wooden receptacle hollowed out of a solid block of some tree, such as the Batswing Coral (Erythrina vespertio), or Mulga (Acacia aneura), and carried by native women in various parts of Australia for the purpose of collecting food in, such as grass seed or bulbs, and sometimes for carrying infants. The shape and size varies much, and the more concave ones are used for carrying water in. The origin of the word is obscure; some think it aboriginal, others think it a corruption of the English word pitcher.

1896. E. C. Stirling, `Home Expedition in Central Australia, Anthropology, pt. iv. p. 99:

"I do not know the origin of the name `Pitchi,' which is in general use by the whites of the parts traversed by the expedition, for the wooden vessels used for carrying food and water and, occasionally, infants."

<hw>Pitta</hw>, n. The name is Telugu for the Indian Ant-thrush; a few species are confined to Australia; they are—

Blue-breasted Pitta—
Pitta macklotii, Mull. and Schleg.

Noisy P.—
P. strepitans, Temm.

Rainbow P.—
P. iris, Gould.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 1:

"Pitta strepitans, Temm., Noisy Pitta. There are also Rainbow Pitta, Pitta iris, and Vigor's Pitta, P. Macklotii.

1869. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia' (Supplement):

"Pitta Macklotii, Mull. and Schleg."

<hw>Pittosporum</hw>, n. a genus of plants so called from the viscous pulp which envelops the seeds. (Grk. pitta, pitch, and sporos, seed.) There are about fifty species, which are found in Africa and Asia, but chiefly in Australasia. They are handsome evergreen shrubs, and some grow to a great height; the white flowers, being very fragrant, have been sometimes likened to orangeblossoms, and the rich evergreen leaves obtain for some of them the name of Laurels. They are widely cultivated in the suburbs of cities as ornamental hedges. See Mock-Orange, Hedge-Laurel, Native Laurel, etc.

<hw>Pituri</hw>, or <hw>Pitchery</hw>, n. Native name for Duboisia hopwoodii, F. v. M., a shrub growing in the sand-hills of certain districts of Queensland, New South Wales, and Central Australia. The leaves are chewed as a narcotic by the natives of many parts, and form a valuable commodity of barter. In some parts of Central Australia the leaf is not chewed, but is only used for the purpose of making a decoction which has the power of stupefying emus, which under its influence are easily captured by the natives. Other spellings are Pitchiri, Pedgery, and Bedgery. Perhaps from betcheri, another form of boodjerrie, good, expressing the excellent qualities of the plant. Compare Budgerigar.

1863. `Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land,' April, p. 1:

"`Pitcherry,' a narcotic plant brought by King, the explorer, from the interior of Australia, where it is used by the natives to produce intoxication. . . . In appearance it resembled the stem and leaves of a small plant partly rubbed into a coarse powder. . . . On one occasion Mr. King swallowed a small pinch of the powder, and described its effects as being almost identical with those produced by a large quantity of spirits."

1883. F. M. Bailey,' Synopsis of Queensland Flora,' p. 350:

"Pitury of the natives. The leaves are used by the natives of Central Australia to poison emus, and is chewed by the natives as the white man does the tobacco."

1883. G. W. Rusden, `History of Australia,' vol. i. p. 101:

"In one part of Central Australia the leaves and twigs of a shrub called pidgery by the natives are dried and preserved in closely woven bags. . . . A small quantity has an exhilarating effect, and pidgery was highly prized."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 49:

"The leaves contain a stimulant, which possesses qualities similar to those of tobacco and opium, and are chewed by several tribes in the interior of Australia. Pituri is highly valued as a stimulant, and is taken for barter far and wide."

1890. A. S. Vogan, `Black Police,' p. 94:

"One of the virtues that the native drug Pitchurie is supposed to possess when used by the old men is the opening up of this past life, giving them the power and perquisites of seers."

1893. Mr. Purcell, `Lecture before Geographical Society, Sydney,' Jan.:

"Mr. Purcell had travelled over nearly the whole of Queensland, and had only seen the plant growing in a very limited area west of the Mullyan River, 138th meridian of east long., and on the ranges between the 23rd and 24th parallel of south latitude. He had often questioned the Darling blacks about it, and they always replied by pointing towards the north west. The blacks never, if they could possibly help it, allowed white men to see the plant. He himself had not been allowed to see it until he had been initiated into some of the peculiar rites of the aborigines. Mr. Purcell showed what he called the pitchery letter, which consisted of a piece of wood covered with cabalistic marks. This letter was given to a pitchery ambassador, and was to signify that he was going to the pitchery country, and must bring back the amount of pitchery indicated on the stick. The talisman was a sure passport, and wherever he went no man molested the bearer. This pitchery was by no means plentiful. It grew in small clumps on the top of sandy ridges, and would not grow on the richer soil beneath. This convinced him that it never grew in any other country than Australia. The plant was cooked by being placed in an excavation in which a fire had been burning. It then became light and ready for transport. As to its use in the form of snuff, it was an excellent remedy for headaches, and chewed it stopped all craving for food. It had been used with success in violent cases of neuralgia, and in asthma also it had proved very successful. With regard to its sustaining properties, Mr. Purcell mentioned the case of a blackboy who had travelled 120 miles in two days, with no other sustenance than a chew of pitchery."

<hw>Pivot City, The</hw>, a nickname for Geelong.

1860. W. Kelly, `Life in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 160 [Footnote]:

"The Pivot City is a sobriquet invented by the citizens to symbolize it as the point on which the fortunes of the colony would culminate and revolve. They also invented several other original terms—a phraseology christened by the Melbourne press as the Geelongese dialect."

<hw>Piwakawaka</hw>, n. Maori name for the Pied Fantail (Rhipidura flabellifera, Gray).

1835. W. Yate, `Account of New Zealand,' p. 57:

"Piwakawaka, or tirakaraka. This restless little bird is continually on the wing, or hopping from twig to twig."

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 403:

"Piwakawaka, tirakaraka, the fantailed fly-catcher, a pretty, restless, lively bird; very sociable, and fond of displaying its beautiful little fan-tail. It has a head like the bullfinch, with one black-and-white streak under the neck coming to a point in the centre of the throat. Wings very sharp and pointed. It is very quick and expert in catching flies, and is a great favourite, as it usually follows the steps of man. It was sacred to Maui."

1885. A. Reischek, `Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,' vol. xviii. art. xviii. p. 102:

"Rhipidura—fantail (Piwakawaka). Every one admires the two species of these fly-catchers, and their graceful evolutions in catching their prey."

1890. C. Colenso, `Transactions of the New Zealand Institute: Bush Notes,' vol. xxiii. art. lvii. p. 482:

"During this extended visit of mine to the woods, I have noticed the piwakawaka, or fly-catcher (Rhipidura flabellifera). This interesting little flycatcher, with its monotonous short cry, always seems to prefer making the acquaintance of man in the forest solitudes."

1895. W. S.Roberts, `Southland in 1856,' p. 53:

"The pied fantail, Piwakawaka (Rhipidura flabellifera) is the best flycatcher New Zealand possesses, but it will not live in confinement. It is always flitting about with broadly expanded tail in pursuit of flies. It frequently enters a house and soon clears a room of flies, but if shut in all night it frets itself to death before morning."

<hw>Plain</hw>, n. In Australian use, the word not only implies flatness, but treelessness.

1824. Edward Curr, `Account of the Colony of Van Diemen's Land,' p. 55:

"The district called Macquarie Plains, the greater part of which rises into hills of moderate height, with open and fertile valleys interspersed, while the plains bear a strong resemblance to what are called sheep downs in England."

1848. T. L. Mitchell, `Tropical Australia,' p. 136:

"The country was grassy, and so open as almost to deserve the colonial name of `plain.'"

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 250:

"Squatters who look after their own runs always live in the bush, even though their sheep are pastured on plains."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 73:

"One day an egg of a cassowary was brought to me; this bird, although it is nearly akin to the ostrich and emu, does not, like the latter, frequent the open plains, but the thick brushwood. The Australian cassowary is found in Northern Queensland from Herbert river northwards, in all the large vine-scrubs on the banks of the rivers, and on the high mountains of the coasts."

<hw>Plain Currant</hw>, n. a wild fruit, Grewia polygama, Roxb., N.O. Tiliaceae.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 295:

"I found a great quantity of ripe Grewia seeds, and on eating many of them, it struck me that their slightly acidulous taste, if imparted to water, would make a very good drink; I therefore . . . boiled them for about an hour; the beverage . . . was the best we had tasted on our expedition."

<hw>Plain Wanderer</hw>, n. an Australian bird, Pedionomus torquatus, Gould.

<hw>Plant</hw>, v. tr. and n. common in Australia for to hide, and for the thing hidden away. As remarked in the quotations, the word is thieves' English.

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 59:

"A number of the slang phrases current in St. Giles's Greek bid fair to become legitimatized in the dictionary of this colony: plant, swag, pulling up, and other epithets of the Tom and Jerry school, are established— the dross passing here as genuine, even among all ranks."

1848. Letter by Mrs. Perry, given in `Canon Goodman's Church in Victoria during the Episcopate of Bishop Perry,' p. 78:

". . . Shady Creek, where he `planted' some tea and sugar for his brother on his return. Do you know what `planting' is? It is hiding the tea, or whatever it may be, in the hollow of a tree, or branch, or stone, where no one is likely to find it, but the one for whom it is meant."

1855. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes,' p. 22:

"Some refreshments planted there for us by the Major—for that is the colonial phrase, borrowed from the slang of London burglars and thieves, for any article sent forward or left behind for consumption in spots only indicated to those concerned—after the manner of the ca^ches of the French Canadian trappers on the American prairies. To `spring' a plant is to discover and pillage it."

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 36:

"The way he could hide, or, as it is called in the bush, `plant' himself, was something wonderful."

1889. Cassell's' Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 178:

"The gold had not been handed over to the Commissioner at all, but was planted somewhere in the tent."

1893. `The Age,' May 9, p. 5, col. 4:

"A panic-smitten lady plants her money."

[Title of short article giving an account of an old lady during the bank panic concealing her money in the ground and being unable to find it.]

<hw>Plantain, Native</hw>, an Australian fodder plant, Plantago varia, R. Br., N.O. Plantagineae.

<hw>Plant-Caterpillar</hw>, n. name given in Australasia to species of caterpillars which are attacked by spores of certain fungi; when chrysalating in the earth the fungus grows inside the body of the caterpillar, kills the latter, and then forces its way out between the head joints, and sends an upgrowth which projects beyond the surface of the ground and gives rise to fresh spores. Many examples are known, of which the more common are—Cordyceps robertsii, Hook., in New Zealand; Cordyceps gunnii, Berk, in Tasmania; Cordyceps taylori, Berk, in Australia. See Aweto.

1892. M. C. Cooke, `Vegetable Wasps and Plant Worms,' p. 139:

"The New Zealanders' name for this plant-caterpillar is `Hotete,' `Aweto,' `Weri,' and `Anuhe.'. . The interior of the insect becomes completely filled by the inner plant, orthallus (mycelium): after which the growing head of the outer plant or fungus, passing to a state of maturity, usually forces its way out through the tissue of the joint between the head and the first segment of the thorax . . . it is stated that this caterpillar settles head upward to undergo its change, when the vegetable developes /sic/ itself."

<hw>Planter</hw>, n. a cattle-thief, so called from hiding the stolen cattle.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xxv. p. 352:

"What's a little money . . . if your children grow up duffers [sc. cattle-duffers, q.v.] and planters?"

<hw>Platycercus</hw>, n. scientific name of a genus of Parrakeets, represented by many species. The word is from the shape of the tail. (Grk. platus, broad, and kerkos, tail.) The genus is distributed from the Malay Archipelago to the Islands of the Pacific. The name was first given by Vigors and Horsfield in 1825.

See Parrakeet and Rosella.

<hw>Platypus</hw>, n. a remarkable Monotreme (q.v.), in shape like a Mole, with a bill like a Duck. Hence its other names of Duck-bill or Duck-Mole. It has received various names—Platypus anatinus, Duck-billed Platypus, Ornithorhynchus, Ornithorhynchus paradoxus, Paradoxus, Water-mole, etc. (Grk. platus = broad, pous = foot, 'ornithos = of a bird, runchos = beak or bill.) The name Platypus is now the name by which it is always popularly known in Australia, but see quotation from Lydekker below (1894). From the British Museum Catalogue of Marsupials and Monotremes (1888), it will be found that the name Platypus, given by Shaw in 1799, had been preoccupied as applied to a beetle by Herbst in 1793. It was therefore replaced, in scientific nomenclature, by the name Ornithorhynchus, by Blumenbach in 1800. In view of the various names, vernacular and scientific, under which it is mentioned by different writers, all quotations referring to it are placed under this word, Platypus. The habits and description of the animal appear in those quotations. From 1882 to 1891 the Platypus figured on five of the postage stamps of Tasmania.

1802. G. Barrington, `History of New South Wales,' c. xi. p. 425:

"This animal, which has obtained the name of Ornithorhynchus paradoxus, is still very little known."

1802. D. Collins, `Account of English Colony in New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 35:

[List of Engravings.] "Ornithorhynchus paradoxus."

[At p. 63]:

"Ornithorhynchus (an amphibious animal of the mole kind)."

1809. G. Shaw, `Zoological Lecturer,' vol. i. p. 78:

"This genus, which at present consists but of a single species and its supposed varieties, is distinguished by the title of Platypus or Ornithorhynchus. . . Its English generic name of duckbill is that by which it is commonly known."

1815. `History of New South Wales' (1818), p. 447:

"In the reaches or pools of the Campbell River, the very curious animal called the paradox, or watermole, is seen in great numbers."

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 325:

"I cannot omit to mention likewise the Ornithorynchus, that remarkable animal which forms a link between the bird and beast, having a bill like a duck and paws webbed similar to that bird, but legs and body like those of a quadruped, covered with thick coarse hair, with a broad tail to steer by."

1836. C. Darwin, `Naturalist's Voyage,' c. xix. p. 321:

"Had the good fortune to see several of the Ornithorhynchus paradoxus. . . . Certainly it is a most extraordinary animal; a stuffed specimen does not at all give a good idea of the appearance of the head and beak when fresh, the latter becoming hard and contracted."

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 131:

"The specimen which has excited the greatest astonishment is the Ornithorynchus paradoxus, which, fitted by a series of contrivances to live equally well in both elements, unites in itself the habits and appearance of a bird, a quadruped, and a reptile."

1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, `Port Phillip in 1849,' p. 42:

"Platypus, water-mole or duckbill."

1860. G.Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 96:

"The Ornithorhynchus is known to the colonists by the nme of the watermole, from some resemblance which it is supposed to bear to the common European mole (Talpa Europoea, Linn.)"

1860. G. Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 95:

"When first a preserved skin was sent to England, it excited great distrust, being considered a fraud upon the naturalist. . . It was first described and figured by Shaw in the year 1799, in the `Naturalist's Miscellany,' vol. x., by the name of Platypus anatinus, or Duck-billed Platypus, and it was noticed in Collins's `New South Wales' 2nd ed. [should be vol. ii. not 2nd ed.], 4to. p. 62, 1802, where it is named Ornithorhyncus paradoxus, Blum. . . There is a rude figure given of this animal in Collins's work."

1884. Marcus Clarke, `Memorial Volume,' p. 177:

"The Platypus Club is in Camomile Street, and the Platypi are very haughty persons."

1890. `Victorian Statutes—the Game Act' (Third Schedule):

[Close Season.] "Platypus. The whole year."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 30:

"In the Dee river . . . I observed several times the remarkable platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) swimming rapidly about after the small water-insects and vegetable particles which constitute its food. It shows only a part of its back above water, and is so quick in its movements that it frequently dives under water before the shot can reach it."

1891. `Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':

"In the next division the platypus and its burrows are shown. These curious oviparous animals commence their long burrows under water, and work upwards into dry ground. The nest is constructed in a little chamber made of dry leaves and grass, and is very warm and comfortable; there is a second entrance on dry ground. The young are found in the months of September and October, but occasionally either a little earlier or later; generally two or three at a time."

1892. A. Sutherland, `Elementary Geography of British Colonies,' p. 273:

"The platypus is covered with fur like an otter, and has four webbed feet, like those of a duck, and a black duck-like bill. It makes a burrow in a river bank, but with an opening below the level of the water. It swims and dives in quiet shady river-bends, and disappears on hearing the least noise."

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 233:

"The duck-bill was originally described under the name of Platypus anatinus, which was Anglicised into duck-billed platypus, but since the generic name [Platypus] had been previously employed for another group of animals, it had, by the rules of zoological nomenclature, to give place to the later Ornithorhynchus, although Shaw's specific name ofanatina still holds good. On these grounds it is likewise preferable to discard the Anglicised term Duck-billed Platypus in favour of the simpler Duck-bill or Duck-Mole."

[Mr. Lydekker is a scientific Englishman, who has not lived in Australia, and although the names of Duck-bill and Duck-mole are perhaps preferable for more exact scientific use, yet by long usage the name Platypus has become the ordinary vernacular name, and is the one by which the animal will always be known in Australian popular language.]

<hw>Plover</hw>, n. The bird called the Plover exists all over the world. The species present in Australia are—

Black-breasted Plover—
Sarciophorus pectoralis, Cuv.

Golden P.—
Charadrius fulvus, Gmel.

Grey P.—
C. helveticus, Linn.

Long-billed Stone P.—
Esacus magnirostris, Geoff.

Masked P.—
Lobivanellus personatus, Gould.

Spur-winged P.—
Lobivanellus lobatus, Lath.

Stone P.—
OEdicnemus grallarius, Lath.

And in New Zealand—Red-breasted Plover, Charadrius obscurus, Gmel. (Maori name, Tututuriwhata); Crook-billed, Anarhynchus frontalis, Quoy and Gaim. The authorities vary in the vernacular names and in the scientific classification. See also Sand-Plover and Wry-billed-Plover.

<hw>Plum</hw>, n. sometimes called Acacia Plum, a timber tree, Eucryphia moorei, F. v. M., N.O. Saxifrageae; called also Acacia and "White Sally."

<hw>Plum, Black</hw>, n. the fruit of the tree Cargillia australis, R. Br., N.O. Ebenaceae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 14:

"The fruits are of the size of a large plum and of a dark purple colour. They are eaten by the aboriginals."

<hw>Plum, Burdekin</hw>, or <hw>Sweet Plum</hw>, n. a timber tree, Spondias pleiogyna, F. v. M., N.O. Anacardiaceae. Wood like American walnut.

<hw>Plum, Grey</hw>, n. (1) A timber-tree. One of the names for Cargillia pentamera, F. v. M., N.O. Ebenaceae. Wood used for tool-handles. (2) Provincial name for the Caper-Tree (q.v.).

<hw>Plum, Native</hw>, or <hw>Wild Plum</hw>, n. another name for the Brush-Apple. See Apple. The Native Plum, peculiar to Tasmania, and called also Port-Arthur Plum, is Cenarrhenes nitida, Lab., N.O. Proteaceae.

<hw>Plum, Queensland</hw>, n. i.q. Sweet Plum (q.v. infra).

<hw>Plum, Sour</hw>, n. another name for Emu-Apple (q.v.).

<hw>Plum, Sweet</hw>, n. a wild fruit, Owenia venosa, F. v. M., N.O. Meliaceae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 49:

"Queensland Plum, Sweet Plum. This plant bears a fine juicy red fruit with a large stone. . . . It is both palatable and refreshing."

<hw>Plum, White</hw>, n. local name for Acacia (q.v.).

<hw>Plum, Wild</hw>, n. i.q. Native Plum (q.v.).

<hw>Plum-tree</hw>, n. the tree, Buchanania mangoides, F. v. M., N.O. Anacardiaceae.

<hw>Podargus</hw>, n. scientific name of a genus of Australian birds, called the Frogsmouth (q.v.) and Mopoke. From Grk. podargos, swift or white-footed. (Hector's horse in the `Iliad' was named Podargus.—`Il.' viii. 185.)

1890. `Victorian Statutes-Game Act' (Third Schedule):

[Close Season.] "Podargus or Mopokes, the whole year."

<hw>Poddly</hw>, n. a New Zealand and Australian fish, Sebastes percoides, Richards.; called in Victoria Red-Gurnet Perch. The name is applied in England to a different fish.

1872. Hutton and Hector, `Fishes of New Zealand,' p. 108:

"The pohuia-karou is the proper sea-perch of these waters, that name having been applied by mistake to a small wrasse, which is generally called the spotty or poddly."

<hw>Poddy</hw>, n. a Victorian name for the Sand-Mullet. See Mullet.

<hw>Poe</hw>, n. same as Tui (q.v.) and Parson-bird (q.v.). The name, which was not the Maori name, did not endure.

17]7. Cook's' Voyage towards the South Pole and round the World' [2nd Voyage], vol. i. pp. 97, 98:

"Amongst the small birds I must not omit to particularise the wattlebird, poy-bird. . . . The poy-bird is less than the wattle-bird; the feathers of a fine mazarine blue, except those of its neck, which are of a most beautiful silver-grey. . . . Under its throat hang two little tufts of curled snow-white feathers, called its poies, which being the Otaheitean word for ear-rings occasioned our giving that name to the bird, which is not more remarkable for the beauty of its plumage than for the sweetness of its note."

[In the illustration given it is spelt poe-bird, and in the list of plates it is spelt poi.]

1865. W. Howitt, `Discovery in Australia,' vol. i. p. 111:

"This bird they called the Wattlebird, and also the Poy-bird, from its having little tufts of curled hair under its throat, which they called poies, from the Otaheitan word for ear-rings. The sweetness of this bird's note they described as extraordinary, and that its flesh was delicious, but that it was a shame to kill it."

<hw>Pohutukawa</hw>, n. Maori name for a magnificent New Zealand tree, Metrosideros tomentosa, A. Cunn., N.O. Myrtaceae, called Christmas-tree and Fire-tree by the settlers. There is a Maori verb, pohutu, to splash. Kawa (n.) is a sprig of any kind used in religious ceremonies; the name would thus mean Splashed sprig. The wood of the tree is very durable, and a concoction of the inner bark is useful in dysentery.

1835. W. Yate, `Some Account of New Zealand,' p. 46:

"Pohutukawa (Callistemon ellipticus). This is a tree of remarkably robust habits and diffuse irregular growth."

1855. G. Grey, `Polynesian Mythology,' p. 142:

"On arrival of Arawa canoe, the red flowers of the pohutakawa were substituted for the red ornaments in the hair."

1862. `All the Year Round,' `From the Black Rocks on Friday,' May 17, 1862, No. 160:

"In the clefts of the rocks were growing shrubs, with here and there the larger growth of a pohutukawa, a large crooked-limbed evergreen tree found in New Zealand, and bearing, about Christmas, a most beautiful crimson bloom. The boat-builders in New Zealand use the crooked limbs of this tree for the knees and elbows of their boats."

1873. `Catalogue of Vienna Exhibition':

"Pohutukawa for knees, ribs, and bent-pieces, invaluable to ship-builder. It surpasses English oak. Confined to Province of Auckland."

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 310:

"The pohutukawa-tree (Metrosideros tomentosa) requires an exposed situation . . . is crooked, misshapen. . . . The natives speak of it (the timber) as very durable."

1886. J. A. Fronde, `Oceana,' p. 308:

"Low down on the shore the graceful native Pokutukawa [sic] was left undisturbed, the finest of the Rata tribe—at a distance like an ilex, only larger than any ilex I ever saw, the branches twisted into the most fantastic shapes, stretching out till their weight bears them to the ground or to the water. Pokutukawa, in Maori language, means `dipped in the sea-spray.' In spring and summer it bears a brilliant crimson flower."

<hw>Pointers</hw>, n. two of the bullocks in a team. See quotation.

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 36:

"Twelve bullocks is the usual number in a team, the two polers and the leaders being steady old stagers; the pair next to the pole are called the `pointers,' and are also required to be pretty steady, the remainder being called the `body bullocks,' and it is not necessary to be so particular about their being thoroughly broken in."

<hw>Poison-berry Tree</hw>, n. Pittosporum phillyroides, De C., N.O. Pittosporeae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 588:

"Butter-Bush of Northern Australia; Willow-Tree of York
Peninsula; Native Willow, Poison-berry Tree (South Australia).
The berries are not poisonous—only bitter."

<hw>Poison-Bush</hw>, n. name given to a genus of poisonous Australian shrubs, Gastrolobium (q.v.).

Out of the thirty-three described species of the genus Gastrolobium, only one is found out of Western Australia; G. grandiflorum, F. v. M., is the poison-bush of the Queensland interior and of Central Australia. The name is also given to Swainsonia Greyana, Lindl., N.O. Leguminosae.

The Darling-Pea (q.v.), or Indigo-Plant (q.v.), has similar poisonous effects to the Gastrolobium. These species of Gastrolobium go under the various names of Desert Poison-Bush, York-Road Poison-Bush, Wallflower; and the names of Ellangowan Poison-Bush (Queensland), and Dogswood Poison-Bush (New South Wales), are given to Myoporum deserti, A. Cunn., N.O. Myoporineae, while another plant, Trema aspera, Blume., N.O. Urticaceae, is called Peach-leaved Poison-Bush.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 129:

"These plants are dangerous to stock, and are hence called `Poison Bushes.' Large numbers of cattle are lost annually in Western Australia through eating them. The finest and strongest animals are the first victims; a difficulty of breathing is perceptible for a few minutes, when they stagger, drop down, and all is over with them. . . . It appears to be that the poison enters the circulation, and altogether stops the action of the lungs and heart."

Ibid. p. 141:

"This plant [S. greyana] is reported to cause madness, if not death itself, to horses. The poison seems to act on the brain, for animals affected by it refuse to cross even a small twig lying in their path, probably imagining it to be a great log. Sometimes the poor creatures attempt to climb trees, or commit other eccentricities."

<hw>Poison-Tree</hw>, or <hw>Poisonous Tree</hw>, n. another name for the Milky Mangrove. See Mangrove. The Scrub Poison-Tree is Exsaecaria dallachyana, Baill., N.O. Euphorbiaceae.

<hw>Pomegranate, Native</hw>, n. another name for the Caper-tree(q.v.).

<hw>Pomegranate, Small Native</hw>, n. another name for the Native Orange. See Orange.

<hw>Pongo</hw>, n. aboriginal name for the Flying-Squirrel (q.v.).

1888. Rolf Boldrewood, `Robbery under Arms,' p. 149:

"Then an old 'possum would sing out, or a black-furred flying-squirrel—pongos, the blacks call `em—would come sailing down from the top of an ironbark tree, with all his stern sails spread, as the sailors say, and into the branches of another, looking as big as an eagle-hawk."

<hw>Poor-Soldier</hw>, or <hw>Soldier-Bird</hw> (q.v.), n. another name for the Friar-bird (q.v.), and so named from its cry.

<hw>Poplar</hw>, n. In Queensland, a timber-tree, Carumbium populifolium, Reinw., N.O. Euphorbiaceae. In Central Australia, the Radish-tree (q.v.).

<hw>Poplar-Box</hw>, n. See Box.

<hw>Poplar-leaved Gum</hw>, n. See Gum.

<hw>Porangi</hw>, adj. Maori word for sad, sorry, or sick; cranky.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 137:

"The combatants . . . took especial pains to tell us that it was no fault of ours, but the porangi or `foolishness' of the Maori."

Ibid. vol. ii. p. 238:

"Watanui said E Abu was porangi, `a fool.'"

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 435:

"`Twas nothing—he was not to mind her—she
Was foolish—was `porangi'—and would be
Better directly—and her tears she dried."

1882. R. C. Barstow, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xv. art. liii. p. 423:

"A man who told such marvellous stories that he was deemed to be porangi or insane."

<hw>Porcupine, Ant-eating</hw>, i.q. Echidna (q.v.).

<hw>Porcupine-Bird</hw>, n. a bird inhabiting the Porcupine-Grass (q.v.) of Central Australia; the Striated Grass Wren, Amytis striata, Gould. See Wren.

1886. G. A. Keartland, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' Part ii. Zoology, Aves, p. 79:

"Amytis Striata, Gould. Striated Wren. . . . They are found almost throughout Central Australia wherever the porcupine grass abounds, so much so, that they are generally known as the `Porcupine bird.'"

<hw>Porcupine-Fish</hw>, n. name given to several species of the genus Diodon, family Gymnodontes, poisonous fishes; also to Dicotylichthys punctulatus, Kaup., an allied fish 1n which the spines are not erectile as in Diodon, but are stiff and immovable. Chilomycterus jaculiferus, Cuv., another species, has also stiff spines, and Atopomycterus nycthemerus, Cuv., has erectile spines. See Toad-fish and Globe-fish.

<hw>Porcupine-Grass</hw>, n. the name given to certain species of Triodia, of which the more important are T. mitchelli, Benth., T. pungens, R. Br., and T. irritans, R. Br. This grass forms rounded tussocks, growing especially on the sand-hills of the desert parts of Australia, which may reach the size of nine or ten feet in diameter. The leaves when dry form stiff, sharp-pointed structures, which radiate in all directions, like knitting-needles stuck in a huge pincushion. In the writings of the early Australian explorers it is usually, but erroneously, called Spinifex (q.v.). The aborigines collect the resinous material on the leaves of T. pungens, and use it for various purposes, such as that of attaching pieces of flint to the ends of their yam-sticks and spear-throwers.

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 284:

"It [Triodia] grows in tufts like large beehives, or piles of thrift grass, and the leaves project out rigidly in all directions, just like Chevaux-de-frise. Merely brushing by will cause the points to strike into the limbs, and a very short walk in such country soon covers the legs with blood. . . . Unfortunately two or three species of it extend throughout the whole continent, and form a part of the descriptions in the journal of every explorer."

1880 (before). P. J. Holdsworth, `Station-hunting on the Warrego,' quoted in `Australian Ballads and Rhymes' (ed. Sladen), p. 115:

"Throughout that night,
Cool dews came sallying on that rain-starved land,
And drenched the thick rough tufts of bristly grass,
Which, stemmed like quills (and thence termed porcupine),
Thrust hardily their shoots amid the flints
And sharp-edged stones."

1889. E. Giles, `Australia Twice Traversed,' vol. i. p. 76:

"No porcupine, but real green grass made up a really pretty picture, to the explorer at least."

1889. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 148:

"These were covered with spinifex, or porcupine-grass, the leaves of which are needle-pointed."

1896. R. Tate, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' Botany, p. 119:

"In the Larapintine Region . . . a species of Triodia (`porcupine grass' or, incorrectly, `spinifex' of explorers and residents) dominates sand ground and the sterile slopes and tops of the sandstone table-lands."

<hw>Porcupine-grass Ant</hw>, n. popular name given to Hypoclinea flavipes, Kirby, an ant making its nest round the root of the Porcupine grass (Triodia pungens), and often covering the leaves of the tussock with tunnels of sandgrains fastened together by resinous material derived from the surface of the leaves.

1896. Baldwin Spencer, `Home Expedition in Central Australia.'

"Watching the Porcupine-grass ants, which are very small and black bodies with yellowish feet, I saw them constantly running in and out of these chambers, and on opening the latter found that they were always built over two or more Coccidae attached to the leaf of the grass."

<hw>Porcupine-Parrot</hw>, n. See quotation.

1896. G. A. Keartland, `Report of the Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' Part ii. Zoology, Aves, p. 107:

"Geopsittacus occidentalis. Western Ground Parrakeet. . . .
As they frequent the dense porcupine grass, in which they
hide during the day, a good dog is necessary to find them.
They are locally known as the `Porcupine Parrot.'"

<hw>Poroporo</hw>, n. Maori name for the flowering shrub Solanum aviculare, Forst.; called in Australia, Kangaroo Apple. Corrupted into Bullybul (q.v.). /See, rather, Bull-a-bull/

1857. C. Hursthouse, `New Zealand, the Britain of the South, p. 136:

"The poroporo, the nicest or least nasty of the wild fruits, is a sodden strawberry flavoured with apple-peel; but if rashly tasted an hour before it is ripe, the poroporo is an alum pill flavoured with strychnine."

1880. W. Colenso, `Transactions New Zealand Institute,' vol. xiii. art. i. p. 32:

"The large berry of the poro-poro (Solanum aviculare) was also eaten; it is about the size of a small plum, and when ripe it is not unpleasant eating, before it is ripe it is very acrid. This fruit was commonly used by the early colonists in the neighbourhood of Wellington in making jam."

<hw>Porphyrio</hw>, n. the Sultana-bird, or Sultana. The bird exists elsewhere. In Australia it is generally called the Swamp-Hen (q.v.).

1875. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 213:

"The crimson-billed porphyrio, that jerking struts
Among the cool thick rushes."

1890. `Victorian Statutes-the Game Act' (Third Schedule):

[Close Season.] ". . . Land-rail, all other members of the
Rail family, Porphyrio, Coots, &c. From the First day of
August to the Twentieth day of December following."

<hw>Port-Arthur Plum</hw>. See Plum, Native.

<hw>Port-Jackson Fig</hw>, n. See Fig.

<hw>Port-Jackson Shark</hw>, Heterodontus phillipii, Lacep., family Cestraciontidae; called also the Shell-grinder.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 10:

"The Cestracion or Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus)."

Ibid. p. 97:

"It was supposed that Port Jackson alone had this shark . . .
It has since been found in many of the coast bays of
Australia."

<hw>Port-Jackson Thrush</hw>, n. the best known bird among the Australian Shrike-thrushes (q.v.), Colluricincla harmonica, Lath.; called also the Austral Thrush, and Harmonic Thrush by Latham. It is also the C. cinerea of Vigors and Horsfield and the Turdus harmonicus of Latham, and it has received various other scientific and vernacular names; Colonel Legge has now assigned to it the name of Grey Shrike-Thrush. Gould called it the "Harmonious Colluricincla."

1790. J. White, `Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 157:

"The Port-Jackson thrush, of which a plate is annexed, inhabits the neighbourhood of Port Jackson. The top of head blueish-grey; back is a fine chocolate brown; wings and tail lead-colour; under part dusky white. . . . The bill, dull yellow; legs brown."

1822. John Latham, `General History of Birds,' vol. v. p. 124:

"Austral Thrush. [A full description.] Inhabits New South
Wales."

[Latham describes two other birds, the Port Jackson Thrush and the Harmonic Thrush, and he uses different scientific names for them. But Gould, regarding Latham's specimens as all of the same species, takes all Latham's scientific and vernacular names as synonyms for the same bird.]

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 74:

"The Colluricincla harmonica is one of the oldest known of the
Australian birds, having been described in Latham's `Index
Ornithologicus,' figured in White's `Voyage' and included in
the works of all subsequent writers."

<hw>Port-Macquarie Pine</hw>. See Pine.

<hw>Post-and-Rail Tea</hw>, slang name for strong bush-tea: so called because large bits of the tea, or supposed tea, float about in the billy, which are compared by a strong imagination to the posts and rails of the wooden fence so frequent in Australia.

1851. `The Australasian' (a Quarterly), p. 298:

"Hyson-skin and post-and-rail tea have been superseded by Mocha, claret, and cognac."

1855. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes,' p. 163:

"A hot beverage in a tin pot, which richly deserved the colonial epithet of `post-and-rail' tea, for it might well have been a decoction of `split stuff,' or `ironbark shingles,' for any resemblance it bore to the Chinese plant."

1870. T. H. Braim, `New Homes,' c. i. p. 28:

"The shepherd's wife kindly gave us the invariable mutton-chop and damper and some post-and-rail tea."

1883. Keighley, `Who are you?' p. 36:

"Then took a drink of tea. . . .
Such as the swagmen in our goodly land
Have with some humour named the `post-and-rail.'"

<hw>Potato-Fern</hw>, n. a fern (Marattia fraxinea, Smith) with a large part edible, sc. the basal scales of the frond. Called also the Horseshoe-fern.

<hw>Potato, Native</hw>, n. a sort of Yam, Gastrodia sesamoides, R. Br., N.O. Orchideae.

1834. Ross, `Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 131:

"Produces bulb-tubers growing one out of another, of the size, and nearly the form, of kidney potatoes; the lowermost is attached by a bundle of thick fleshy fibres to the root of the tree from which it derives its nourishment. These roots are roasted and eaten by the aborigines; in taste they resemble beet-root, and are sometimes called in the colony native potatoes."

1857. F. R. Nixon, `Cruise of the Beacon,' p. 27:

"And the tubers of several plants of this tribe were largely consumed by them, particularly those of Gastrodi sessamoides [sic], the native potato, so called by the colonists, though never tasted by them, and having not the most remote relation to the plant of that name, except in a little resemblance of the tubers, in shape and appearance, to the kidney potato."

<hw>Potoroo</hw>, n. aboriginal name for a Kangaroo-Rat (q.v.). See also Potorous and Roo.

1790. John White, `Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 286:

"The Poto Roo, or Kangaroo Rat." [Figure and description.] "It is of a brownish grey colour, something like the brown or grey rabbit, with a tinge of a greenish yellow. It has a pouch on the lower part of its belly."

<hw>Potorous</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus of the Kangaroo-Rats (q.v.). The aboriginal name was Potoroo; see Roo. They are also called Rat-Kangaroos.

<hw>Pouched-lion</hw>, or <hw>Marsupial Lion</hw>, n. a large extinct Phalanger (q.v.), Thylacoleo carnifex, Owen. The popular name was given under the idea, derived from the presence of an enormous cutting-tooth, that the animal was of fierce carnivorous habits. But it is more generally regarded as closely allied to the phalangers, who are almost entirely vegetarians.

<hw>Pouched-Mouse</hw>, n. the vernacular name adopted for species of the genera Phascologale (q.v.), Sminthopsis, Dasyuroides and Antechinomys. They are often called Kangaroo-mice (q.v.). The species are—

Brush-tailed Pouched-Mouse—
Phascologale penicillata, Shaw.

Chestnut-necked P.-M.—
P. thorbechiana, Schl.

Crest-tailed P.-M.—
P. cristicauda, Krefft.

Fat-tailed P.-M.—
P. macdonnellensis, Spencer.

Freckled P.-M.—-
P. apicalis, Gray.

Lesser-tailed P.-M.—
P. calura, Gould.

Little P.-M.—
P. minima, Geoff.

Long-tailed P.-M.—
P. longicaudata, Schleg.

Orange-bellied P.-M.—
P. doria, Thomas.

Pigmy P.-M.—
P. minutissima, Gould.

Red-tailed P.-M.—
P. wallacii, Grey.

Swainson's P.-M.—
P. swainsoni, Water.

Yellow-footed Pouched-Mouse—
Phascologale flavipes, Water.

The Narrow-footed Pouched-Mice belong to the genus Sminthopsis, and differ from the Phascologales in being entirely terrestrial in their habits, whereas the latter are usually arboreal; the species are—

Common Narrow-footed Pouched-Mouse—
Sminthopsis murina, Water.

Finke N.-f. P.-M.—
S. larapinta, Spencer.

Sandhill N.-f. P.-M.—
S. psammophilus, Spencer.

Stripe-faced N.-f. P.-M.—
S. virginiae, De Tarrag.

Thick-tailed N.-f. P.-M.—
S. crassicaudata, Gould.

White-footed N.-f. P.-M.
S. leucopus, Grey.

The third genus, Dasyuroides, has only one species—
Byrne's Pouched-Mouse, D. byrnei, Spencer.

The fourth genus, Antechinomys, has only one known species—the Long-legged Jumping Pouched-Mouse, A. laniger, Gould.

<hw>Pounamu</hw>, or <hw>Poenamu</hw>, n. the Maori name for Nephrite, Jade, or Greenstone (q.v.). In the second spelling the e is hardly sounded.

1773. Hawkesworth, `Cook's Voyages,' vol. ii. p. 400:

"Two Whennuas or islands [afterwards called New Zealand] which might be circumnavigated in a few days, and which he called Tovy Poenammoo; the literal translation of this word is `the water of green talc,' and probably if we had understood him better we should have found that Tovy Poenammoo was the name of some particular place where they got the green talc or stone of which they make their ornaments and tools, and not a general name for the whole southern district."

1867. F. Hochstetter, `New Zealand,' p. 362:

"A magnificent Mere punamu, a battle-axe, fifteen inches long, and cut out of the most beautiful, transparent nephrite, an heirloom of his illustrious ancestors, which he kept as a sacred relic."

1881. J. L. Campbell [Title of book describing early days of New Zealand]:

"Poenamo."

<hw>Pratincole</hw>, n. The bird called a Pratincole (inhabitant of meadows: Lat. pratum and incola) exists elsewhere, and more often under the familiar name of Chat. The Australian species are—Glareola grallaria, Temm.; Oriental, G. orientalis, Leach.

<hw>Pre-empt</hw>, n. a slang abbreviation for pre-emptive right.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xxiv. p. 322:

"My friend has the run and the stock and the pre-empts all in his own hands."

<hw>Pretty-Faces</hw>, n. a fancy name for a small kangaroo. Not very common.

1887. W. S. S.Tyrwhitt, `The New Chum in the Queensland Bush,' p. 145:

"Kangaroos are of several different kinds. First, the large brown variety, known as kangaroo proper; next the smaller kind, known as pretty faces or whip tails, which are rather smaller and of a grey colour, with black and white on the face."

<hw>Prickfoot</hw>, n. a Tasmanian plant, Eryngium vesiculosum, Lab., N.O. Umbelliferae.

<hw>Prickly Fern</hw>, n. Alsophila australis, R. Br., N.O. Filices.

1862. W. Archer, `Products of Tasmania,' p. 41:

"Prickly fern-tree (Alsophila Australis, Br.). This very handsome ferntree occasionally attains a height of thirty feet. It is not, by any means, so common a fern-tree as Dicksonia antarctica (Lab.)."

<hw>Prickly Mimosa</hw>, n. See Mimosa and Prickly Moses, under Moses.

1835. Ross, `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 6:

Acacia verticillata. Whorl leaved Acacia, or Prickly Mimosa, so called from its sharp pointed leaves standing out in whorls round the stem like the spokes of a wheel."

<hw>Prickly Pine</hw>, n. See Pine.

<hw>Prickly Wattle</hw>, n. See Wattle.

<hw>Primage</hw>, n. The word is of old commercial use, for a small sum of money formerly paid to the captain or master of the ship, as his personal perquisite, over and above the freight charges paid to the owners or agents, by persons sending goods in a ship. It was called by the French pot-de-vin du maitre,—a sort of pourboire, in fact. Now-a-days the captain has no concern with the freight arrangements, and the word in this sense has disappeared. It has re-appeared in Australia under a new form. In 1893 the Victorian Parliament imposed a duty of one per cent. on the Prime, as the Customs laws call the first entry of goods. This tax was called Primage, and raised such an outcry among commercial men that in 1895 it was repealed.

<hw>Primrose, Native</hw>, n. The name is given in Tasmania to Goodenia geniculata, R. Br., N.O. Goodeniaceae. There are many species of Goodenia in Australia, and they contain a tonic bitter which has not been examined.

<hw>Prion</hw>, n. a sea-bird. See Dove-Petrel. (Grk. priown, a saw.) The sides of its bill are like the teeth of a saw.

1885. W. O. Legge, `Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science' (Brisbane), p. 448:

"The name Prion, as almost universally applied elsewhere to the
Blue Petrels, has been kept [in Australia] as an English name."

<HW>Prop</HW>, v. of a horse: to stop suddenly.

1870. E. B. Kennedy, `Four Years in Queensland,' p. 194:

"Another man used to teach his horse (which was free from vice) to gallop full speed up to the verandah of a house, and when almost against it, the animal would stop in his stride (or prop), when the rider vaulted lightly over his head on to the verandah."

1880. W. Senior, `Travel and Trout,' p.52:

"How on a sudden emergency the sensible animal will instantaneously check his impetuosity, `prop,' and swing round at a tangent."

1884. Rolf Boldrewood,' Melbourne Memories,' c. xxi. p. 152:

"Traveller's dam had an ineradicable taste for propping."

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia,' p. 153:

"His horse propped short, and sent him flying over its head."

<hw>Prop</hw>, n. a sudden stop.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. xvi. p. 115:

"The `touchy' mare gave so sudden a `prop,' accompanied by a desperate plunge, that he was thrown."

<hw>Prospect</hw>, v. to search for gold. In the word, and in all its derivatives, the accent is thrown back on to the first syllable. This word, in such frequent use in Australia, is generally supposed to be of Australian origin, but it is in equal use in the mining districts of the United States of America.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 10:

"The forest seemed alive with scouts `prospecting.'"

1864. J. Rogers, `New Rush,' pt. i. p. 18:

"Behold him, along with his partner set out,
To prospect the unexplor'd ranges about."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' p. 46:

"A promising place for prospecting. Yet nowhere did I see the shafts and heaps of rock or gravel which tell in a gold country of the hasty search for the precious metal."

1894. `The Argus,' March 10, p. 4, col. 6:

"The uses of the tin dish require explanation. It is for prospecting. That is to say, to wash the soil in which you think there is gold."

<hw>Prospect</hw>, n. the result of the first or test-dish full of wash-dirt.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' c. v. p. 54:

"The first prospect, the first pan of alluvial gold drift, was sent up to be tested."

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 17:

"I have obtained good dish prospects after crudely crushing up the quartz."

<hw>Prospecting</hw>, verbal n. and adj. See Prospect, v.

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 16:

"Prospecting in my division is on the increase."

Ibid. p. 13:

"The Egerton Company are doing a large amount of prospecting work."

<hw>Prospecting Claim</hw> = the first claim marked in a gold-lead. See Reward Claim.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' c. v. p. 53:

"This, however, would be but half the size of the premier or prospecting claim."

<hw>Prospector</hw>, n. one who searches for gold on a new field. See Prospect, v.

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 19:

"The Government prospectors have also been very successful."

1891. W. Tilley, `Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 11:

"He incidentally mentioned his gold find to another prospector
. . . The last went out to the grounds and prospected, with
the result that he discovered the first payable gold on the
West Coast, for which he obtained a reward claim."

<hw>Pseudochirus</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus of Ring-tailed Phalangers. (See Opossum.) They have prehensile tails, by which they hold in climbing, as with a hand. (Grk. pseudo-, false, and cheir, hand.)

<hw>Psophodes</hw>, n. scientific name of a genus of birds peculiar to Australia, and represented there by two species. See Coach-whip Bird. The name comes from the bird's peculiar note. (Grk. psophowdaes, noisy.)

<hw>Ptilonorhynchinae</hw>, n. pl. scientific name assigned to the Australian group of birds called the Bower-birds (q.v.). (Grk. ptilon, a feather, rhunchos, a beak.)

<hw>Pudding-ball</hw>, n. a fish; corruption of the aboriginal name of it, puddinba (q.v.), by the law of Hobson-Jobson.

1847. J. D. Lang, `Cooksland,' p. 96:

"The species of fish that are commonest in the Bay (Moreton) are mullet, bream, puddinba (a native word corrupted by the colonists into pudding-ball) . . . The puddinba is like a mullet in shape, but larger, and very fat; it is esteemed a great delicacy."

1896. `The Australasian,' Aug. 28, p. 407 col. 4:

"`Pudding-ball' is the name of a fish. It has nothing to do with pudding, nothing with any of the various meanings of ball. The fish is not specially round. The aboriginal name was `pudden-ba.' Voila tout."

<hw>Pukeko</hw>, n. Maori name for the bird Porphyrio melanonotus, the Swamp-Hen (q.v.).

1896. `Otago Witness,' June 11, p. 51:

"Two pukaki [sic] flew across their path."

<hw>Punga</hw>, n. the trunk of the tree-fern that is known as Cyathea medullaris, the "black fern " of the settlers. It has an edible pith.

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 115:

"Some of the trees were so alarmed that they held down their heads, and have never been able to hold them up since; amongst these were the ponga (a fern-tree) and the kareao (supple-jack), whose tender shoots are always bent."

1888. J. White, `Ancient History of Maori,' vol. iv. p. 191:

"When Tara-ao left his pa and fled from the vengeance of Karewa, he and his people were hungry and cut down ponga, and cooked and ate them."

1888. J. Adams, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xxi. art. ii. p. 36:

"The size and beauty of the puriri, nikau, and ponga (Cyathea medullaris) are worthy of notice."

1892. E. S. Brookes, `Frontier Life,' p. 139:

"The Survey Department graded a zigzag track up the side to the top, fixing in punga steps, so that horses could climb up."

<hw>Punga-punga</hw>, n. Maori name for the pollen of the raupo (q.v.).

1880. W. Colenso, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xiii. art. i. p. 28:

"Another curious article of vegetable food was the punga-punga, the yellow pollen of the raupo flowers. To use it as food it is mixed with water into cakes and baked. It is sweetish and light, and reminds one strongly of London gingerbread."

<hw>Puriri</hw>, n. Maori name for the New Zealand tree, Vitex littoralis, A. Cunn., N.O. Verbenaceae; called also New Zealand Oak, New Zealand Teak, and Ironwood. It is very hard.

1842. W. R. Wade, `Journey in New Zealand' (Hobart Town), p. 200:

"Puriri, misnamed Vitex littoralis, as it is not found near the sea-coast."

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 311:

"The Puriri Tree (Vitex littoralis). The stems . . . vary from straight to every imaginable form of curved growth. . . The fruit, which is like a cherry, is a favourite food of the woodpigeon."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 86:

"A deep ravine, over which grey-stemmed purtris stretched out afar their gnarled trunks, laden with deep green foliage, speckled with the warm gleam of ruddy blossoms."

1881. J. L. Campbell, `Poenamo,' p. 102:

"The darker, crimped and varnished leaf of the puriri, with its bright cherry-like berry."

1889. T. Kirk, `Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 209:

"The Puriri . . . on account of the strength of its timber it is sometimes termed by the settlers `New Zealand Oak,' but it would be far more correct to name it `New Zealand Teak.'"

<hw>Purple Berry</hw>, n. Tasmanian name for Billardiera longiflora, Lab., N.O. Pittosporeae. See Pittosporum.

1880. Mrs. Meredith, `Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 11 [Note]:

"Billardiera longiflora, the well-known beautiful climber, with pale greenish bell-flowers and purple fruit." [Also pl. i.]

<hw>Purple Broom</hw>, n. See Broom.

<hw>Purple Coot</hw>, n. another name for the Swamp-Hen (q.v.).

<hw>Purple Fig</hw>, n. See under Fig-tree.

<hw>Push</hw>, n. a gang. The word is of late very common in Australia. It was once a prison term. Barrere and Leland quote from M. Davitt's `Leaves from a Prison Diary,' "the upper ten push." In Thieves' English it is—(1) a crowd; (2) an association for a particular robbery. In Australia, its use began with the larrikins (q.v.), and spread, until now it often means clique, set, party, and even jocularly so far as "the Government House Push."

1890. `The Argus,' July 26, p. 4, col. 3:

"`Doolan's push' were a party of larrikins working . . . in a potato paddock near by."

1892. A topical song by E. J. Lonnen began:

"I've chucked up my Push for my Donah."

1893. `The Australasian,' June 24, p. 1165, col. 4:

"He [the young clergyman] is actually a member of every `push' in his neighbourhood, and the effect has been not to degrade the pastor, but to sweeten and elevate the `push.'"

1893. `Sydney Morning Herald,' June 26, p. 8, col. 7:

"For a long time past the `push' at Miller's Point, which consists of young fellows for the most part under twenty-one years of age, have been a terrible source of annoyance, and, indeed, of actual danger. A few years ago the police by resolute dealings with the larrikin pest almost put it down in the neighbourhood, the part of it which was left being thoroughly cowed, and consequently afraid to make any disturbance. Within the past eighteen months or two years the old `push' has been strengthened by the addition of youths just entering on manhood, who, gradually increasing in numbers, have elbowed their predecessors out of the field. Day by day the new `push' has become more daring. From chaffing drunken men and insulting defenceless women, the company has taken to assault, to daylight robbery."

1893. `The Argus,' July 1, p. 10, col. 7:

"The Premier, in consultation with the inspector-general of the police, has made arrangements to protect life and property against the misconduct of the lawless larrikin `pushes' now terrorising Sydney."

1894. `Sydney Morning Herald' (date lost):

"The word larrikin is excellently descriptive of the irresponsible, mischievous, anti-social creature whose eccentric action is the outcome of too much mutton. This immoral will-o'-the-wisp, seized with a desire to jostle, or thump, or smash, combines for the occasion with others like himself, and the shouldering, shoving gang is well called a push."

<hw>Pyrrholaemus</hw>, n. scientific name of the genus of the Australian birds called the Red-throats; from Grk. purros, "flame-coloured," "red," and laimos, "throat."

Q

<hw>Quail</hw>, n. a bird which exists under some form all over the world. The Australian species are—

Black-breasted Quail—
Turnix melanogaster, Gould.

Brown Q.— Synoicus australis, Lath. [Called also Swamp-Quail.]

Chestnut-backed Q.—
Turnix castanotus, Gould.

Chestnut-bellied Q.—
Excalfatoria australis, Gould.

Little Q.—
Turnix velox, Gould.

Painted Q.— T. varies, Lath. [Haemipodius melinatus, Gould.]

Red-backed Q.—
T. maculosa, Gould.

Red-chested Q.—
T. pyrrhothorax, Gould.

Stubble Q.—
Coturnix pectoralis, Gould.

In New Zealand there is a single species, Coturnix novae-zelandiae, Quoy and Gaim.

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. ii. c. vii. p. 259:

"It is known to the colonists as the painted quail; and has been called by Mr. Gould . . . Haemipodius melinatus."

1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Hamlyn,' p. 298:

"The painted quail, and the brush quail, the largest of Australian gamebirds, I believe, whirred away from beneath their horses' feet."

1862. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 67:

"The swamp fowl and timorous quail . . .
Will start from their nests."

1889. Prof. Parker, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 117:

"This group also is represented by a single species, the New Zealand quail (Coturnix Novae-Zelandiae), belonging to a widely distributed genus. It was formerly very abundant in New Zealand; but within the last fifteen or twenty years has been completely exterminated, and is now only known to exist on the Three Kings Island, north of Cape Maria Van Diemen."

<hw>Quail-Hawk</hw>, n. name given to the bird Falco, or Harpa novae-zelandiae. See Hawk.

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 37:

"In New Zealand the courageous family of the Raptores is very feebly represented; the honourable post of head of the family in all fairness must be assigned to the falcon, which is commonly known by the name of the quail- or sparrow-hawk, not that it is identical with, or that it even bears much resemblance to, the bold robber of the woods of Great Britain—`the hardy sperhauke eke the quales foe,' as Chaucer has it."

<hw>Quandong</hw>, n. (various spellings) aboriginal name for—(1) a tree, Santalum acuminatum, De C., S. persicarium, F. v. M., N.O. Santalaceae. In the Southern Colonies it is often called the Southern Quandong, and the tree is called the Native Peach-Tree (q.v.). The name is given to another large scrub-tree, Elaeocarpus grandis, F. v. M., N.O. Tiliaceae. The fruit, which is of a blue colour and is eaten by children, is also called the Native Peach.

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' p. 135:

"In all these scrubs on the Murray the Fusanus acuminatus is common, and produces the quandang nut (or kernel)."

1857. W. Howitt, `Tallangetta,' vol. i. p. 41:

"Abundance of fig, and medlar and quince trees, cherries, loquots, quondongs, gooseberry, strawberry, and raspberry trees."

1867. G. G. McCrae, `Balladeadro,' p. 10:

"Speed thee, Ganook, with these swift spears—
This firebrand weeping fiery tears,
And take this quandang's double plum,
'Twill speak alliance tho' 'tis dumb."

1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. xx. p. 199:

"They came upon a quantong-tree, and pausing beneath it, began to pick up the fallen fruit. . . . There were so many berries, each containing a shapely nut, that Honoria might string a dozen necklaces."

1890. Lyth, `Golden South,' c. ix. p. 79:

"I have forgotten to mention the quandong, a shrub bearing a fruit the size and colour of cherries."

(2) The fruit of this tree, and also its kernel.

1885. J. Hood, `Land of the Fern,' p. 53:

"She had gone to string on a necklet of seeds from the quongdong tree.'

1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. xix. p. 196:

"Miss Longleat was wild after quandongs."

[Footnote]: "A berry growing in the scrub, the kernels of which are strung into necklaces."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 9:

"Another fruit of fraudulent type growing on the plains is the quandong. Something in shape and colour like a small crab-apple, it is fair enough to the eye, but in taste thoroughly insipid."

<hw>Quart-pot</hw>, n. a tin vessel originally imported as a measure, and containing an exact imperial quart. It had no lid, but a side handle. Before 1850 the word Quart-pot, for a kettle, was as universal in the bush as "Billy" (q.v.) is now. The billy, having a lid and a wire handle by which to suspend it over the fire, superseded the quart-pot about 1851. In addition to the Billy, there is a Quart-pot still in use, especially in South Australia and the back-blocks. It has two sidehandles working in sockets, so as to fold down flat when travelling. The lid is an inverted pannikin fitted into it, and is used as a drinking-cup.

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 43:

"`Look out there!' he continued; `quart-pot corroborree,' springing up and removing with one hand from the fire one of the quart-pots, which was boiling madly."

<hw>Quart-pot Tea</hw>, n. Explained in quotations. Cf. Billy-tea.

1878. Mrs. H. Jones, `Long Years in Australia,' p. 87:

"Ralph, taking a long draught of the quart-pot tea, pronounced that nothing was ever like it made in teapots, and Ethel thought it excellent, excepting that the tea-leaves were troublesome."

188. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia, p. 111:

"`Quart-pot' tea, as tea made in the bush is always called, is really the proper way to make it. . . . The tea is really made with boiling water, which brings out its full flavour, and it is drunk before it has time to draw too much."

<hw>Quartz</hw>, n. a mineral; the common form of native silica. It is abundantly diffused throughout the world, and forms the common sand of the sea-shore. It occurs as veins or lodes in metamorphic rocks, and it is this form of its presence in Australia, associated with gold, that has made the word of such daily occurrence. In fact, the word Quartz, in Australian mining parlance, is usually associated with the idea of Gold-bearing Stone, unless the contrary be stated. Although some of the following compound words may be used elsewhere, they are chiefly confined to Australia.

1871. C. L. Money, `Knocking About in New Zealand,' p. 21:

"Quartz is the mother of gold, and wherever there is an abundance of it, gold may reasonably be expected to exist somewhere in the neighbourhood."

1890. `The Argus,' June 16, p. 6. col. 1:

"Two runaway apprentices from a ship are said to have first crushed quartz."

1890. R. A. F. Murray, `Reports and Statistics of the Mining Department [of Victoria] for the Quarter ending 31st December':

"The quartz here is very white and crystalline, with ferruginous, clayey joints, and—from a miner's point of view—of most unpromising or `hungry' appearance."

<hw>Quartz-battery</hw>, n. a machine for crushing quartz, and so extracting gold.

1890. `The Argus,' July 26, p. 4, col. 4:

"There was a row [noise] like a quartz-battery."

<hw>Quartz-blade</hw>, n. blade of a miner's knife used for picking lumps of gold out of the stone.

1891. `The Argus,' Dec. 19, p. 4, col. 2:

"They had slashed open his loins with a quartz-blade knife."

<hw>Quartz-crushing</hw>, adj. See Quartz.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. xxxix. p. 341:

"The dull reverberating clash of the quartz-crushing batteries."

<hw>Quartz-field</hw>, n. a non-alluvial goldfield.

1890. `The Argus,' June 16, p. 6, col. 1:

"Our principal quartz-field."

<hw>Quartz-lodes</hw>, and <hw>Quartz-mining</hw>. See Quartz.

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 32:

"He chose the piece which the New North Clunes now occupy for quartz-mining; but the quartz-lodes were very difficult to follow."

<hw>Quartz-reefer</hw>, n. a miner engaged in Quartz-reefing, as distinguished from one digging in alluvial. See above.

<hw>Quartz-reefing</hw>, n. (1) The operation of mining. See Reef, verb. (2) A place where there is gold mixed with quartz.

1861. Mrs. Meredith, `Over the Straits,' c. iv. p. 133:

"You'd best go to a quartz-reefin'. I've been surfacing this good while; but quartz-reefin's the payinest game, now."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. xxix. p. 263:

"[He] had located himself in a quartz-reefing district."

<hw>Queensland</hw>, n. a colony named after the Queen, on the occasion of its separation from New South Wales, in 1859. Dr. J. D. Lang wanted to call it "Cooksland," and published a book under that title in 1847. Before separation it was known as "the Moreton Bay District."

<hw>Queensland Asthma-Herb</hw>, n. See Asthma-Herb.

<hw>Queensland Bean</hw>. n. See Bean.

<hw>Queensland Beech</hw>, n. See Beech.

<hw>Queensland Ebony</hw>, n. See Ebony.

<hw>Queensland Hemp</hw>, n. See Hemp.

<hw>Queensland Kauri</hw>, n. another name for Dundathu Pine. See Kauri and Pine.

<hw>Queensland Nut</hw>, n. a wild fruit-tree, Macadamia ternifolia, F. v. M., N.O. Proteaceae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 40:

"`Queensland Nut.' This tree bears an edible nut of excellent flavour, relished both by Aborigines and Europeans. As it forms a nutritious article of food to the former, timber-getters are not permitted to fell the trees. It is well worth extensive cultivation, for the nuts are always eagerly bought."

<hw>Queensland Nutmeg</hw>, n. a timber-tree, Myristica insipida, R. Br., N.O. Myristiceae. Not so strongly aromatic as the true nutmeg.

<hw>Queensland Plum</hw>, n. See Plum, Sweet.

<hw>Queensland Poplar</hw>, n. See under Poplar.

<hw>Queensland Sorrel</hw>, n. a plant, Hibiscus heterophyllus, Vent., N.O. Malvaceae, chewed by the aborigines, as boys chew English Sorrel.

<hw>Queenwood</hw>, n. a timber-tree, Davidsonia pruriens, F. v. M., N.O. Leguminosae.

<hw>Quince, Native</hw>, n. i.q. Bitter-bark, Emu-Apple, and Quinine-tree, all which see.

<hw>Quince, Wild</hw>, n. another name for the Black Ash-tree. See Ash.

<hw>Quinine-Tree</hw>, n. i.q. Horseradish Tree (q.v.), and used also for the Bitter-bark or Emu-Apple Tree (q.v.).

<hw>Quoll</hw>, n. the aboriginal name for the Native Cat (q.v.), but not now in use.

1770. J. Banks, `Journal,' Aug. 26 (edition Hooker, 1896), p. 301:

"Another animal was called by the natives je-quoll; it is about the size of, and something like, a pole-cat, of a light brown, spotted with white on the back, and white under the belly. . . . I took only one individual."

Ibid. p. 323:

"They very often use the article ge, which seems to answer to our English a, as ge gurka—a rope."

[In Glossary]:

"Gurka—a rope." /?/

R

<hw>Rabbiter</hw>, n. a man who lives by trapping rabbits, or who is employed to clear stations from them.

1892. E. W. Hornung, `Under Two Skies,' p. 114:

"He would give him a billet. He would take him on as a rabbiter, and rig him out with a tent, camp fixings, traps, and perhaps even a dog or two."

<hw>Rabbit-rat</hw>, n. name sometimes given to ahapalote (q.v.), in New South Wales.

<hw>Radish-Tree</hw>, n. an Australian timber-tree, Codonocarpus cotinifolius, F. v. M., N.O. Phytolaceae; called also Poplar in Central Australia.

1894. `Melbourne Museum Catalogue—Economic Woods,' No. 61:

"Radish-Tree: occurs in the Mallee-scrub very sparingly; attaining a height of thirty feet. The poplar of the Central Australian explorers. Whole tree strong-scented."

<hw>Rager</hw>, n. an old and fierce bullock or cow, that always begins to rage in the stock-yard.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. xiv. p. 105:

"Amongst them was a large proportion of bullocks, which declined with fiendish obstinacy to fatten. They were what are known by the stockriders as `ragers,' or `pig-meaters'" [q.v.].

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xvi. p. 196:

"Well, say a hundred off for ragers.'"

<hw>Rail</hw>, n. common English birdname. There are many varieties in New Zealand and Australia, especially in the former colony, and the authorities differ as to whether some should be classed as distinct species. Some are common to Australasia, others endemic in New Zealand or Australia; their distribution in this respect is marked below in parentheses. Several species receive more than one vernacular name, as the following list shows—

Banded Rail (N.Z. and A.)—
Rallus philippensis, Linn.

Chestnut-bellied R. (A.)—
Eulabeornis castaneiventris, Gould.

Dieffenbach's R. (see quotation below)—
Rallus dieffenbachii, Gray.

Hutton's R. (N.Z.)—
Cabalus modestus, Hutton.

Land R. (N.Z. and A.)—
Rallus philippensis, Linn.

Marsh R. (Australasia)—
Ortygometra tabuensis, Finsch. and Hard.

Pectoral R. (N.Z. and A.)—
Rallus philippensis, Linn.

Red-necked R. (A.)—
Rallina tricolor, Gray.

Slate-breasted R. (A.)—
Hypotaenidia brachipus, Swains.

Swainson's R. (N.Z. and A.)—
Rallina brachipus, Swains.

Swamp R. (Australasia)—
Ortygometra tabuensis, Finsch. and Hard.

Tabuan R. (Australasia)—
O. tabuensis, Finsch. and Hard.

Weka R. (N.Z. See Weka.)—

See also Takahe and Notornis.

1888. W.L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' p. 121:

"Dieffenbach's Rail. . . . This beautiful Rail was brought from the Chatham Islands by Dr. Dieffenbach in 1842, and named by Mr. Gray in compliment to this enterprising naturalist. The adult specimen in the British Museum, from which my description was taken, is unique, and seems likely to remain so."

1893. Prof Parker, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 116:

"Hutton's rail, the third of the endemic rails . . . is confined to the Chatham Islands."

<hw>Rain-bird</hw>, n. The name is popularly given in many parts of the world to various birds. The Rain-bird of Queensland and the interior is the Great Cuckoo or Channel-bill (Scythrops novae-hollandiae, Lath., q.v.).

1860. G. Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 283:

"We discovered a nest of full-fledged birds of the Australian Shrike or Butcher-bird, also called Rain-bird by the colonists (Vanga destructor). They were regarded by our companions as a prize, and were taken accordingly to be caged, and instructed in the art of whistling tunes, in which they are great adepts."

<hw>Rainbow-fish</hw>, n. a New Zealand fish, Heteroscharus castelnaui, Macl.

<hw>Rama-rama</hw>, n. Maori name for a New Zealand shrub, Myrtus bullata, Banks and Sol. The name is used in the North Island. It is often corrupted into Grama.

<hw>Rangatira</hw>, n. Maori word for a chief, male or female; a master or mistress (Williams); therefore an aristocrat, a person of the gentle class, distinguished from a tau-rikarika, a nobody, a slave.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 200:

"Ranga tira, a gentleman or lady."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. i. p. 173:

"I took care to tell them that the rangatira, or `chief' missionaries, would come out with the settlers."

Ibid. c. ii. p. 461:

"Rangatira is Maori for `chief,' and Rangatira-tango is therefore truly rendered `chieftainship.'"

1893. `Otago Witness, `Dec. 21, p. 11:

"Te Kooti is at Puketapu with many Rangatiras; he is a great warrior,—a fighting chief. They say he has beaten the pakehas" (q.v.).

<hw>Ranges</hw>, n. the usual word in Australia for "mountains." Compare the use of "tiers" in Tasmania.

<hw>Rangy</hw>, adj. mountainous.

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 89:

"He tramps over the most rangy and inaccessible regions of the colonies."

1883. E. M. Curr, `Recollections of Squatting in Victoria' (1841-1851), p. 46:

"The country being rangy, somewhat scrubby, and destitute of prominent features."

<hw>Raspberry, Wild</hw>, or <hw>Native</hw>, n. Rubus gunnianus, Hook., N.O. Rosaceae; peculiar to Tasmania, and so called there. In Australia, the species is Rubus rosafolius, Smith. See also Lawyer and Blackberry.

<hw>Raspberry-jam Tree</hw>, n. name given to Acacia acuminata, Benth., especially of Western Australia. Though Maiden does not give the name, he says (Useful Native Plants,' p. 349), "the scent of the wood is comparable to that of raspberries."

1846. L. Leichhardt, quoted by J. D. Lang, `Cooksland,' p. 328:

"Plains with groves or thickets of the raspberry-jam-tree."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. ii. c. iv. p. 132:

"Raspberry-jam . . . acacia sweet-scented, grown on good ground."

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. ii. p. 68:

"The other trees besides the palm were known to the men by colonial appellations, such as the bloodwood and the raspberry-jam. The origin of the latter name, let me inform my readers, has no connection whatever with any produce from the tree."

1896. `The Australasian,' Feb. 15, p. 313:

"The raspberry-jam-tree is so called on account of the strong aroma of raspberries given out when a portion is broken."

[On the same page is an illustration of these trees growing near Perth, Western Australia.]

<hw>Rasp-pod</hw>, n. name given to a large Australian tree, Flindersia australis, R. Br., N.O. Meliaceae.

<hw>Rat</hw>, n. True Rodents are represented in Australia and Tasmania by six genera; viz., Mus, Conilurus (= Hapalotis), Xeromys, Hydromys, Mastacomys, Uromys, of which the five latter are confined to the Australian Region.

The genus Hydromys contains the Eastern Water Rat, sometimes called the Beaver Rat (Hydromys chrysogaster, Geoffroy), and the Western Water Rat (H. fulvolavatus, Gould).

Conilurus contains the Jerboa Rats (q.v.).

Xeromys contains a single species, confined to Queensland, and called Thomas' Rat (Xeromys myoides, Thomas).

Mastacomys contains one species, the Broad-toothed Rat (M. fuscus, Thomas), found alive only in Tasmania, and fossil in New South Wales.

Uromys contains two species, the Giant Rat (U. macropus, Gray), and the Buff-footed Rat (U. cervinipes, Gould).

Mus contains twenty-seven species, widely distributed over the Continent and Tasmania.

1851. `Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land,' vol. i. p. 301:

"The Secretary read the following extracts from a letter of the Rev. W. Colenso to Ronald C. Gunn, Esq., of Launceston, dated Waitangi, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 4th September, 1850:— `I have procured two specimens of the ancient, and all but quite extinct, New Zealand Rat, which until just now (and notwithstanding all my endeavours, backed, too, by large rewards) I never saw. It is without doubt a true Mus, smaller than our English black rat (Mus Rattus), and not unlike it. This little animal once inhabited the plains and Fagus forests of New Zealand in countless thousands, and was both the common food and great delicacy of the natives— and already it is all but quite classed among the things which were."

1880. A. R. Wallace, `Island Life,' p. 445:

"The Maoris say that before Europeans came to their country a forest rat abounded, and was largely used for food . . . Several specimens have been caught . . . which have been declared by the natives to be the true Kiore Maori—as they term it; but these have usually proved on examination to be either the European black rat or some of the native Australian rats . . . but within the last few years many skulls of a rat have been obtained from the old Maori cooking-places and from a cave associated with moa bones, and Captain Hutton, who has examined them, states that they belong to a true Mus, but differ from the Mus rattus."

<hw>Rata</hw>, n. Maori name for two New Zealand erect or sub-scandent flowering trees, often embracing trunks of forest trees and strangling them: the Northern Rata, Metrosideros robusta, A. Cunn., and the Southern Rata, M. lucida, Menz., both of the N.O. Myrtaceae. The tree called by the Maoris Aka, which is another species of Metrosederos (M. florida), is also often confused with the Rata by bushmen and settlers.

In Maori, the adj. rata means red-hot, and there may be a reference to the scarlet appearance of the flower in full bloom. The timber of the Rata is often known as Ironwood, or Ironbark. The trees rise to sixty feet in height; they generally begin by trailing downwards from the seed deposited on the bark of some other tree near its top. When the trailing branches reach the ground they take root there and sprout erect. For full account of the habit of the trees, see quotation 1867 (Hochstetter), 1879 (Moseley), and 1889 (Kirk).

1843. E. Dieffenbach, `Travels in New Zealand,' p. 224:

"The venerable rata, often measuring forty feet in circumference and covered with scarlet flowers—while its stem is often girt with a creeper belonging to the same family (metrosideros hypericifolia?)."

1848. Rev. R. Taylor, `Leaf from the Natural History of New Zealand,' p. 21:

"Rata, a tree; at first a climber; it throws out aerial roots; clasps the tree it clings to and finally kills it, becoming a large tree (metrosideros robusta). A hard but not durable wood."

1854. W. Golder, `Pigeons' Parliament,' canto 1, p. 14:

"Unlike the neighbouring rata cast,
And tossing high its heels in air."

1867. F. Hochstetter, `New Zealand,' p. 135:

"The Rata (Metrosideros robusta), the trunk of which, frequently measuring forty feet in circumference, is always covered with all sorts of parasitical plants, and the crown of which bears bunches of scarlet blossoms."

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 264:

"Nay, not the Rata! howsoe'er it bloomed,
Paling the crimson sunset; for you know,
Its twining arms and shoots together grow
Around the trunk it clasps, conjoining slow
Till they become consolidate, and show
An ever-thickening sheath that kills at last
The helpless tree round which it clings so fast."

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 310:

"The Rata-Tree (Metrosideros robusta). This magnificent tree. . . . height 80 to 100 feet . . . a clear stem to 30 and even 40 feet . . . very beautiful crimson polyandrous flowers . . . wood red, hard, heavy, close-grained, strong, and not difficult to work."

1879. H. n. Moseley, `Notes of a Naturalist on Challenger,' p. 278:

One of the most remarkable trees . . . is the Rata. . . . This, though a Myrtaceous plant, has all the habits of the Indian figs, reproducing them in the closest manner. It starts from a seed dropped in the fork of a tree, and grows downward to reach the ground; then taking root there, and gaining strength, chokes the supporting tree and entirely destroys it, forming a large trunk by fusion of its many stems. Nevertheless, it occasionally grows directly from the soil, and then forms a trunk more regular in form."

1883. F. S. Renwick, `Betrayed,' p. 39:

"That bark shall speed where crimson ratas gleam."

1888. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iii. p. 210:

"The foliage of many of the large trees is quite destroyed by the crimson flowering rata, the king of parasites, which having raised itself into the upper air by the aid of some unhappy pine, insinuates its fatal coils about its patron, until it has absorbed trunk and branch into itself, and so gathered sufficient strength to stand unaided like the chief of forest trees, flaunting in crimson splendour."

1889. T. Kirk, `Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 263:

"It is invariably erect, never climbing, although bushmen and settlers frequently state that it climbs the loftiest trees, and sooner or later squeezes them to death in its iron clasp. In proof of this they assert that, when felling huge ratas, they often find a dead tree in the centre of the rata: this is a common occurrence, but it by no means follows that this species is a climber. This error is simply due to imperfect observation, which has led careless observers to confuse Metrosideros florida [the Akal which is a true climber, with M. robusta."

1892. `Otago Witness,' Nov. 10 [`Native Trees']:

"Rata, or Ironwood. It would be supposed that almost every colonist who has seen the rata in bloom would desire to possess a plant."

1893. `The Argus,' Feb. 4 [Leading Article]:

"The critic becomes to the original author what the New Zealand rata is to the kauri. That insidious vine winds itself round the supporting trunk and thrives on its strength and at its expense, till finally it buries it wholly from sight and flaunts itself aloft, a showy and apparently independent tree."

<hw>Rat-tail Grass</hw>, n. name given to— (1) Ischaemum laxum, R. Br., N.O. Gramineae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 92:

"Rat-tail Grass. An upright, slender growing grass; found throughout the colony, rather coarse, but yielding a fair amount of feed, which is readily eaten by cattle."

(2) Sporobolus indicus, R. Br., N.O. Gramineae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 109:

"Rat-tail Grass. A fine, open, pasture grass, found throughout the colonies. Its numerous penetrating roots enable it to resist severe drought. It yields a fair amount of fodder, much relished by stock, but is too coarse for sheep. The seeds form the principal food of many small birds. It has been suggested as a paper-making material."

[See Grass.]

<hw>Raupo</hw>, n. Maori name for a New Zealand bulrush, Typha angustifolia, Linn. The leaves are used for building native houses. The pollen, called Punga-Punga (q.v.), was collected and made into bread called pua. The root was also eaten. It is not endemic in New Zealand, but is known in many parts, and was called by the aborigines of Australia, Wonga, and in Europe "Asparagus of the Cossacks." Other names for it are Bulrush, Cat's Tail, Reed Mace, and Cooper's Flag.

1827. Augustus Earle, `Narrative of Nine Months' Residence in New Zealand,' `New Zealand Reader,' p. 67:

"Another party was collecting rushes, which grow plentifully in the neighbourhood, and are called raupo."

1833. Henry Williams's Diary, `Carleton's Life,' p. 151:

"The Europeans were near us in a raupo whare [rush-house]."

1835. W. Yate, `Account of New Zealand,' p. 205:

"To engage the natives to build raupo, that is, rush-houses."

1842. W. R. Wade, `A Journey in the North Island of New Zealand,' `New Zealand Reader,' p. 122:

"The raupo, the reed-mace of New Zealand, always grows in swampy ground. The leaves or blades when full grown are cut and laid out to dry, forming the common building material with which most native houses are constructed."

1843. `An Ordinance for imposing a tax on Raupo Houses, Session II. No. xvii. of the former Legislative Council of New Zealand':

[From A. Domett's collection of Ordinances, 1850.]

"Section 2. . . . there shall be levied in respect of every building constructed wholly or in part of raupo, nikau, toitoi, wiwi, kakaho, straw or thatch of any description [ . . . L20]."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. i. p. 380:

"These [the walls], nine feet high and six inches thick, were composed of neatly packed bunches of raupo, or bulrushes, lined inside with the glazed reeds of the tohe-tohe, and outside with the wiwi or fine grass."

1860. R. Donaldson, `Bush Lays,' p. 5:

"Entangled in a foul morass,
A raupo swamp, one name we know."

1864. F. E. Maning (Pakeha Maori), `The War in the North,' p. 16:

"Before a war or any other important matter, the natives used to have recourse to divination by means of little miniature darts made of rushes or reeds, or often of the leaf of the cooper's flag (raupo)."

1867. F. Hochstetter, `New Zealand,' p. 308:

"The favourite material of the Maoris for building purposes is Raupo (Typha), a kind of flag or bulrush, which grows in great abundance in swampy places."

1877. Anon., `Colonial Experiences, or Incidents of Thirty-Four Years in New Zealand,' p. 10:

"It was thatched with raupo or native bulrush, and had sides and interior partitions of the same material."

<hw>Raven</hw>, n. English bird-name. The Australian species is Corvus coronoides, Vig. and Hors.

<hw>Razor-grinder</hw>, n. a bird-name, Seisura inquieta, Lath. Called also Dishwasher and Restless Fly-catcher. See Fly-catcher.

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol.ii. p. 159:

"Neither must you be astonished on hearing the razor-grinder ply his vocation in the very depths of our solitudes; for here he is a flying instead of a walking animal."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 87:

"Seisura Inquieta, Restless Flycatcher; the Grinder of the Colonists of Swan River and New South Wales."

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 332:

"The razor-grinder, fitly so called from making a grinding noise as it wavers in one position a foot or two from the ground."

<hw>Ready up</hw>, v. See quotation.

1893. `The Age,' Nov. 25, p. 13, col. 2:

"Mr. Purees: A statement has been made that is very serious. It has been said that a great deal has been `readied up' for the jury by the present commissioners. That is a charge which, if true, amounts to embracery.

"His Honor: I do not know what `readying up' means.

"Mr. Purves: It is a colonial expression, meaning that something is prepared with an object. If you `ready up' a racehorse, you are preparing to lose, or if you `ready up' a pack of cards, you prepare it for dealing certain suits."

<hw>Red Bass</hw>, n. a fish of Moreton Bay (q.v.), Mesoprion superbus, Castln., family Percidae.

<hw>Redberry</hw>, n. name given to Australian plants of the genus Rhagodia, bearing spikes or panicles of red berries. Called also Seaberry. See also Saloop-bush.

<hw>Red-bill</hw>, n. bird-name given to Estrelda temporalis, Lath. It is also applied to the Oyster-catchers (q.v.); and sometimes to the Swamp-Hen (q.v.).

1802. G. Barrington, `History of New South Wales,' p. 345:

"Lieut. Flinders taking up his gun to fire at two red-bills . . . the natives, alarmed, ran to the woods."

1827. Vigors and Horsfield, `Transactions of the Linnaean Society,' vol. xv. p. 259:

"`This bird,' says Mr. Caley, `which the settlers call Red-bill, is gregarious, and appears at times in very large flocks. I have killed above forty at a shot.'"

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iii. pl. 82:

"Estrelda temporalis. Red-eyebrowed Finch. Red-Bill of the Colonists."

`<hw>Red Bream</hw>, n. name given to the Schnapper when one year old. See Schnapper.

<hw>Red Cedar</hw>, n. See Cedar.

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 434:

"M'Leay river, New South Wales, Lat. 30 degrees 40'. This forest was found to contain large quantities of red cedar (Cedrela toona) and white cedar (Melia azederach), which, though very different from what is known as cedar at home, is a valuable wood, and in much request by the colonists."

<hw>Red Currant</hw>, n. another name for the Native Currant of Tasmania, Coprosma nitida, Hook., N.O. Rubiaceae. See Currant, Native.

<hw>Red Gum</hw>, n. (1) A tree. See Gum. The two words are frequently made one with the accent on the first syllable; compare Blue-gum.

(2) A medicinal drug. An exudation from the bark of Eucalyptus rostrata, Schlecht, and other trees; see quotation, 1793. Sir Ranald Martin introduced it into European medical practice.

177 J. White, `Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 178:

"At the heart they [the trees] are full of veins, through which an amazing quantity of an astringent red gum issues. This gum I have found very serviceable in an obstinate dysentery."

Ibid. p. 233:

"A very powerfully astringent gum-resin, of a red colour, much resembling that known in the shops as Kino, and, for all medical purposes, fully as efficacious."

1793. J. E. Smith, `Specimen of Botany of New Holland,' p. 10:

"This, Mr. White informs us, is one of the trees (for there are several, it seems, besides the Eucalyptus resinifera, mentioned in his Voyage, p. 231) which produce the red gum."

[The tree is Ceratopetalum gummiferum, Smith, called by him Three-leaved Red-gum Tree. It is now called Officer Plant or Christmas-bush (q.v.).]

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 42:

"The usual red gum was observed oozing out from the bark, and this attracted their notice, as it did that of every explorer who had landed upon the continent. This gum is a species of kino, and possesses powerful astringent, and probably staining, qualities."

<hw>Red Gurnet-Perch</hw>, n. name given in Victoria to the fish Sebastes percoides, Richards., family Scorpaenidae. It is also called Poddly; Red Gurnard, or Gurnet; and in New Zealand, Pohuikaroa. See Perch and Gurnet.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 48:

"Sebastes percoides, a fish of a closely allied genus of the same family [as Scorpaena cruenta, the red rock-cod]. It is caught at times in Port Jackson, but has no local name. In Victoria it is called the Red Gurnet-perch."

<hw>Redhead</hw>, n. See Firetail.

<hw>Red-knee</hw>, n. sometimes called the Red-kneed Dottrel, Charadrius ruftveniris, formerly Erythrogonys cinctus, Gould. A species of a genus of Australian plovers.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vi. pl. 21:

"Erythrogonys Cinctus, Gould; Banded Red-knee."

<hw>Red Mulga</hw>, n. name given to a species of Acacia, A. cyperophylla, F. v. M., owing to the red colour of the flakes of bark which peel off the stem. See Mulga.

1896. Baldwin Spencer, `Home Expedition in Central Australia,' Narrative, pt. i. p. 16:

"We crossed a narrow belt of country characterized by the growth along the creek sides of red mulga. This is an Acacia (A. cyperophylla) reaching perhaps a height of twenty feet, the bark of which, alone amongst Acacias, is deciduous and peels off, forming little deep-red coloured flakes."

<hw>Red Mullet</hw>, n. New South Wales, Upeneoides vlamingii, Cuv. and Val., and Upeneus porosus, Cuv. and Val., family Mullidae. See Mullet.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 38:

"The name of this family is a source of much confusion. It is derived from the Latin word mullus, which in the form of `Mullet' we apply to the well-known fishes of quite a different family, the Mugilidae. Another fish to which the term `Red-Mullet' is applied is of the family Cottidae or Gurnards."

<hw>Red Perch</hw>, n. name given in Tasmania to the fish Anthias rasor, Richards.; also called the Barber. In Australia, it is Anthias longimanus, Gunth.

<hw>Red Rock-Cod</hw>, n. name given in New South Wales to the fish Scorpaena cardinalis, Richards., family Scorpaenidae, marine fishes resembling the Sea-perches. S. cardinalis is of a beautiful scarlet colour.

<hw>Red-streaked Spider</hw>, or <hw>Black-and-red Spider</hw>, an Australasian spider (Latrodectus scelio, Thorel.), called in New Zealand the Katipo (q.v.).

<hw>Red-throat</hw>, n. a small brown Australian singing-bird, with a red throat, Pyrrholaemus brunneus, Gould.

<hw>Reed-mace</hw>, n. See Wonga and Raupo.

<hw>Reef</hw>, n. term in gold-mining; a vein of auriferous quartz. Called by the Californian miners a vein, or lode, or ledge. In Bendigo, the American usage remains, the words reef, dyke, and vein being used as synonymous, though reef is the most common. (See quotation, 1866.) In Ballarat, the word has two distinct meanings, viz. the vein, as above, and the bed-rock or true-bottom. (See quotations, 1869 and 1874.) Outside Australia, a reef means "a chain or range of rocks lying at or near the surface of the water." (`Webster.')

1858. T. McCombie, `History of New South Wales,' c. xiv. p. 213:

"A party . . . discovered gold in the quartz-reefs of the
Pyrenees [Victoria]."

1860. W. Kelly, `Life in Victoria,' vol. ii. p. 148:

"If experience completely establishes the fact, at least, under existing systems, that the best-paying reefs are those that are largely intersected with fissures—more inclined to come out in pebbles than in blocks—or, if I might coin a designation, `rubble reefs,' as contradistinguished from `boulder reefs,' showing at the same time a certain degree of ignigenous discoloration . . . still, where there are evidences of excessive volcanic effect . . . the reef may be set down as poor . . ."

1866. A. R. Selwyn, `Exhibition Essays,' Notes on the Physical Geography, Geology, and Mineralogy of Victoria:

"Quartz occurs throughout the lower palaeozoic rocks in veins, `dykes' or `reefs,' from the thickness of a thread to 130 feet."

1869. R. Brough Smyth, `Goldfields Glossary,' p. 619:

"Reef. The term is applied to the tip-turned edges of the palaeozoic rocks. The reef is composed of slate, sandstone, or mudstone. The bed-rock anywhere is usually called the reef. A quartz-vein; a lode."

1874. Reginald A. F. Murray, `Progress Report, Geological Survey, Victoria,' vol. i. p. 65 [Report on the Mineral Resources of Ballarat]:

"This formation is the `true bottom,' `bed rock' or `reef,' of the miners."

1894. `The Argus,' March 28, p. 5, col. 5:

"In looking for reefs the experienced miner commences on the top of the range and the spurs, for the reason that storm-waters have carried the soil into the gullies and left the bed-rock exposed."

<hw>Reef</hw>, v. to work at a reef.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. iii. p. 30:

"The University graduate . . . was to be seen patiently sluicing, or reefing, as the case might be."

[See also Quartz-reefing.]

<hw>Regent-bird</hw>, n. (1) An Australian Bower-bird, Sericulus melinus, Lath., named out of compliment to the Prince Regent, afterwards George IV. (therefore named before 1820).

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 161:

"Mr. Gilbert observed the female of the Regent-bird."

(2) Mock Regent-bird, now Meliphaga phrygia, Lath.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 48:

"Zanthomyza Phrygia, Swains., Warty-faced Honey-eater [q.v.]; Mock Regent-Bird, Colonists of New South Wales."

<hw>Remittance-man</hw>, n. one who derives the means of an inglorious and frequently dissolute existence from the periodical receipt of money sent out to him from Europe.

1892. R. L. Stevenson, `The Wrecker,' p. 336:

"Remittance men, as we call them here, are not so rare in my experience; and in such cases I act upon a system."

<hw>Rewa-rewa</hw>, n. pronounced raywa, Maori name for the New Zealand tree Knightia excelsa, R. Br., N.O. Proteaceae, the Honey-suckle of the New Zealand settlers. Maori verb, rewa, to float. The seed-vessel is just like a Maori canoe.

1857. C. Hursthouse, `New Zealand, the Britain of the South,' vol. i. p. 143:

"Rewarewa (honeysuckle), a handsome flowering tree common on the outskirts of the forests. Wood light and free-working: the grain handsomely flowered like the Baltic oak."

1878. R. C. Barstow, `On the Maori Canoe,' `Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,' vol. xi. art. iv. p. 73:

"Dry rewarewa wood was used for the charring."

1880. W. Colenso, `Traditions of the Maoris,' `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xiii. p. 53:

"The boy went into the forest, and brought back with him a seed-pod of the rewarewa tree (Knightia excelsa). . . . He made his way to his canoe, which was made like the pod of the rewarewa tree."

1983. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 129:

"Rewarewa, a lofty, slender tree, 100 feet high. Wood handsome, mottled red and brown, used for furniture and shingles, and for fencing, as it splits easily. It is a most valuable veneering wood."

<hw>Reward-Claim</hw>, n. the Australian legal term for the large area granted as a "reward" to the miner who first discovers valuable gold in a new district, and reports it to the Warden of the Goldfields. The first great discovery of gold in Coolgardie was made by Bayley in 1893, and his reward-claim, sold to a syndicate, was known as "Bayley's Reward." See also Prospecting Claim, and Claim.

1891. W. Tilley, `Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 11:

"Prospected with the result that he discovered the first payable gold on the West Coast, for which he obtained a reward claim."

<hw>Rhipidura</hw>, n. scientific name for a genus of Australasian birds, called Fantail (q.v.). They are Fly-catchers. The word is from Grk. rhipidos, `of a fan,' and 'oura, `a tail.'

<hw>Ribbed Fig</hw>, n. See Fig.

<hw>Ribbonwood</hw>, n. All species of Plagianthus and Hoheria are to the colonists Ribbonwood, especially Plagianthus betulinus, A. Cunn., and Hoheria populnea, A. Cunn., the bark of which is used for cordage, and was once used for making a demulcent drink. Alpine Ribbon-wood, Plagianthus lyalli, Hook. Other popular names are Houhere, Houi (Maori), Lace-bark (q.v.), and Thousand-Jacket (q.v.).

<hw>Ribgrass</hw>, n. a Tasmanian name for the Native Plantain. See Plantain.

<hw>Rice-flower</hw>, n. a gardeners' name for the cultivated species of Pimalea (q.v.). The Rice-flowers are beautiful evergreens about three feet high, and bear rose-coloured, white, and yellow blooms.

<hw>Rice-shell</hw>, n. The name is applied elsewhere to various shells; in Australia it denotes the shell of various species of Truncatella, a small marine mollusc, so called from a supposed resemblance to grains of rice, and used for necklaces.

<hw>Richea</hw>, n. a Tasmanian Grasstree (q.v.), Richea pandanifolia, Hook., N.O. Liliaceae.

1850. `Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land,' May 8, vol. i. p. 278:

"A section . . . of the stem of the graceful palm-like Richea (Richea pandanifolia), found in the dense forests between Lake St. Clair and Macquarie Harbour, where it attains the height of 40 to 50 feet in sheltered positions,—the venation, markings, and rich yellow colouring of which were much admired."

1878. Rev. W. W. Spicer, `Handbook of the Plants of Tasmania,' p. 125:

Richea pandanifolia, H. Giant Grass Tree. Peculiar to
Tasmania. Dense forests in the interior and SW."

<hw>Ridge-Myrtle</hw>, n. See Myrtle.

<hw>Rifle-bird</hw>, n. sometimes called also Rifleman (q.v.); a bird of paradise. The male is of a general velvety black, something like the uniform of the Rifle Brigade. This peculiarity, no doubt, gave the bird its name, but, on the other hand, settlers and local naturalists sometimes ascribe the name to the resemblance they hear in the bird's cry to the noise of a rifle being fired and its bullet striking the target. The Rifle-bird is more famed for beauty of plumage than any other Australian bird. There are three species, and they are of the genus Ptilorhis, nearly related to the Birds of Paradise of New Guinea, where also is found the only other known species of Ptilorhis. The chief species is Ptilorhis paradisea, Lath., the other two species were named respectively, after the Queen and the late Prince Consort, Victoriae and Alberti, but some naturalists have given them other generic names.

As to the name, see also quotation, 1886. See Manucode.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 194:

"We saw . . . a rifle-bird."

1886. `Encyclopaedia Britannica,' vol. xx. p. 553:

"Rifleman-Bird, or Rifle-Bird, names given . . . probably because in coloration it resembled the well-known uniform of the rifle-regiments of the British army, while in its long and projecting hypochondriac plumes and short tail a further likeness might be traced to the hanging pelisse and the jacket formerly worn by the members of those corps."— [Footnote]: "Curiously enough its English name seems to be first mentioned in ornithological literature by Frenchmen—Lesson and Garnot—in 1828, who say (Voy. `Coquille,' Zoologie, p. 669) that it was applied `pour rappeler que ce fut un soldat de la garnison [of New South Wales] qui le tua le premier,' which seems to be an insufficient reason, though the statement as to the bird's first murderer may be true."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 171:

"It was an Australian bird of paradise, the celebrated
Rifle-bird (Ptilorhis victoriae), which, according to
Gould, has the most brilliant plumage of all Australian birds."

<hw>Rifleman</hw>, n. a bird of New Zealand, Acanthidositta chloris, Buller; Maori name, Titipounamu. See quotation. The name is sometimes applied also to the Rifle-bird (q.v.).

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 113:

"Acanthidositta chloris, Buller. The rifleman is the smallest of our New Zealand birds. It is very generally distributed."

[Footnote]: "This has hitherto been written Acanthisitta; but Professor Newton has drawn my attention to the fact of its being erroneous. I have therefore adopted the more classic form of Acanthidositta, the etymology of which is 'akanthid,—crude form of 'akanthis = Carduelis, and sitta = sitta."

1888. W. Smith, `Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,' vol. xxi. art. xxi. p. 214:

"Acanthisitta chloris (Rifleman). The feeble note of this diminutive bird is oftener heard in the bush than the bird is seen."

<hw>Right-of-Way</hw>, n. a lane. In England the word indicates a legal right to use a particular passage. In Australia it is used for the passage or lane itself.

1893. `The Argus,' Feb. 3:

"The main body of the men was located in the right-of-way, which is overlooked by the side windows of the bureau."

<hw>Rimu</hw>, n. Maori name for a New Zealand tree, Dacrydium cupressinum, N.O. Coniferae; also called Red pine. Rimu is generally used in North Island; Red pine more generally in the South. See Pine.

1835. W. Yate, `Account of New Zealand,' p. 40:

"Rimu. This elegant tree comes to its greatest perfection in shaded woods, and in moist, rich soil."

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 117:

"He lay
Couched in a rimu-tree one day."

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 306:

"The Rimu Tree. Height, eighty to 100 feet, fully forty to fifty feet clear of branches . . . moderately hard . . . planes up smoothly, takes a good polish, would be useful to the cabinetmaker."

1879. Clement Bunbury, `Fraser's Magazine,' June, p. 761:

"Some of the trees, especially the rimu, a species of yew, here called a pine, were of immense size and age."

<hw>Ring</hw>, v. tr. (1) To cut the bark of a tree round the trunk so as to kill it. The word is common in the same sense in English forestry and horticulture, and only seems Australasian from its more frequent use, owing to the widespread practice of clearing the primeval forests and generally destroying trees. "Ringed" is the correct past participle, but "rung" is now commonly used.

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. c. x. p. 315:

"What they call ringing the trees; that is to say, they cut off a large circular band of bark, which, destroying the trees, renders them easier to be felled."

1862. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 56:

The gum-trees, ringed and ragged, from the mazy margins rise."

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' c. xx. p. 312:

"Trees to be `rung.' The ringing of trees consists of cutting the bark through all round, so that the tree cease to suck up the strength of the earth for its nutrition, and shall die."

1883. E. M. Curr, `Recollections of Squatting in Victoria' (1841-1851), p. 81:

"Altogether, fences and tree-ringing have not improved the scene."

1889. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 58:

"The trees are `rung,' that there may be more pasture for the sheep and cattle."

(2) To make cattle move in a circle. [Though specifically used of cattle in Australia, the word has a similar use in England as in Tennyson's `Geraint and Enid'

. . . "My followers ring him round:
He sits unarmed."—Line 336.]

1874. W. H. Ranken, `Dominion of Australia,' c. vi. p. 111:

"They are generally `ringed,' that is, their galop is directed into a circular course by the men surrounding them."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 126:

"I'll tell you what, you'll have to ring them. Pass the word round for all hands to follow one another in a circle, at a little distance apart."

(3) To move round in a circle.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' p. 20:

"The cattle were uneasy and `ringed' all night."

(4) To make the top score at a shearing-shed. See Ringer.

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 136:

"The man that `rung' the Tubbo shed is not the ringer here."

<hw>Ring-bark</hw>, v. tr. Same meaning as Ring (1).

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 204:

"The selector in a timbered country, without troubling himself about cause and effect, is aware that if he destroys the tree the grass will grow, and therefore he `ring-barks' his timber."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 9:

"Our way led us through a large but not dense wood of leafless gumtrees. My companion told me that the forest was dead as a result of `ring-barking.' To get the grass to grow better, the settler removes a band of bark near the root of the tree. In a country where cattle-raising is carried on to so great an extent, this may be very practical, but it certainly does not beautify the landscape. The trees die at once after this treatment, and it is a sad and repulsive sight to see these withered giants, as if in despair, stretching their white barkless branches towards the sky."

1893. `Thumbnail Sketches of Australian Life,' p. 232:

"We were going through ring-barked country. You don't know what that is? Well, those giant gum-trees absorb all the moisture and keep the grass very poor, so the squatters kill them by ring-barking—that is, they have a ring described round the trunk of each tree by cutting off a couple of feet of bark. Presently the leaves fall off; then the rest of the bark follows, and eventually the tree becomes nothing but a strange lofty monument of dry timber."

<hw>Ring-dollar</hw>, n. See quotation; and see Dump and Holy Dollar.

1870. T. H. Braim, `New Homes,' c. iii. p. 131:

"The Spanish dollar was much used. A circular piece was struck out of the centre about the size of a shilling . . . and the rest of the dollar, called from the circular piece taken out a `ring-dollar,' was valued at four shillings."

<hw>Ring-eye</hw>, n. one of the many names for the birds of the genus Zosterops (q.v.).

<hw>Ringer</hw>, n. a sheep-shearing term. See quotations. Mr. Hornung's explanation of the origin (quotation, 1894) is probably right. See Rings.

1890. `The Argus,' Sept. 20, p. 13, col. 6:

"A `ringer' being the man who by his superior skill and expertness `tops the score'—that is, shears the highest number of sheep per day."

1893. `The Herald' (Melbourne), Dec. 23, p. 6, col. 1:

"Whence came the term `ringer,' as applied to the quickest shearer, I don't know. It might possibly have some association with a man who can get quoits on to the peg, and again, it might not, as was remarked just now by my mate, who is camped with me."

1894. E. W. Hornung, `Boss of Taroomba,' p. 101:

"They call him the ringer of the shed. That means the fastest shearer—the man who runs rings round the rest, eh?"

1894. `Geelong Grammar School Quarterly,' April, p. 26:

"Another favourite [school] phrase is a `regular ringer.'
Great excellence is implied by this expression."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 162:

"The Shearers sat in the firelight, hearty and hale and strong,
After the hard day's shearing, passing the joke along
The `ringer' that shore a hundred, as they never were shorn
before,
And the novice who toiling bravely had tommyhawked half a
score."

<hw>Ring-neck</hw>, n. the equivalent of Jackaroo (q.v.). A term used in the back blocks in reference to the white collar not infrequently worn by a Jackaroo on his first appearance and when unaccustomed to the life of the bush. The term is derived from the supposed resemblance of the collar to the light- coloured band round the neck of the Ring-neck Parrakeet.

<hw>Rings, to run round</hw>: to beat out and out. A picturesque bit of Australian slang. One runner runs straight to the goal, the other is so much better that he can run round and round his competitor, and yet reach the goal first.

1891. `The Argus,' Oct.10, p. 13, col. 3:

"Considine could run rings round the lot of them."

1897. `The Argus,' Jan. 15, p. 6, col. 5:

"As athletes the cocoons can run rings round the beans; they can jump out of a tumbler."

<hw>Ring-tail</hw>, or <hw>Ring-tailed Opossum</hw>, n. See Pseudochirus and Opossum.

<hw>Rinka-sporum</hw>, n. a mis-spelt name for the Australian varieties of the tribe of Rhyncosporeae, N.O. Cyperaceae. This tribe includes twenty-one genera, of which Rhynchospora (the type), Schaenus, Cladium, and Remirea are widely distributed, and the others are chiefly small genera of the Southern Hemisphere, especially Australia. (`Century.')

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 93:

"Rinka-sporum, a mass of white bloom."

<hw>Riro-riro</hw>, n. a bird. Maori name for the Grey-Warbler of New Zealand, Gerygone flaviventris, Gray. See Gerygone.

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 44:

[A full description.]

1889. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 163:

"A little wren managed to squeeze itself through, and it flew off to Kurangai-tuku, and cried, `Kurangai-tuku, the man is riro, riro, riro!'—that is, gone, gone, gone. And to this day the bird is known as the riro-riro."

<hw>River-Oak</hw>. See Oak.

<hw>Roa</hw>, n. another Maori name for the largest or Brown Kiwi (q.v.). In Maori the word roa means long or big.

<hw>Roaring Horsetails</hw>, n. a slang name for the Aurora Australis.

<hw>Robin</hw>, n. The name, in consequence of their external resemblance to the familiar English bird, is applied, in Australia, to species of the various genera as follows:—

Ashy-fronted Fly-Robin—
Heteromyias cinereifrons, Ramsay.

Buff-sided R.—
Poecilodryas cerviniventris, Gould.

Dusky R.—
Amaurodryas vittata, Quoy and Gaim.

Flame-breasted Robin—
Petroica phoenicea, Gould.

Hooded R.—
Melanodryas bicolor, Vig. and Hors.

Pied R.—
M. picata, Gould.

Pink-breasted R.—
Erythrodryas rhodinogaster, Drap.

Red-capped R.—
Petroica goodenovii, Vig. and Hors.

Red-throated R.—
P. ramsayi, Sharp.

Rose-breasted R.—
Erythrodryas rosea, Gould.

Scarlet-breasted R.—
Petroica leggii, Sharp.

Scrub R.—
Drymodes brunneopygia, Gould.

White-browed R.
Poecilodryas superciliosa, Gould.

White-faced Scrub-R.—
Drymodes superciliaris, Gould.

The New Zealand species are—

Chatham Island Robin—
Miro traversi, Buller.

North Island R.—
M. australis, Sparrm.

South Island R.—
M. albifrons, Gmel.

Gould's enumeration of the species is given below. [See quotations, 1848, 1869.]

See also Shrike-Robin, Scrub-Robin, and Satin-Robin.

1827. Vigors and Horsfield, `Transactions of the Linnaean Society,' vol. xv. p. 242:

"`This bird,' Mr. Caley says, `is called yellow-robin by the colonists. It is an inhabitant of bushes'"

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iii:

Plate
Petroica superciliosa, Gould, White-eyebrowed
Robin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Drymodes brunneopygia, Gould, Scrub Robin. . 10

Eopsaltria leucogaster, Gould, White-bellied Robin . . . . . . . 13

1864. R. L. A. Davies, `Poems and Literary Remains,' p. 263:

"Very soon comes a robin. . . . In the bush no matter where you pitch, the robin always comes about, and when any other of his tribe comes about, he bristles up his feathers, and fights for his crumbs. . . . He is not at all pretty, like the Australian or European robin, but a little sober black and grey bird, with long legs, and a heavy paunch and big head; like a Quaker, grave, but cheerful and spry withal." [This is the Robin of New Zealand.]

1866. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 93:

"The New Zealand robin was announced, and I could see only a fat little ball of a bird, with a yellowish-white breast."

1869. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia' [Supplement]:

Drymodes superciliaris, Gould, Eastern Scrub Robin.

Petroica cerviniventris, Gould, Buff-sided Robin.

Eopsaltria capito, Gould, Large-headed Robin.

E. leucura, Gould, White-tailed Robin.

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 239:

"The large red-breasted robin, kinsman true
Of England's delicate high-bred bird of home."

1880. Mrs.Meredith, `Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 123:

"The Robin is certainly more brilliantly beautiful than his English namesake. . . . Black, red and white are the colours of his dress, worn with perfect taste. The black is shining jet, the red, fire, and the white, snow. There is a little white spot on his tiny black-velvet cap, a white bar across his pretty white wings, and his breast is, a living flame of rosy, vivid scarlet."

1888. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. ii. p. 235:

"Here, too, the `careful robin eyes the delver's toil,' and as he snatches the worm from the gardener's furrow, he turns to us a crimson-scarlet breast that gleams in the sun beside the golden buttercups like a living coal. The hues of his English cousin would pale beside him ineffectual."

1896. `The Melburnian,' Aug. 28, p. 54:

"The flame-breasted robin no longer lingers showing us his brilliant breast while he sings out the cold grey afternoons in his tiny treble. He has gone with departing winter."

<hw>Rock-Cod</hw>, n. called also Red-Cod in New Zealand, Pseudophycis barbatus, Gunth., family Gadidae. In New Zealand the Blue-Cod(q.v.) is also called Rock-Cod. Species of the allied genus Lotella are also called Rock-Cod in New South Wales. See Beardy and Ling.

1883. `Royal Commission on the Fisheries of Tasmania,' p. 40:

"A variety known to fishermen as the deep-water, or Cape-cod. . . . It would appear that the latter is simply the mature form of the `rock-cod,' which enters the upper waters of estuaries in vast numbers during the month of May. . . The rock-cod rarely exceeds 2 1/2 lbs. weight."

<hw>Rocket, Native</hw>, a Tasmanian name for Epacris lanuginosa, Lab., N.O. Epacrideae. See Epacris.

<hw>Rock Lily</hw>, n. See under Lily.

<hw>Rock-Ling</hw>, n. a marine fish. The Australian R. is Genypterus australis, Castln., family Ophidiidae. The European R. belongs to the genera Onos and Rhinonemus, formerly Motella. Of the genus Genypterus, Guenther says they have an excellent flesh, like cod, well adapted for curing. At the Cape they are known by the name of "Klipvisch," and in New Zealand as Ling, or Cloudy-Bay Cod.

<hw>Rock-Native</hw>, or <hw>Native</hw>, n. a name given to the fish called a Schnapper when it has ceased to "school." See Schnapper.

<hw>Rock-Parrakeet</hw>, n. an Australian Grass-Parrakeet(q.v.), Euphema petrophila, Gould. It gets its name from its habitat, the rocks and crags.

<hw>Rock-Pebbler</hw>, n. another name for the Black-tailed Parrakeet. See Parrakeet.

<hw>Rock-Perch</hw>, n. the name given in Melbourne to the fish Glyphidodon victoriae, Gunth., family Pomacentridae, or Coral-fishes. It is not a true Perch.

<hw>Rock-shelter</hw>, n. a natural cave-dwelling of the aborigines. See Gibber-Gunyah.

1891. R. Etheridge, jun., in `Records of the Australian Museum,' vol. i. No. viii. p. 171 (`Notes on Rock Shelters or Gibba-gunyahs at Deewhy Lagoon'):

". . . The Shelters are of the usual type seen throughout the Port Jackson district, recesses in the escarpment, overhung by thick, more or less tabular masses of rock, in some cases dry and habitable, in others wet and apparently never used by the Aborigines."

<hw>Rock-Wallaby</hw>, n. the popular name for any animal of the genus Petrogale (q.v.). There are six species—

Brush-tailed Rock-Wallaby—
Petrogale penicillata, Gray.

Little R.-W.—
P. concinna, Gould.

Plain-coloured R.-W.—
P. inornata, Gould.

Rock-W., or West-Australian R.-W.—
P. lateralis, Gould.

Short-eared R.-W.—
P. brachyotis, Gould.

Yellow-footed R.-W.—
P. xanthopus, Gray.

See Wallaby.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. viii. p. 58:

"A light, active chap, spinning over the stones like a rock wallaby."

1888. Rolf Boldrewood, `Robbery under Arms,' p. 119:

"They rode and rode, but Warrigal was gone like a rock wallaby."

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 43:

"The Rock-Wallabies are confined to the mainland of Australia, on which they are generally distributed, but are unknown in Tasmania. Although closely allied to the true Wallabies, their habits are markedly distinct, the Rock-Wallabies frequenting rugged, rocky districts, instead of the open plains."

<hw>Roger Gough</hw>, n. an absurd name given to the tree Baloghia lucida, Endl., N.O. Euphorbiaceae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 382:

"Scrub, or brush bloodwood, called also `Roger Gough.'"

1896. `The Australasian,' Aug. 28, p. 407, col. 5:

"Who were Messrs. James Donnelly, James Low, and Roger Gough that their names should have been bestowed on trees? Were they growers or buyers of timber? Was the first of the list any relative of the Minnesota lawyer who holds strange views about a great cryptogram in Shakespeare's plays? Was the last of the three any relative of the eminent soldier who won the battles of Sobraon and Ferozeshah? Or, as is more probable, were the names mere corruptions of aboriginal words now lost?"

<hw>Roll up</hw>, v. intr. to gather, to assemble.

1887. J. Farrell, `How he died,' p. 26:

"The miners all rolled up to see the fun."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. xx. p. 185:

"At the Warraluen and other gold towns, time after time the ominous words `roll up' had sounded forth, generally followed by the gathering of a mighty crowd."

<hw>Roll-up</hw>, n. a meeting. See preceding verb.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. xxxv. p. 308:

"Making as much noise as if you'd hired the bell-man for a roll-up?"

<hw>Roly-poly Grass</hw>, or Roley-poley, n. name given to Panicum macractinium, Benth., N.O. Gramineae; and also to Salsola Kali, Linn., N.O. Salsolaceae. See Grass.

1859. D. Bunce, `Travels with Dr. Leichhardt in Australia,' pp. 167-8:

"Very common to these plains, was a large-growing salsolaceous plant, belonging to the Chenopodeaceae, of Jussieu. These weeds grow in the form of a large ball. . . . No sooner were a few of these balls (or, as we were in the habit of calling them, `rolly-poleys') taken up with the current of air, than the mules began to kick and buck. . . ."

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. ii. p. 468:

"A salsolaceous plant growing in the form of a ball several feet high. In the dry season it withers, and is easily broken off and rolled about by the winds, whence it is called roley-poly by the settlers."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 100:

"Roly-Poly Grass. This species produces immense dry and spreading panicles; it is perennial, and seeds in November and December. It is a somewhat straggling species, growing in detached tufts, on sand-hills and sandy soil, and much relished by stock."

1896. Baldwin Spencer, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' Narrative, p. 13:

"On the loamy flats, and even gibber plains, the most noticeable plant is Salsola kali, popularly known as the Rolly-polly. It is, when mature, one of the characteristically prickly plants of the Lower Steppes, and forms great spherical masses perhaps a yard or more in diameter."

<hw>Roman-Lamp Shell</hw>, name given in Tasmania to a brachiopod mollusc, Waldheimia flavescens, Lamarck.

<hw>Roo</HW>, a termination, treated earlier as the name of an animal. It is the termination of potoroo, wallaroo, kangaroo. See especially the last. It may be added that it is very rare for aboriginal words to begin with the letter `r.'

1790. J. White, `Voyage to New South Wales' [Observations at the end, by Mr. John Hunter, the celebrated surgeon]:

Plate p. 272—A kangaroo. Description of teeth.

Plate p. 278—Wha Tapoua Roo, about the size of a Racoon [probably an opossum].

Plate p. 286—A Poto Roo or Kangaroo-Rat.

Plate p. 288—Hepoona Roo.

<hw>Rope</hw>, v. tr. to catch a horse or bullock with a noosed rope. It comes from the Western United States, where it has superseded the original Spanish word lasso, still used in California.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. xxi. p. 150:

"You could `rope' . . . any Clifton colt or filly, back them in three days, and within a week ride a journey."

<hw>Ropeable</hw>, adj. (1) Of cattle; so wild and intractable as to be capable of subjection only by being roped. See preceding word.

(2) By transference: intractable, angry, out of temper.

1891. `The Argus,' Oct. 10, p. 13, col. 4:

"The service has shown itself so `ropeable' heretofore that one experiences now a kind of chastened satisfaction in seeing it roped and dragged captive at Sir Frederick's saddle-bow."

1896. Modern. In school-boy slang: "You must not chaff him, he gets so ropeable."

<hw>Roping-pole</hw>, n. a long pole used for casting a rope over an animal's head in the stockyard.

1880. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. iv. p. 44:

"I happened to knock down the superintendent with a roping-pole."

1895. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 125:

"I'm travelling down the Castlereagh and I'm a station-hand,
I'm handy with the ropin'-pole, I'm handy with the brand,
And I can ride a rowdy colt, or swing the axe all day,
But there's no demand for a station-hand along the Castlereagh."

<hw>Rosary-shell</hw>, n. In Europe, the name is applied to any marine gastropod shell of the genus Monodonta. In Australia, it is applied to the shell of Nerita atrata, Lamarck, a marine mollusc of small size and black colour used for necklaces, bracelets, and in place of the "beads" of a rosary.

<hw>Rose</hw>, n. name given to the Australian shrub, Boronia serrulata, Sm., N.O. Rutaceae. It has bright green leaves and very fragrant rose-coloured flowers.

<hw>Rose-Apple</hw>, n. another name for the Sweet Plum. See under Plum.

<hw>Rose-bush</hw>, a timber-tree, Eupomatia laurina, R. Br., N.O. Anonaceae.

<hw>Rose-hill</hw>, n. The name is given by Gould as applied to two Parrakeets—

(1) Platycercus eximius, Vig. and Hors., called by the Colonists of New South Wales, and by Gould, the Rose-hill Parrakeet.

(2) Platycercus icterotis, Wagl., called by the Colonists of Swan River, Western Australia, the Rose-hill, and by Gould the Earl of Derby's Parrakeet.

The modern name for both these birds is Rosella (q.v.), though it is more specifically confined to the first. `Rose-hill' was the name of the Governor's residence at Parramatta, near Sydney, in the early days of the settlement of New South Wales, and the name Rosella is a settler's corruption of Rose-hiller, though the erroneous etymology from the Latin rosella (sc. `a little rose') is that generally given. The word Rosella, however, is not a scientific name, and does not appear as the name of any genus or species; it is vernacular only, and no settler or bushman is likely to have gone to the Latin to form it.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. v. pl. 27:

"Platycercus eximius, Vig. & Hors. Rose-hill Parrakeet; Colonists of New South Wales."

Ibid. vol. v. pl. 29:

"Platycercus icterotis, Wagl. The Earl of Derby's Parrakeet; Rose-hill of the Colonists [of Swan River]."

<hw>Rosella</hw>, n. (1) A bird, Platycercus eximius, the Rosehill (q.v.).

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 80:

"The common white cockatoo, and the Moreton Bay Rosella parrot, were very numerous."

1884. R. L. A. Davies, `Poems and Literary Remains,' p. 99:

"Saw the bright rosellas fly,
With breasts that glowed like sunsets
In the fiery western sky."

1890. `The Argus,' June 7, p. 13, col. 5:

"The solitudes where the lorikeets and rosellas chatter."

1896. `The Melburnian,' Aug. 28, p. 60:

"As [the race] sweeps past the Stand every year in a close bright mass the colours, of the different clubs, are as dazzling and gay in the sun as a brilliant flight of galahs and rosellas."

(2) In Northern Australia, it is a slang name for a European who works bared to the waist, which some, by a gradual process of discarding clothing, acquire the power of doing. The scorching of the skin by the sun produces a colour which probably suggested a comparison with the bright scarlet of the parrakeet so named.

<hw>Rosemary</hw>, n. name given to the shrub Westringia dampieri, R. Br., N.0. Labiatae.

1703. W. Dampier, `Voyage to New Holland,' vol. iii. p. 138:

"There grow here 2 or 3 sorts of Shrubs, one just like
Rosemary; and therefore I call'd this Rosemary Island.
It grew in great plenty here, but had no smell."

[This island is in or near Shark's Bay]

<hw>Rosemary, Golden</hw>, n. name given in Tasmania to the plant Oxylobium ellipticum, R. Br., N.O. Leguminosae.

<hw>Rosemary, Wild</hw>, a slender Australian timber-tree, Cassinia laevis, R. Br., N.O. Compositae.

<hw>Rose, Native</hw>, n. i.q. Bauera (q.v.).

<hw>Rosewood</hw>, name given to the timber of three trees. (1) Acacia glaucescens, Willd., N.O. Leguminosae; called also Brigalow, Mountain Brigalow, and Myall.

(2) Dysoxylon fraserianum, Benth., N.O. Meliaceae; called also Pencil Cedar.

(3) Eremophila mitchelli, Benth. N.O. Myoporinae; called also Sandalwood.

1838. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 203:

"One or two trees of a warmer green, of what they call `rosewood,' I believe gave a fine effect, relieving the sober greyish green of the pendent acacia."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition' p. 4:

"The Rosewood Acacia of Moreton Bay."

<hw>Rough</hw>, or <hw>Roughy</hw>, or <hw>Ruffy</hw>, or <hw>Ruffie</hw>, n. a Victorian fish, Arripis georgianus, Cuv. and Val., family Percidae. Arripis is the genus of the Australian fish called Salmon, or Salmon-trout, A. salar, Gunth. See Salmon.

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), June 19, 1881:

"Common fish, such as trout, ruffies mullet . . . and others."

1890. `Victorian Statutes—Fisheries, Second Schedule' [Close Season]:

"Rough, or Roughy."

<hw>Rough Fig</hw>, n. See under Fig-tree.

<hw>Rough-leaved Fig</hw>, n. See under Fig-tree.

<hw>Round</hw>, v. trans., contraction of the verb to round-up, to bring a scattered herd together; used in all grazing districts, and common in the Western United States.

1894. `The Argus,' June 23, p. 11, col. 4:

"A friend of mine who has spent many a night rounding the mob on lonely Queensland cattle camps where hostile blacks were as thick as dingoes has a peculiar aversion to one plain covered with dead gums, because the curlews always made him feel miserable when crossing it at night."

<hw>Round Yam</hw>, n. i.q. Burdekin Vine. See under Vine.

<hw>Rouseabout</hw>, n. a station-hand put on to any work, a Jack of all work, an `odd man.' The form `roustabout' is sometimes used, but the latter is rather an American word (Western States), in the sense of a labourer on a river boat, a deck-hand who assists in loading and unloading.

1887. J. Farrell, `How he died,' p. 19:

"It may be the rouseabout swiper who rode for the doctor that
night,
Is in Heaven with the hosts of the Blest, robed and sceptred,
and splendid with light."

18W. `The Argus,' Sept. 20, p. 13, col. 6:

"The `rouseabouts' are another class of men engaged in shearing time, whose work is to draft the sheep, fill the pens for the shearers, and do the branding. . . . The shearers hold themselves as the aristocrats of the shed; and never associate with the rouseabouts."

1892. Gilbert Parker, `Round the Compass in Australia,' p. 58:

"While we sat there, a rouseabout came to the door. `Mountain Jim's back,' he said. There was no `sir' in the remark of this lowest of stationhands to his master."

1894. `Sydney Morning Herald' (date lost):

"A rougher person—perhaps a happier—is the rouseabout, who makes himself useful in the shearing shed. He is clearly a man of action. He is sometimes with less elegance, and one would say less correctly, spoken of as a roustabout."

1896. H. Lawson, `When the World was Wide,' p. 98 [Title of poem, `Middleton's Rouseabout']:

"Flourishing beard and sandy,
Tall and robust and stout;
This is the picture of Andy,
Middleton's Rouseabout."

<hw>Rowdy</hw>, adj. troublesome. Common slang, but unusual as applied to a bullock or a horse.

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 69:

"Branding or securing a troublesome or, colonially, a `rowdy' bullock."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River, p. 125:

"And I can ride a rowdy colt, or swing the axe all day."

<hw>Rua</hw>, n. Maori word (used in North Island) for a pit, cave or hole. A place for storing roots, such as potatoes, etc. Formerly some of these rua had carved entrances.

<hw>Ruffy</hw> or <hw>Ruffie</hw>, n. a fish. See Rough or Roughy.

<hw>Run</hw>, n. (1) Tract of land over which sheep or cattle may graze. It is curious that what in England is called a sheep-walk, in Australia is a sheep-run. In the Western United States it is a sheep-ranch. Originally the squatter, or sheep-farmer, did not own the land. It was unfenced, and he simply had the right of grazing or "running" his sheep or cattle on it. Subsequently, in many cases, he purchased the freehold, and the word is now applied to a large station property, fenced or unfenced. (See quotation, 1883.)

1826. Goldie, in Bischoff's `Van Diemen's Land' (1832), p. 157:

"It is generally speaking a good sheep-run."

1828. Report of Van Diemen's band Company, in Bischoff's `Van Diemen's Land' (1832), p. 117:

"A narrow slip of good sheep-run down the west coast."

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' July 8, p. 4, col. 3:

"The thousand runs stated as the number in Port Phillip under the new regulations will cost L12,800,000."

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 367:

"`Runs,' land claimed by the squatter as sheep-walks, open, as nature left them, without any improvement from the squatter."

1862. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 78:

"The runs of the Narran wide-dotted with sheep,
And loud with the lowing of cattle."

1864. W. Westgarth, `Colony of Victoria,' p. 273:

"Here then is a squatting domain of the old unhedged stamp. The station or the `run,' as these squatting areas are called, borders upon the Darling, along which river it possesses a frontage of thirty-five lineal miles, with a back area of 800 square miles."

1868. J. Bonwick, `John Batman, Founder of Victoria,' p. 34:

"The desire of some to turn Van Diemen's Land into a large squatter's run, by the passing of the Impounding Act, was the immediate cause, he told us, of his taking up the project of a poor man's country elsewhere."

1870. `/Delta/,' `Studies in Rhyme,' p. 26:

"Of squatters' runs we've oft been told,
The People's Lands impairing."

1883. G. W. Rusden, `History of Australia,' vol. i. p. 73 [Note]:

"A run is the general term for the tract of country on which
Australians keep their stock, or allow them to `run.'"

(2) The bower of the Bowerbird (q.v.).

1840. `Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' p. 94:

"They are used by the birds as a playing-house, or `run,' as it is termed, and are used by the males to attract the females."

<hw>Run-about</hw>, n. and adj. Run-abouts are cattle left to graze at will, and the runabout-yard is the enclosure for homing them.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xviii. p. 218:

"`Open that gate, Piambook,' said Ernest gravely, pointing to the one which led into the `run-about' yard."

<hw>Run-hunting</hw>, exploring for a new run. See Run.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. xix. p. 238:

"What do you say if I go run-hunting with you?"

<hw>Running-Postman</hw>, n. a Tasmanian plant, i.q. Coral-Pea. See Kennedya.

<hw>Ruru</hw>, n. Maori name for the New Zealand bird, the More-pork, Athene novae-zelandiae, Gmel. (q.v.).

1883. F. S. Renwick, `Betrayed,' p. 45:

"The ruru's voice re-echoes, desolate."

<hw>Rush</hw>, v. (1) Of cattle: to charge a man. Contraction for to rush-at.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 122:

"When not instigated by terror, wild cattle will seldom attack the traveller; even of those which run at him, or `rush,' as it is termed, few will really toss or gore, or even knock him down."

(2) To attack sheep; i.e. to cause them to rush about or away.

1855. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes,' p. 153:

"Sometimes at night this animal [the dingo] will leap into the fold amongst the timid animals [sheep] and so `rush' them—that is, cause them to break out and disperse through the bush."

(3) To break through a barrier (of men or materials). Contraction for to rush past or through; e.g. to rush a cordon of policemen; to rush a fence (i.e. to break-down or climb-over it).

(4) To take possession of, or seize upon, either by force or before the appointed time. Compare Jump.

1896. Modern:

"Those who had no tickets broke through and rushed all the seats."

"The dancers becoming very hungry did not stand on ceremony, but rushed the supper."

(5) To flood with gold-seekers.

1887. H. H. Hayter, `Christmas Adventure,' p. 3:

"The Bald Hill had just been rushed, and therefore
I decided to take up a claim."

<hw>Rush</hw>, n. (1) The hurrying off of diggers to a new field.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 86:

"We had a long conversation on the `rush,' as it was termed."

1864. J. Rogers, `New Rush,' pt. i., p. 19:

"Arouse you, my comrades, for rush is the word,
Advance to the strife with a pick for a sword."

1890. `The Argus,' June 13, p. 6, col. 2:

"Fell Timber Creek, where a new rush had set in."

(2) A place where gold is found, and to which consequently a crowd of diggers "rush."

1855. William Howitt, `Land, Labour and Gold; or Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 172:

"It is a common practice for them to mark out one or more claims in each new rush, so as to make sure if it turn out well. But only one claim at a time is legal and tenable. This practice is called shepherding."

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), May 22, p. 34, col. 1:

"The Palmer River rush is a perfect swindle."

1875. Wood and Lapham, `Waiting for Mail,' p. 34:

"Off we set to the Dunstan rush, just broken out."

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 92:

"Morinish, was a worked-out rush close to Rockhampton, where the first attempt at gold-digging had been made in Queensland."

(3) A stampede of cattle.

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 102:

"A confused whirl of dark forms swept before him, and the camp, so full of life a minute ago, is desolate. It was `a rush,' a stampede."

<hw>Rush-broom</hw>, n. Australian name for the indigenous shrub Viminaria denudata, Sm., N.O. Leguminosae. The flowers are orange-yellow. In England, it is cultivated in greenhouses.

<hw>Rusty Fig</hw>, n. See under Fig-tree.

S

<hw>Saddle, Colonial</hw>, n.

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia,' p. 53:

"The colonial saddle is a shapeless, cumbersome fabric, made of rough leather, with a high pommel and cantle, and huge knee-pads, weighing on an average twenty pounds. The greatest care is necessary to prevent such a diabolical machine from giving a horse a sore back."

[Mr. Finch-Hatton's epithet is exaggerated. The saddle is well adapted to its peculiar local purposes. The projecting knee-pads, especially, save the rider from fractured knee-caps when galloping among closely timbered scrub. The ordinary English saddle is similarly varied by exaggeration of different parts to suit special requirements, as e.g. in the military saddle, with its enormous pommel; the diminutive racing saddle, to meet handicappers' "bottom-weights," etc. The mediaeval saddle had its turret-like cantle for the armoured spearman.]

<hw>Saddle-Back</hw>, n. a bird of the North Island of New Zealand, Creadion carunculatus, Cab. See also Jack-bird and Creadion.

1868. `Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,' Essay on Ornithology, by W. Buller, vol. i. p. 5:

"The Saddle-back (Creadion carunculatus) of the North is represented in the South by C. cinereus, a closely allied species."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 64:

"It is the sharp, quick call of the saddle-back."

1886. A. Reischek, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xix. art. xxiii. p. 102:

"The bird derives its popular name from a peculiarity in the distribution of its two strongly contrasting colours, uniform black, back and shoulders ferruginous, the shoulders of the wings forming a saddle. In structure it resembles the starling (Sturnidae); it has also the wedge bill."

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 18:

"Creadion Carunculatus. This bird derives its popular name from a peculiarity in the distribution of its too strongly contrasted colours, black and ferruginous, the latter of which covers the back, forms a sharply-defined margin across the shoulders, and sweeps over the wings in a manner suggestive of saddle-flaps."

<hw>Sagg</hw>, n. the name given in Tasmania to the plant Xerotes longifolia, R. Br., N.O. Junceae, and also to the White Iris, Diplarhena morcaea.

<hw>Saliferous</hw>, adj. salt-bearing. See Salt-bush. The word is used in geology in ordinary English, but the botanical application is Australian.

1890. E. W. Hornung, `A Bride from the Bush,' p. 277:

"You have only to cover the desert with pale-green saliferous bushes, no higher than a man's knee."

<hw>Sallee</hw>, n. aboriginal name for many varieties of the Acacia (q.v.).

<hw>Sally</hw>, <hw>Sallow</hw>, n. corruptions of the aboriginal word Sallee (q.v.). There are many varieties, e.g. Black-Sally, White-Sally, etc.

<hw>Salmon</hw>, n. The English Salmon is being acclimatised with difficulty in Tasmania and New Zealand; the Trout more successfully. But in all Australian, New Zealand, and Tasmanian waters there is a marine fish which is called Salmon; it is not the true Salmon of the Old World, but Arripis salar, Gunth., and called in New Zealand by the Maori name Kahawai. The fish is often called also Salmon-Trout. The young is called Samson-fish (q.v.).

1798. D. Collins, `Account of the English Colony of New South Wales,' p. 136:

[Sept. 1790.] "Near four thousand of a fish, named by us, from its shape only, the Salmon, being taken at two hauls of the seine. Each fish weighed on an average about five pounds."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 93:

"The kawai has somewhat of the habits of the salmon, entering during spring and summer into the bays, rivers, and fresh-water creeks in large shoals."

1880. Guenther, `Study of Fishes,' p. 393:

"Arripis salar, South Australia. Three species are known, from the coasts of Southern Australia and New Zealand. They are named by the colonists Salmon or Trout, from their elegant form and lively habits, and from the sport they afford to the angler."

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 35:

"Arripis salar, Gunth., is in the adult state the salmon of the Australian fishermen, and their salmon trout is the young. . . . The most common of all Victorian fishes . . . does not resemble the true salmon in any important respect . . . It is the A. truttaceus of Cuvier and Valenciennes."

<hw>Salmon-Trout</hw>, n. i.q. Salmon (q.v.).

<hw>Saloop-bush</hw>, n. name given to an erect soft-stemmed bush, Rhagodia hastata, R. Br., N.O. Salsolaceae, one of the Australian Redberries, two to three feet high. See Redberry and Salt-bush.

<hw>Salsolaceous</hw>, adj. belongs to the natural order Salsolaceae. The shrubs of the order are not peculiar to Australia, but are commoner there than elsewhere.

1837. Ross, `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 906:

"Passing tufts of samphire and salsolaceous plants."

1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Hamlyn,' c. xlii. (`Century'):

"It is getting hopeless now . . . sand and nothing but sand. The salsolaceous plants, so long the only vegetation we have seen, are gone."

<hw>Salt-bush</hw>, n. and adj. the wild alkaline herb or shrub, growing on the interior plains of Australia, on which horses and sheep feed, of the N.O. Salsolaceae. The genera are Atriplex, Kochia, and Rhagodia. Of the large growth, A. nummularium, Lindl., and of the dwarf species, A. vesicarium, Heward, and A. halimoides, Lindl., are the commonest. Some species bear the additional names of Cabbage Salt-bush, Old-Man Salt-bush, Small Salt-bush, Blue-bush, Cotton-bush, Saloop-bush, etc. Some varieties are very rich in salt. Rhagodia parabolica, R. Br., for instance, according to Mr. Stephenson, who accompanied Sir T. Mitchell in one of his expeditions, yields as much as two ounces of salt by boiling two pounds of leaves.

1870. T. H. Braim, `New Homes,' c. ii. p. 89:

"This inland salt-bush country suits the settler's purpose well."

1889. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 144:

"The ground is covered with the sage-coloured salt-bush all the year round, but in the winter it blooms with flowers."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. xxi. p. 262:

"How glorious it will be to see them pitching into that lovely salt-bush by the lake."

1892. E. W. Hornung, `Under Two Skies,' p. 11:

"The surrounding miles of salt-bush plains and low monotonous scrub oppressed her when she wandered abroad. There was not one picturesque patch on the whole dreary run."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 92:

"Over the miles of the salt-bush plain—
The shining plain that is said to be
The dried-up bed of an inland sea.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

For those that love it and understand,
The salt-bush plain is a wonderland."

<hw>Samson-fish</hw>, n. name given in Sydney to Seriola hippos, Gunth., family Carangidae; and in Melbourne to the young of Arripis salar, Richards., family Percidae. See Salmon.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 60:

"The samson-fish (Senola hippos, Gunth.) is occasionally caught. The great strength of these fishes is remarkable, and which probably is the cause that gave it the name of Samson-fish, as sailors or shipwrights give to the name of a strong post resting on the keelson of a ship, and supporting the upper beam, and bearing all the weight of the deck cargo near the hold, Samson-post."

<hw>Sandalwood</hw>, n. The name is given to many Australian trees from the strong scent of their timber. They are —

Of the N.O. Santalaceae—

Exocarpos latifolia, R. Br.; called Scrub-Sandalwood.

Fusanus spicatus, R. Br.; called Fragrant Sandalwood.

Santalum lanceolatum, R. Br.

S. obtusifodum, R. Br.

Santalum persicarium, F. v. M.; called Native Sandalwood.

Of the N.O. Myoporinae—

Eremophila mitchelli, Benth.; called also Rosewood and Bastard-Sandalwood.

E. sturtii, R. Br.; called curiously the Scentless Sandalwood.

Myoporum platycarpum, R. Br.; called also Dogwood (q.v.).

Of the N.O. Apocyneae—

Alyxia buxifolia, R. Br.; called Native Sandalwood in Tasmania.

<hw>Sandfly-bush</hw>, n. Australian name for the indigenous tree Zieria smithii, Andr., N.O. Rutaceae. Called also Turmeric, and in Tasmania, Stinkwood.

<hw>Sand-Lark</hw>, n. name given in Australia to the Red-capped Dottrel, Charadrius ruficapilla, Temm.

1867. W. Richardson, `Tasmanian Poems,' pref. p. xi:

"The nimble sand-lark learns his pretty note."

<hw>Sandpiper</hw>, n. About twenty species of this familiar sea-bird exist. It belongs especially to the Northern Hemisphere, but it performs such extensive migrations that in the northern winter it is dispersed all over the world. (`Century.') The species observed in Australia are—

Bartram's Sandpiper—
Tringa bartrami.

Common S.—
Actitis hypoleucos, Linn.

Great S.—
Tringa crassirostris, Temm. and Schleg.

Grey-rumped S.—
T. brevisses.

<hw>Sandplover</hw>, n. a bird of New Zealand. According to Professor Parker, only two genera of this common bird are to be found in New Zealand. There is no bird bearing the name in Australia. See Plover and Wry-billed Plover.

1889. Prof. Parker, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 116:

"But two genera of the group [Wading Birds] are found only in
New Zealand, the Sandplover and the curious Wry-billed Plover."

<hw>Sand-stay</hw>, n. a characteristic name for the Coast Tea-Tree, Leptospermum laevigatum, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae. See Tea-Tree.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 642:

"Sandstay. Coast Tea-Tree. This shrub is the most effectual of all for arresting the progress of driftsand in a warm climate. It is most easily raised by simply scattering in autumn the seeds on the sand, and covering them loosely with boughs, or, better still, by spreading lopped-off branches of the shrub itself, bearing ripe seed, on the sand. (Mueller.)"

<hw>Sandy</hw>, n. a Tasmanian fish, Uphritis urvillii, Cuv. and Val, family Trachinidae; also called the Fresh-water Flathead. See Flathead.

<hw>Sandy-blight</hw>, n. a kind of ophthalmia common in Australia, in which the eye feels as if full of sand. Called also shortly, Blight.

Shakspeare has sand-blind (M. of V. II. ii. 31);
Launcelot says—

"0 heavens, this is my true-begotten father! who, being more than sand-blind, high-gravel blind, knows me not."

On this, the American commentator, Mr. Rolfe, notes—

"Sand-blind. Dim of sight; as if there were sand in the eye, or perhaps floating before it. It means something more than purblind."

"As if there were sand in the eye,"—an admirable description of the Australian Sandy-blight.

1869. J. F. Blanche, `The Prince's Visit,' p. 20:

"The Prince was suff'ring from the sandy blight."

1870. E. B. Kennedy, `Four Years in Queensland,' p. 46:

"Sandy-blight occurs generally in sandy districts in the North Kennedy; it may be avoided by ordinary care, and washing the eyes after a hot ride through sandy country. It is a species of mild ophthalmia."

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 78:

"He had pretty near lost his eyesight with the sandy blight, which made him put his head forward when he spoke, as if he took you for some one else, or was looking for what he couldn't find."

<hw>Sarcophile</hw>, and <hw>Sarcophilus</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus of carnivorous marsupial animals of which the Tasmanian Devil (q.v.) is the only known living species.(Grk. sarkos, flesh, and philein, to love.)

<hw>Sardine</hw>, n. name given in Australia to a fresh-water fish, Chatoessus erebi, Richards., of the herring tribe, occurring in West and North-West Australia, and in Queensland rivers, and which is called in the Brisbane river the Sardine. It is the Bony Bream of the New South Wales rivers, and the Perth Herring of Western Australia.

<hw>Sarsaparilla, Australian</hw> or <hw>Native</hw>, n. (1) An ornamental climbing shrub, Hardenbergia monophylla, Benth., N.O. Leguminosae. Formerly called Kennedya (q.v.).

(2) Smilax glycyphylla, Smith, N.0. Liliaceae.

1883. F. M. Bailey, `Synopsis of Queensland Flora,' p. 114:

"Native Sarsaparilla. The roots of this beautiful purple- flowered twiner (Hardenbergia monophylla) are used by bushmen as a substitute for the true sarsaparilla, which is obtained from a widely different plant."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 189:

"Commonly, but wrongly, called `Native Sarsaparilla.' The roots are sometimes used by bushmen as a substitute for the true sarsaparilla (Smilax), but its virtues are purely imaginary. It is a common thing in the streets of Sydney, to see persons with large bundles of the leaves on their shoulders, doubtless under the impression that they have the leaves of the true Sarsaparilla, Smilax glycyphylla."

1896. `The Argus,' Sept. 8, p. 7, col. 1:

"He will see, too, the purple of the sarsaparilla on the hill-sides, and the golden bloom of the wattle on the flats, forming a beautiful contrast in tint. Old diggers consider the presence of sarsaparilla and the ironbark tree as indicative of the existence of golden wealth below. Whether these can be accepted as indicators in the vegetable kingdom of gold below is questionable, but it is nevertheless a fact that the sarsaparilla and the ironbark tree are common on most of Victoria's goldfields."

<hw>Sassafras</hw>, n. corruption of <hw>Saxafas</hw>, which is from <hw>Saxifrage</hw>. By origin, the word means "stone-breaking," from its medicinal qualities. The true Sassafras (S. officinale) is the only species of the genus. It is a North-American tree, about forty feet high, but the name has been given to various trees in many parts of the world, from the similarity, either of their appearance or of the real or supposed medicinal properties of their bark.

In Australia, the name is given to—

Atherosperma moschatum, Labill., N.0. Monimiaceae; called Native Sassafras, from the odour of its bark, due to an essential oil closely resembling true Sassafras in odour. (Maiden.)

Beilschmiedia obtusifolia, Benth., N.0. Lauraceae; called Queensland Sassafras, a large and handsome tree.

Cryptocarya glaucescens, R. Br., N.0. Lauraceae; the Sassafras of the early days of New South Wales, and now called Black Sassafras.

Daphnandra micrantha, Benth., N.0. Monimiaceae, called also Satinwood, and Light Yellow-wood.

Doryphora sassafras, Endl., N.0. Monimiaceae.

Grey Sassafras is the Moreton-Bay Laurel.
See Laurel.

The New Zealand Sassafras is Laurelia novae-zelandiae.

1834. Ross, `Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 134:

"The leaves of these have been used as substitutes for tea in the colony, as have also the leaves and bark of Cryptocarya glaucescens, the Australian sassafras."

1852. Mrs. Meredith, `My Home in Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 166:

"The beautiful Tasmanian sassafras-tree is also a dweller in some parts of our fern-tree valleys. . . . The flowers are white and fragrant, the leaves large and bright green, and the bark has a most aromatic scent, besides being, in a decoction, an excellent tonic medicine. . . . The sawyers and other bushmen familiar with the tree call it indiscriminately `saucifax,' `sarserfrax,' and `satisfaction.'"

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 206:

"A Tasmanian timber. Height, 40 ft.; dia., 14 in. Found on low, marshy ground. Used for sashes and doorframes."

1894. `Melbourne Museum Catalogue—Economic Woods,' No. 36:

"Atherosperma moschatum, Victorian sassafras-tree, N.O. Monimiaceae."

<hw>Satin-bird</hw>, n. another name for the Satin Bower-bird. See Bower-bird.

1827. Vigors and Horsfield, `Transactions of Linnaean Society,' vol. xv. p. 264:

The natives call it Cowry, the colonists Satin-Bird."

<hw>Satin-Robin</hw>, n. a Tasmanian name for the Satin Fly-catcher, Myiagra nitida, Gould.

<hw>Satin-Sparrow</hw>, n. Same as Satin-Robin (q.v.).

<hw>Satinwood</hw>, n. a name applied to two Australian trees from the nature of their timber—Xanthoxylum brachyacanthum, F. v. M., N.O. Rutaceae, called also Thorny Yellow-wood; Daphnandra micrantha, Benth., N.O. Monimiaceae, called also Light Yellow-wood and Sassafras (q.v.).

<hw>Saw-fish</hw>, n. a species of Ray, Pristis zysron, Bleek, the Australasian representative of the Pristidae family, or Saw-fishes, Rays of a shark-like form, with long, flat snouts, armed along each edge with strong teeth.

1851. `Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land,' vol. i. p. 223 [J. E. Bicheno, June 8, 1850, in epist.]:

"Last week an old fisherman brought me a fine specimen of a Saw-fish, caught in the Derwent. It turned out to be the Pristis cirrhatus,—a rare and curious species, confined to the Australian seas, and first described by Dr. Latham in the year 1793."

<hw>Sawyer</hw>, n. (1) Name applied by bushmen in New Zealand to the insect Weta (q.v.). (2) A trunk embedded in the mud so as to move with the current—hence the name: a snag is fixed. (An American use of the word.) See also Snag.

1873. J. B. Stephens, `Black Gin,' p. 22:

"By Fitzroy's rugged crags,
Its `sawyers' and its snags,
He roamed."

<hw>Sceloglaux</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus containing the New Zealand bird called the Laughing Owl (see under Jackass). The name was given by Kaup in 1848; the bird had been previously classed as Athene by Gray in 1844. It is now nearly extinct. Kaup also gave the name of Spiloglaux to the New Zealand Owl at the same date. The words are from the Greek glaux, an owl, spilos, a spot, and skelos, a leg.

<hw>Scent-wood</hw>, a Tasmanian evergreen shrub, Alyxia buxifolia, R. Br., N.O. Apocyneae, of the dogbane family.

<hw>Schnapper</hw>, n. or <hw>Snapper</hw>, a fish abundant in all Australasian waters, Pagrus unicolor, Cuv. and Val. The latter spelling was the original form of the word (one that snaps). It was gradually changed by the fishermen, perhaps of Dutch origin, to Schnapper, the form now general. The name Snapper is older than the settlement of Australia, but it is not used for the same fish. `O.E.D.,' s.v. Cavally, quotes:

1657. R. Ligon, `Barbadoes,' p. 12:

"Fish . . . of various kinds . . . Snappers, grey and red;
Cavallos, Carpians, etc."

The young are called Cock-schnapper (q.v.); at a year old they are called Red-Bream; at two years old, Squire; at three, School-Schnapper; when they cease to "school" and swim solitary they are called Natives and Rock-Natives. Being the standard by which the "catch" is measured, the full-grown Schnappers are also called Count-fish (q.v.). In New Zealand, the Tamure (q.v.) is also called Schnapper, and the name Red-Schnapper is given to Anthias richardsoni, Gunth., or Scorpis hectori, Hutton. See quotation, 1882.

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 68:

"King-fish, mullet, mackarel, rockcod, whiting, snapper, bream, flatheads, and various other descriptions of fishes, are all found plentifully about."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. p. 261:

"The kangaroos are numerous and large, and the finest snappers I have ever heard of are caught off this point, weighing sometimes as much as thirty pounds."

[The point referred to is that now called Schnapper Point, at
Mornington, in Victoria.]

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 39:

"The genus Pagrus, or as we term it in the vernacular, `schnapper,' a word of Dutch origin . . . The schnapper or snapper. The schnapper (Pagrus unicolor, Cuv. and Val.) is the most valuable of Australian fishes, not for its superior excellence . . . but for the abundant and regular supply . . . At a still greater age the schnapper seems to cease to school and becomes what is known as the `native' and `rock-native,' a solitary and sometimes enormously large fish."

1896 `The Australasian,' Aug. 28, p. 407, col. 5:

"The fish, snapper, is so called because it snapped. The spelling with `ch' is a curious after-thought, suggestive of alcohol. The name cannot come from schnapps."

<hw>School-Schnapper</hw>, n. a fish. A name given to the Schnapper when three years old. See Schnapper.

<hw>Scorpion</hw>, n. another name for the New South Wales fish Pentaroge marmorata, Cuv. and Val.; called also the Fortescue (q.v.), and the Cobbler.

<hw>Scotchman</hw>, n. a New Zealand name for a smaller kind of the grass called Spaniard (q.v.).

1895. W. S. Roberts, `Southland in 1856,' p. 39:

"As we neared the hills speargrass of the smaller kind, known as Scotchmen,' abounded, and although not so strong and sharp-pointed as the `Spaniard,' would not have made a comfortable seat."

1896. `The Australasian,' Aug. 28, p. 407, col. 5:

". . . national appellations are not satisfactory. It seems uncivil to a whole nation—another injustice to Ireland—to call a bramble a wild Irishman, or a pointed grass, with the edges very sharp and the point like a bayonet, a Spaniard. One could not but be amused to find the name Scotchman applied to a smaller kind of Spaniard.'

<hw>Scribbly-Gum</hw>, n. also called White-Gum, Eucalyptus haemastoma, Sm., N.O. Myrtaceae. See Gum.

1883. F. M. Bailey, `Synopsis of Queensland Flora,' p. 174:

"Scribbly or White-Gum. As regards timber this is the most worthless of the Queensland species. A tree, often large, with a white, smooth, deciduous bark, always marked by an insect in a scribbly manner."

<hw>Scrub</hw>, n. country overgrown with thick bushes. Henry Kingsley's explanation (1859), that the word means shrubbery, is singularly misleading, the English word conveying an idea of smallness and order compared with the size and confusion of the Australian use. Yet he is etymologically correct, for Scrobb is Old English (Anglo-Saxon) for shrub; but the use had disappeared in England.

1833. C. Sturt, `Southern Australia,' vol. i. c. i. p. 21:

"We encamped about noon in some scrub."

1838. T. L. Mitchell,' Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 213:

"A number of gins and children remained on the borders of the scrub, half a mile off."

1844. J A. Moore, `Tasmanian Rhymings' (1860), p. 13:

"Here Nature's gifts, with those of man combined,
Hath [sic] from a scrub a Paradise defined."

1848. W. Westgarth, "Australia Felix,' p. 24:

"The colonial term scrub, of frequent and convenient use in the description of Australian scenery, is applicable to dense assemblages of harsh wild shrubbery, tea-tree, and other of the smaller and crowded timber of the country, and somewhat analogous to the term jungle."

1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Hamlyn,' vol. ii. p. 155 [Footnote]:

"Scrub. I have used, and shall use, this word so often that some explanation is due to the English reader. I can give no better definition of it than by saying that it means `shrubbery.'"

1864. J. McDouall Stuart, `Exploration in Australia,' p. 153:

"At four miles arrived on the top, through a very thick scrub of mulga."

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' c. v. p. 78:

"Woods which are open and passable—passable at any rate for men on horseback—are called bush. When the undergrowth becomes, thick and matted, so as to be impregnable without an axe, it is scrub."

[Impregnability is not a necessary point of the definition.
There is "light" scrub, and "heavy" or "thick" scrub.]

1883. G. W. Rusden, `History of Australia,' vol. i. p. 67 [Note]:

"Scrub was a colonial term for dense undergrowth, like that of the mallee-scrub."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 7:

"Where . . . a belt of scrub lies green, glossy, and impenetrable as Indian bungle."

(p. 8): "The nearest scrub, in the thickets of which the Blacks could always find an impenetrable stronghold."

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia,' p. 36:

"A most magnificent forest of trees, called in Australia a `scrub,' to distinguish it from open timbered country."

1890. J. McCarthy and R. M. Praed, `Ladies' Gallery,' p. 252:

"Why, I've been alone in the scrub—in the desert, I mean; you will understand that better."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 374:

"One more prominent feature in Australian vegetation are the large expanses of the so-called `scrub' of the colonists. This is a dense covering of low bushes varying in composition in different districts, and named according to the predominating element."

1893. A. R. Wallace, `Australasia,' vol. i. p. 46:

"Just as Tartary is characterised by its steppes, America by its prairies, and Africa by its deserts, so Australia has one feature peculiar to itself, and that is its `scrubs.'. . . One of the most common terms used by explorers is `Mallee' scrub, so called from its being composed of dwarf species of Eucalyptus called the `Mallee' by the Natives. . . . Still more dreaded by the explorer is the `Mulga' scrub, consisting chiefly of dwarf acacias."

1894. E. Favenc, `Tales of the Austral Tropics,' p. 3:

"Even more desolate than the usual dreary-looking scrub of the interior of Australia."

[p. 6]: "The sea of scrub."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Manfrom Snowy River,' p. 25:

"Born and bred on the mountain-side,
He could race through scrub like a kangaroo."

<hw>Scrub</hw>, adj. and in composition. The word scrub occurs constantly in composition. See the following words.

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 113:

"We gathered the wild raspberries, and mingling them with gee-bongs, and scrub-berries, set forth a dessert."

<hw>Scrub-bird</hw>, n. name given to two Australian birds, of the genus Atrichia. (Grk. 'atrichos = without hair.) They are the Noisy Scrub-bird, Atrichia clamosa, Gould, and the Rufous S.-b., A. rufescens, Ramsay.

1869. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' `Supplement,' pl. 26:

"The Scrub-bird creeps mouse-like over the bark, or sits on a dripping stem and mocks all surrounding notes."

<hw>Scrub-cattle</hw>, n. escaped cattle that run wild in the scrub, used as a collective plural of Scrubber (q.v.).

1860. A. L. Gordon, `The Sick Stockrider' [in `Bush-Ballads,' 1876], p. 8:

"'Twas merry 'mid the blackwoods, when we spied the station
roofs,
To wheel the wild scrub-cattle at the yard,
With a running fire of stock-whips and a fiery run of hoofs,
Oh! the hardest day was never then too hard."

<hw>Scrub-Crab</hw>, n. a Queensland fruit. The large dark purple fruit, two inches in diameter, of Sideroxylon australe, Benth. and Hook., N.O. Saponaceae; a tall tree.

<hw>Scrub-dangler</hw>, n. a wild bullock.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xvi. p. 193:

"He is one of those infernal scrub-danglers from the Lachlan, come across to get a feed."

<hw>Scrub-fowl</hw>, n. name applied to birds of the genus Megapodius. See Megapode.

<hw>Scrub-Gum</hw>, n. See Gum.

<hw>Scrub-hen</hw>, i.q. Scrub fowl.

<hw>Scrub-Ironwood</hw>, n. See Ironwood.

<hw>Scrub-Myrtle</hw>, n. See Myrtle.

<hw>Scrub-Oak</hw>, n. See Oak.

<hw>Scrub-Pine</hw>, n. See Pine.

<hw>Scrub-Poison-tree</hw>, n. See Poison-tree.

<hw>Scrub-rider</hw>, n. a man who rides through the scrub in search of Scrub-cattle (q.v.).

1881. A. C. Giant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 278:

"A favourite plan among the bold scrub-riders."

<hw>Scrub-Robin</hw>, n. the modern name for any bird of the genus Drymodes.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iii. pl. 10:

"Drymodes Brunneopygia, Gould, Scrub-Robin. I discovered this singular bird in the great Murray Scrub in South [sc. Southern] Australia, where it was tolerably abundant. I have never seen it from any other part of the country, and it is doubtless confined to such portions of Australia as are clothed with a similar character of vegetation."

1895. W. O. Legge, `Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science' (Brisbane), p. 447:

"As regards portions of Gould's English nomenclatures, such as his general term `Robin' for the genera Petroica, Paecilodryas, Eopsaltria, it was found that by retaining the term `Robin' for the best known member of the group (Petroica), and applying a qualifying noun to the allied genera, such titles as Tree-robin, Scrub-robin, and Shrike-robin were easily evolved."

<hw>Scrub-Sandalwood</hw>, n. See Sandalwood.

<hw>Scrub-Tit</hw>, n. See Tit.

<HW>Scrub-tree</HW>, n. any tree that grows in the scrub.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 219:

"Almost all the Scrub-trees of the Condamine and Kent's Lagoon were still to be seen at the Burdekin."

<hw>Scrub-Turkey</hw>, n. an Australian bird, Leipoa ocellata, Gould; aboriginal name, the Lowan (q.v.). See Turkey.

<hw>Scrub-Vine</hw>, n. called also Native Rose. See Bauera (q.v.).

<hw>Scrub-Wren</hw>, n. any little bird of the Australian genus Sericornis. The species are—

Brown Scrub-Wren—
Sericornis humilis, Gould.

Buff breasted S.-W.—
S. laevigaster, Gould.

Collared S.-W.—
S. gutturalis, Gould.

Large-billed Scrub-Wren—
Sericornis magnirostris, Gould.

Little S.-W.—
S. minimus, Gould.

Spotted S.-W.—
S. maculatus, Gould.

Spotted-throated S.-W.—
S. osculans, Gould.

White-browed S.-W.—
S. frontalis, Vig. & Hors.

Yellow-throated S.-W.—
S. citreogularis, Gould.

<hw>Scrubber</hw>, n. (1) a bullock that has taken to the scrub and so become wild. See Scrub-cattle. Also formerly used for a wild horse, now called a Brumby (q.v.).

1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Hamlyn,' c. xxix:

"The captain was getting in the scrubbers, cattle which had been left to run wild through in the mountains."

1874. W. H. L. Ranken, `Dominion of Australia,' c. vi. p. 110:

"There are few field-sports anywhere . . . equal to `hunting scrubbers.'"

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 93:

"Out flew the ancient scrubber, instinctively making towards his own wild domain."

1887. W. S. S. Tyrwhitt, `The New Chum in the Queensland Bush,' p. 151:

"There are also wild cattle, which are either cattle run wild or descendants of such. They are commonly called `scrubbers,' because they live in the larger scrubs."

1888. Rolf Boldrewood, `Robbery under Arms,' p. 405:

"Here I am boxed up, like a scrubber in a pound, year after year."

1893. `The Argus,' April 29, p. 4, col. 4 (`Getting in the Scrubbers'):

"The scrubbers, unseen of men, would stay in their fastnesses all day chewing the cud they had laid up the night before, and when the sun went down and the strident laugh of the giant kingfisher had given place to the insidious air-piercing note of the large-mouthed podargus, the scrub would give up its inhabitants."

(2) A starved-looking or ill-bred animal.

(3) The word is sometimes applied to mankind in the slang sense of an "outsider." It is used in University circles as equivalent to the Oxford "smug," a man who will not join in the life of the place. See also Bush-scrubber.

1868. `Colonial Monthly,' vol. ii. p. 141 [art. `Peggy's Christening]:

"`I can answer for it, that they are scrubbers—to use a bush phrase—have never been brought within the pale of any church.'

"`Never been christened?' asked the priest.

"`Have no notion of it—scrubbers, sir—never been branded.'"

<hw>Scrubby</hw>, adj. belonging to, or resembling scrub.

1802. Jas. Flemming, `Journal of the Exploration of C. Grimes' [at Port Phillip, Australia], ed. by J. J. Shillinglaw, 1879, Melbourne, p. 17:

"The land appeared barren, a scrubby brush."

[p. 221: "The trees low and scrubby."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 19:

"To-day I . . . passed a scrubby ironbark forest.".

1849. J. P. Townsend, `Rambles in New South Wales,' p. 216:

"A scrubby country is a stockman's abhorrence, as there he cannot ride, at least at any pace."

1868. J. A. B., `Meta,' c. i. p. 9:

"'Twere madness to attempt to chase,
In such a wild and scrubby place,
Australia's savage steer."

<hw>Scrubdom</hw>, n. the land of scrub.

1889. C. A. Sherard, `Daughter of South,' p. 29:

"My forefathers reigned in this scrubdom of old."

<hw>Scythrops</hw>, n. scientific name for a genus of birds belonging to the Cuculidae, or Cuckoos (from Grk. skuthrowpos = angry-looking). The only species known is peculiar to Australia, where it is called the Channel-Bill, a name given by Latham (`General History of Birds,' vol. ii.). White (1790) calls it the Anomalous Hornbill (`Journal 1790,' pl. at p. 142).

<hw>Sea-Berry</hw>, n. See Red-berry.

<hw>Sea-Dragon</hw>, n. any Australian fish of any one of the three species of the genus Phyllopteryx, family Syngnathidae. The name of the genus comes from the Greek phullon = a leaf, and pterux = a wing. This genus is said by Guenther to be exclusively Australian. "Protective resemblance attains its highest degree of development," he says, in this genus. "Not only their colour closely assimilates that of the particular kind of sea-weed which they frequent, but the appendages of their spines seem to be merely part of the fucus to which they are attached. They attain a length of twelve inches." (`Study of Fishes,' p. 683.) The name, in England, is given to other and different fishes. The species P. foliatus is called the Superb Dragon (q.v.), from the beauty of its colours.

<hw>Sea-Perch</hw>, n. a name applied to different fishes—in Sydney, to the Morwong (q.v.) and Bull's-eye (q.v.); in New Zealand, to Sebastes percoides, called Pohuiakawa (q.v.); in Melbourne, to Red-Gurnard (q.v.). See Red Gurnet-Perch.

<hw>Sea-Pig</hw>, n. a small whale, the Dugong. See under Dugong-oil.

1853. S. Sidney, `Three Colonies of Australia,' p. 267:

"The aborigines eagerly pursue the dugong, a species of small whale, generally known to the colonists as the sea-pig."

<hw>Sea-Pike</hw>, n. a fish of New South Wales, Lanioperca mordax, Gunth., of the family Sphyraenidae. The name belongs to the Sydney fish-market.

<hw>Select</hw>, v. i.q. Free-select (q.v.).

<hw>Selection</hw>, n. i.q. Free-selection (q.v.).

<hw>Selector</hw>, n. i.q. Free-selector (q.v.).

<hw>Sergeant Baker</hw>, n. name given to a fish of New South Wales, Aulopus purpurissatus, Richards., family Scopelidae.

1882. Rev. J E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 82:

"The Sergeant Baker in all probability got its local appellation in the early history of the colony (New South Wales), as it was called after a sergeant of that name in one of the first detachments of a regiment; so were also two fruits of the Geebong tribe (Persoonia); one was called Major Buller, and the other Major Groce, and this latter again further corrupted into Major Grocer."

<hw>Settler's</hw> Clock (also <hw>Hawkesbury Clock</hw>), n. another name for the bird called the Laughing-Jackass. See Jackass.

1896. F. G. Aflalo, `Natural History of Australia,' p. 114:

"From its habit of starting its discordant paean somewhere near sunrise and, after keeping comparatively quiet all through the hotter hours, cackling a `requiem to the day's decline,' the bird has been called the Settler's clock. It may be remarked, however, that this by no means takes place with the methodical precision that romancers write of in their letters home."

<hw>Settlers' Matches</hw>, n. name occasionally applied to the long pendulous strips of bark which hang from the Eucalypts and other trees, during decortication, and which, bec oming exceedingly dry, are readily ignited and used as kindling wood.

1896. H. Lawson, `When the World was Wide,' p. 84:

"In the silence of the darkness and the playing of the breeze,
That we heard the settlers' matches rustle softly in the
trees."

1896. `The Australasian,' June 13, p. 1133, col. 1:

"Re settlers' matches, torches, the blacks in the South-east of South Australia always used the bark of the she-oak to carry from one camp to another; it would last and keep alight for a long time and show a good light to travel by when they had no fire. A fire could always be lighted with two grass trees, a small fork, and a bit of dry grass. I have often started a fire with them myself."

<hw>Settler's Twine</hw>, n. a fibre plant, Gymnostachys anceps, R. Br., N.O. Aroideae, called also Travellers' Grass. Much used by farmers as cord or string where strength is required.

<hw>Shag</hw>, n. common English birdname for a Cormorant (q.v.). Gould, fifty years ago, enumerates the following as Australian species, in his `Birds of Australia' (vol. vii.)—

Plate Phalacrocorax Carboides, Gould, Australian Cormorant, Black Shag, Colonists of W.A. . . . . . 66

P. Hypoleucus, Pied C., Black and White Shag, Colonists of W. A. . . . . . . . . . 68

P. Melanoleucus, Vieill., Pied C., Little Shag, Colonists of W.A. . . . . . . . . . 70

P. Punctatus, Spotted C., Crested Shag (Cook), Spotted Shag (Lapham) . . . . . . . . . 71

P. Leucogaster, Gould, White-breasted C. . . 69

P. Stictocephalus, Bp., Little Black C. . . 67

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 185:

"Shags started from dead trees lying half immersed."

<hw>Shagroon</hw>, n. When the province of Canterbury, in New Zealand, was first settled, the men who came from England were called Pilgrims, all others Shagroons, probably a modification of the Irish word Shaughraun.

1877. W. Pratt, `Colonial Experiences of Incidents of Thirty-four Years in New Zealand,' p. 234:

"In the `Dream of a Shagroon,' which bore the date Ko Matinau, April 1851, and which first appeared in the `Wellington Spectator' of May 7, the term `Pilgrim' was first applied to the settlers; it was also predicted in it that the `Pilgrims' would be `smashed' and the Shagroons left in undisputed possession of the country for their flocks and herds."

<hw>Shake</hw>, v. tr. to steal. Very common Australian slang, especially amongst school-boys and bushmen. It was originally Thieves' English.

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. ii. p. 9:

"The tent of a surgeon was `shook,' as they style it—that is, robbed, during his absence in the daytime."

1878. `The Australian,' vol. i. p. 418:

"Crimean shirts, blankets, and all they `shake,'
Which I'm told's another name for `take.'"

<hw>Shamrock, Australian</hw>, n. a perennial, fragrant, clover-like plant, Trigonella suavissima, Lindl., N.O. Leguminosae; excellent as forage. Called also Menindie Clover (aboriginal name, Calomba). See Clover.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 143:

"It is the `Australian shamrock' of Mitchell."

<hw>Shamrock, Native</hw>, n. a forage plant, Lotus australis, Andr., N.O. Leguminosae. Called Native Shamrock in Tasmania.

<hw>Shanghai</hw>, n. a catapult. Some say because used against Chinamen. The reason seems inadequate.

1863. `The Leader,' Oct. 24, p. 17, col. 1:

"Turn, turn thy shanghay dread aside,
Nor touch that little bird."

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), May 15, p. 22, col. 1:

"The lads had with them a couple of pistols, powder, shot, bullets, and a shanghai."

1875. Ibid. July 17, p. 123, col. 3:

"The shanghai, which, as a secret instrument of mischief, is only less dangerous than the air-gun."

1884. `Police Offences Act, New Zealand,' sec. 4, subsec. 23:

"Rolls any cask, beats any carpet, flies any kite, uses any bows and arrows, or catapult, or shanghai, or plays at any game to the annoyance of any person in any public place."

1893. `The Age,' Sept. 15, p. 6, col. 7:

"The magistrate who presided on the Carlton bench yesterday, has a decided objection to the use of shanghais, and in dealing with three little boys, the eldest of whom was but eleven or twelve years of age, charged with the use of these weapons in the Prince's Park, denounced their conduct in very strong terms. He said that he looked upon this crime as one of the worst that a lad could be guilty of, and if he had his own way in the matter he would order each of them to be lashed."

1895. C. French, Letter to `Argus,' Nov. 29:

"Wood swallows are somewhat sluggish and slow in their flight, and thus fall an easy prey to either the gun or the murderous and detestable `shanghai.'"

<hw> Shanghai-shot</hw>, n. a short distance, a stone's-throw.

1874. Garnet Walch, `Head over Heels' [Introduction to Tottlepot Poems]:

"His parents . . . residing little more than a Shanghai-shot from Romeo Lane, Melbourne."

<hw>Shanty</hw>, n. (1) a hastily erected wooden house; (2) a public-house, especially unlicensed: a sly-grog shop. The word is by origin Keltic (Irish). In the first sense, its use is Canadian or American; in the last, Australian. In Barrere and Leland it is said that circus and showmen always call a public-house a shanty.

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), June 26, p. 91, col. 1:

"These buildings, little better than shanties, are found in . . . numbers."

1880. Garnet Walch, `Victoria in 1880,' p. 9:

"We read of the veriest shanties letting for L2 per week."

1880. W. Senior, `Travel and Trout,' p. 15:

"He becomes a land-owner, and puts up a slab-shanty."

1880. G. n. Oakley, in `Victoria in 1880,' p. 114:

"The left-hand track, past shanties soaked in grog,
Leads to the gaol."

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 103:

"The faint glimmering light which indicates the proximity of the grog shanty is hailed with delight."

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia,' p. 221:

"I have seen a sober man driven perfectly mad for the time being, by two glasses of so-called rum, supplied to him at one of these shanties."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. vi. p. 64:

"Any attempt to limit the licensing produced . . . a crop of shanties, or sly-grog shops."

1890. `The Argus,' Aug. 9, p. 4, col. 2:

"The old woman thought that we were on gold, and would lamb down at the finish in her shanty."

<hw>Shanty-Keeper</hw>, n. keeper of a sly-grog shop.

1875. Wood and Lapham, `Waiting for Mail,' p. 45:

"Mrs. Smith was a shanty-keeper's wife."

1887. J. Farrell, `How he died,' p. 72:

"The shanty-keeper saw the entering strangers."

<hw>Shantywards</hw>, adv.

1890. `The Argus,' Aug. 2, p. 13, col. 4:

"Looking . . . over the fence shantywards."

<hw>Shark</hw>, n. Some of the Australasian species are identical with those of Europe. Varieties and names which differ are—

Blue Shark (New South Wales)—
Carcharias macloti, Mull. and Heule.

Hammer S. (N.S.W.)—
Zygaena malleus, Shaw.

One-finned S. (N.S.W.)—
Notidanus indicus, Cuv.

Port Jackson S. (q.v.)— Heterodontus phillipii, Lacep.; called also the Shell-grinder.

Saw-fish S.— Pristiophorus cirratus, Lath.

School S. (N.S.W.)— Galeus australis, Macl.; called also Tope (q.v.).

Shovel-nosed S. (N.S.W.)— Rhinobatus granulatus, Cuv.; also called the Blind-Shark, or Sand-Shark.

Tiger S. (N.S.W.)— Galeocerdo rayneri, Macdon. and Barr.

White S.— Carcharodon rondeletii, Mull. and Heule; called also the White-Pointer.

The Sharks of New Zealand are—

Black Shark—
Carcharodon melanopterus (Maori name Keremai).

Brown S.—
Scymnus lichia.

Great S.—
Carcharias maso.

Hammer-head S.—
Zygaena malleus (Maori name, Mangopare).

Port-eagle S.—
Lamna cornutica

Spinous S.—
Echinorhinus spinosus.

Tiger S.—
Scymnus sp. (Maori name, Mako).

See also Blue-Pointer, Whaler, and Wobbegong.

<hw>Shearer's Joy</hw>, n. a name given to colonial beer.

1892. Gilbert Parker, `Round the Compass in Australia,' p. 22:

"It was the habit afterwards among the seven to say that the officers of the Eliza Jane had been indulging in shearer's joy."

<hw>She-Beech</hw>, n. See Beech.

<hw>Shed</hw>, n. The word generally signifies the Woolshed (q.v.). A large, substantial, and often expensive building.

1896. H. Lawson, `When the World was Wide,' p. 143:

"There's 20 hungry beggars wild for any job this year,
An' 50 might be at the shed while I am lyin' here."

1896. `Melbourne Argus,' April 30, p. 2, col. 5:

"There is a substantial and comfortable homestead, and ample shed accommodation."

<hw>Sheep-pest</hw>, n. a common Australian weed, Acama ovina, Cunn., N.O. Rosaceae, found in all the colonies; so called because its fruit adheres by hooked spines to the wool of sheep.

<hw>Sheep-run</hw>, n. See Run.

<hw>Sheep-sick</hw>, n. Used of pastures exhausted for carrying sheep. Compare English screw-sick, paint-sick, nail-sick, wheat-sick, etc.

1895. `Leader,' August 3, p. 6, col. 1:

"It is the opinion of many practical men that certain country to which severe losses have occurred in recent years has been too long carrying sheep, and that the land has become what is termed `sheep sick,' and from this point of view it certainly appears that a course of better management is most desirable."

<hw>Sheep-wash</hw> (used as verb), to wash sheep. The word is also used as a noun, in its ordinary English senses of (1) a lotion for washing sheep; (2) the washing of sheep preparatory to shearing: (3) the place where the sheep are washed, also called the `sheep-dip.'

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 184:

"He can't dig or sheep-wash or plough there."

<hw>Sheldrake</hw>, or <hw>Shieldrake</hw>, n. the common English name of ducks of the genera Tadorna and Casarca. The Australian species are—Casarca tadornoides Jard., commonly called the Mountain Duck; and the White-headed S., Tadorna radjah, Garnot.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 217:

"Charley shot the sheldrake of Port Essington (Tadorna Rajah)."

<hw>Shell-grinder</hw>, n. another name for the Port-Jackson Shark (q.v.).

<hw>She-Oak</hw>, n. (1) A tree of the genus Casuarina (q.v.). The timber, which is very hard and makes good fuel, was thought to resemble oak. See Oak, and quotation from Captain Cook. The prefix she is used in Australia to indicate an inferiority of timber in respect of texture, colour, or other character; e.g. She-beech, She-pine. The reason for He-oak is given in quotation 1835. Bull-oak, Marsh-oak, Swamp-oak, were invented to represent variations of the Casuarina. Except in its timber, the She-oak is not in the least like an oak-tree (Quercus). The spelling in quotation 1792 makes for this simple explanation, which, like that of Beef-eater in English, and Mopoke in Austral-English, was too simple; and other spellings, e.g. Shea-oak, were introduced, to suggest a different etymology. Shiak (quotation, 1853) seems to claim an aboriginal origin (more directly claimed, quotation, 1895), but no such aboriginal word is found in the vocabularies. In quotations 1835, 1859, a different origin is assigned, and a private correspondent, whose father was one of the first to be born of English parents in New South Wales, says that English officers who had served in Canada had named the tree after one that they had known there. A higher authority, Sir Joseph D. Hooker (see quotation, 1860), says, "I believe adapted from the North-American Sheack." This origin, if true,is very interesting; but Sir Joseph Hooker, in a letter dated Jan. 26, 1897, writes that his authority was Mr. Gunn (see quotation, 1835). That writer, however, it will be seen, only puts "is said to be." To prove the American origin, we must find the American tree. It is not in the `Century,' nor in the large `Webster,' nor in `Funk and Wagnall's Standard,' nor in either of two dictionaries of Americanisms. Dr. Dawson, director of the Geological Survey of Canada, who is thoroughly acquainted with Indian folk-lore and languages, and Mr. Fowler, Professor of Botany in Queen's University, Kingston, say that there is no such Indian word.

2792. G. Thompson, in `Historical Records of New South Wales,' vol. ii. (1893) p. 799:

"There are two kinds of oak, called the he and the she oak, but not to be compared with English oak, and a kind of pine and mahogany, so heavy that scarce either of them will swim."

1802. D. Collins, `Account of New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 166 (Bass' diary at Port Dalrymple, Tasmania, Nov. 1798):

"The She oaks were more inclined to spread than grow tall."

1834. Ross, `Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 134

"Casuarina torulosa, the she-oak. The young fruit and young shoots afford an agreeable acid by chewing, which allays thirst."

1835. Ross, `Hobart-town Almanack,' p. 75 [Article said by Sir Joseph Hooker (Jan. 26, 1897) to be by Mr. Ronald Gunn]:

"Casuarina torulosa? She-oak. C. stricta? He-oak. C. tenuissima? Marsh-oak. The name of the first of these is said to be a corruption of Sheac, the name of an American tree, producing the beef wood, like our Sheoak. The second species has obtained the name of He-oak in contradistinction of She-oak, as if they constituted one dioecious plant, the one male and the other female, whereas they are perfectly distinct species."

1842. `Western Australia,' p. 80:

"The Shea-oak (a corruption of sheak, the native name for this, or a similar tree, in Van Diemen's Land) is used chiefly for shingles."

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 91:

"Then to cut down the timber, gum, box, she-oak, and wattle-trees, was an Herculean task."

1847. J. D. Lang, "Phillipsland,' p. 95:

"They are generally a variety of Casuarinae, commonly called she-oak by the colonists, and the sighing of the wind among the sail-needle-like leaves, that constitute their vegetation, produces a melancholy sound."

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 219:

"Most of the trees of this colony owe their names to the sawyers who first tested their qualities; and who were guided by the colour and character of the wood, knowing and caring nothing about botanical relations. Thus the swamp-oak and she-oak have rather the exterior of the larch than any quercine aspect."

1853. S. Sidney, `Three Colonies of Australia,' p. 277:

"A dull scene, sprinkled with funereal shiak or `she-oak trees.'"

Ibid. p. 367:

"Groves of shea-oaks, eucalyptus and mimosa."

1857. W. Howitt, `Tallangetta,' vol. i. p. 24:

"Trees of a peculiar character—the Casuarinas or Shiacks— part of which, with their more rigid and outstretched branches, resemble pine-trees, and others, with theirs drooping gracefully, resembling large trees of bloom."

1859. D. Bunce, `Australasiatic Reminiscences,' p. 33:

"The trees forming the most interesting groups were the Casuarina torulosa, she-oak, and C. stricta, he-oak. . . . The name of the first is said to have been derived from `sheeac,' the name of an American tree producing the beef-wood like our she-oak. C. stricta, or he-oak, has been named in contradistinction to the sexes, as if they constituted one dioecious plant, whereas they are two perfectly distinct species."

1860. J. D. Hooker, `Botany of the Antarctic Voyage,' part iii. [Flora Tasmaniae], p. 348:

"Casuarina suberosa. This is an erect species, growing 15 feet high. . . It is well known as the `He-oak,' in contradistinction to the C. quadrivalvis, or `She-oak,' a name, I believe, adapted from the North American `Sheack' though more nearly allied botanically to the Northern Oaks than any Tasmanian genus except Fagus, they have nothing to do with that genus in habit or appearance, nor with the Canadian `Sheack.'"

1864. J. McDouall Stuart, `Explorations in Australia,' p. 150:

"Within the last mile or two we have passed a few patches of Shea-oak, growing large, having a very rough and thick bark, nearly black. They have a dismal appearance."

1868. J. Bonwick, `John Batman, Founder of Victoria,' p.103:

"Even Batman's hill, the memorial of his ancient encampment, has been levelled; and the she-oaks upon that grassy mound no longer sigh in the breeze a dirge for the hero of exploration."

1869. `The Argus,' May 25, p. 5, col. 2:

"The she-oak trees, of which there are large quantities in the sandy soil of the salt-bush country, proved very serviceable during the late drought. Some of the settlers caused thousands of she-oaks to be stripped of their boughs, and it was a sight to see some of the famishing cattle rushing after the men who were employed in thus supplying the poor animals with the means of sustaining life. The cattle ate the boughs and the bark with the greatest avidity, and the bushman's axe as it felled the she-oak was music to their ears."

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia,' p. 258:

"She-oaks are scraggy-looking poles of trees, rather like fir-trees."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 203:

"The rough bark of the she-oak and its soft sappy wood . . ."

1890. `The Argus,' June 14, p. 4, col. 2:

"I came to a little clump of sheoaks, moaning like living things."

1895. `Notes and Queries,' Aug. 3, p. 87:

"The process followed by the Australian colonists when they converted a native word for the Casuarina trees into `she-oak.'"

1896. H. Lawson, `When the World was Wide,' p. 204:

"The creek went down with a broken song,
'Neath the she-oaks high;
The waters carried the song along,
And the oaks a sigh."

(2) Slang name for colonial beer.

1888. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iii. p. 83:

"Their drivers had completed their regulation half-score of `long-sleevers' of `she-oak.'"

1890. Rolf Boldrewood,' Miner's Right,' c. vi. p. 59:

"Then have a glass of beer—it's only she-oak, but there's nothing wrong about it."

<hw>She-Oak nets</hw>, nets placed on each side of a gangway from a ship to the pier, to prevent sailors who have been indulging in she-oak (beer) falling into the water.

<hw>Shepherd</hw>, v. (1) to guard a mining claim and do a little work on it, so as to preserve legal rights.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 135:

"Few of their claims however are actually `bottomed,' for the owners merely watch their more active contemporaries."

(Footnote): "This is termed `shepherding' a claim."

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 11:

"All the ground . . . is held in blocks which are being merely shepherded."

(2) By transference from (1). To follow or hang about a person in the hopes of getting something out of him. Compare similar use of shadow.

1896. Modern:

"The robbers knowing he had so much coin about him, determined to shepherd him till an opportunity occurred of robbery with impunity."

<hw>Shepherd</hw>, n. a miner who holds a claim but does not work it.

188-. `Argus' (date lost):

"The term `jumper,' being one of reproach, brought quite a yell from the supporters of the motion. Dr. Quick retorted with a declaration that the Grand Junction Company were all `shepherds,' and that `shepherds' are the worse of the two classes. The `jumpers' sat in one gallery and certain representatives or deputy `shepherds' in the other. Names are deceitful. . . . The Maldon jumpers were headed by quite a venerable gentleman, whom no one could suspect of violent exercise nor of regrettable designs upon the properties of his neighbours. And the shepherds in the other gallery, instead of being light-hearted beings with pipes and crooks—a la Watteau and Pope—looked unutterable things at the individuals who had cast sheep's eyes on their holding."

<hw>Shicer</hw>, n. (1) An unproductive claim or mine: a duffer. From the German scheissen.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 135:

"A claim without gold is termed a `shicer.'"

1861. Mrs. Meredith, `Over the Straits,' c. ix. p. 256:

"It's a long sight better nor bottoming a shicer."

1863. `Victorian Hansard,' May 10, vol. ix. p. 571:

"Mr. Howard asked whether the member for Collingwood knew the meaning of the word `shicer.' Mr. Don replied in the affirmative. He was not an exquisite, like the hon. member (laughter), and he had worked on the goldfields, and he had always understood a shicer to be a hole with no gold."

1870. S. Lemaitre, `Songs of Goldfields,' p. 15:

"Remember when you first came up
Like shicers, innocent of gold."

1894. `The Argus,' March 10, p. 4, col. 7:

"There are plenty of creeks in this country that have only so far been scratched—a hole sunk here and there and abandoned. No luck, no perseverance; and so the place has been set down as a duffer, or, as the old diggers' more expressive term had it, a `shicer.'"

(2) Slang. By transference from (1). A man who does not pay his debts of honour.

1896. Modern:

"Don't take his bet, he's a regular shicer."

<hw>Shingle-splitting</hw>, vb. n. obsolete Tasmanian slang.

1830. `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 89:

"When a man gets behindhand with his creditors in Hobart Town, and rusticates in the country in order to avoid the unseasonable calls of the Sheriff's little gentleman, that delights to stand at a corner where four streets meet, so as the better to watch the motions of his prey, he is said to be shingle-splitting."

<hw>Shirallee</hw>, n. slang term for a swag or bundle of blankets.

<hw>Shout</hw>, v. to stand treat. (1) Of drink. (2) By transference, of other things. The successful digger used to call passers-by to drink at his expense. The origin may also be from noisy bar-rooms, or crowded bar-parlours, where the man who was to pay for the liquor or refreshment called or shouted for the waiter or barman. When many men drink together the waiter of course looks for payment from the man who first calls or shouts out for him to give him the order. Or is "pay the shout" a variant of "pay the shot," or tavern reckoning? In its first sense the word has reached the United States, and is freely employed there.

1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Hamlyn,' p. 335:

"And so I shouted for him and he shouted for me."

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 80:

"Gentlemen required a great deal of attendance, did not `shout' (the slang term for ordering grog) every quarter of an hour, and therefore spent comparatively nothing."

1867. A. L. Gordon, `Sea-Spray' (Credat Judaeus), p. 139:

"You may shout some cheroots, if you like; no champagne
For this child.'

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 268:

"This `shouting,' as `treating' is termed in the colonies, is the curse of the Northern goldfields. If you buy a horse you must shout, the vendor must shout, and the bystanders who have been shouted to [more usual, for] must shout in their turn."

1885. D. Sladen, `In Cornwall, etc.,' p. 156 [Title, `The Sigh of the Shouter']:

"Give me the wealth I have squandered in `shouting.'"

1887. J. F. Hogan, `The Irish in Australia, p. 149:.

"Drinking is quite a common practice, and what is familiarly known as `shouting' was at one time almost universal, though of late years this peculiarly dangerous evil has been considerably diminished in extent. To `shout' in a public-house means to insist on everybody present, friends and strangers alike, drinking at the shouter's expense, and as no member of the party will allow himself to be outdone in this reckless sort of hospitality, each one `shouts' in succession, with the result that before long they are all overcome by intoxication."

1891. W. Tilley, `Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 30:

"Some heavy drinking is indulged in through the `shouting' system, which is the rule."

1893. E. W. Hornung, `Tiny Luttrell,' vol. ii. c. xv. p. 98:

"To insist on `shouting' Ruth a penny chair overlooking the ornamental water in St. James's Park."

(p.99): "You shall not be late, because I'll shout a hansom too."

<hw>Shout</hw>, n. a free drink.

1864. H. Simcox, `Outward Bound,' p. 81:

"The arms are left and off they go,
And many a shout they're treated to."

1874. Garnet Walch, Head over Heels,' p. 83:

"I . . . gave the boys round a spread an' a shout."

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 78:

"Two lucky diggers laid a wager which of them should treat the assembled company with the largest shout.'"

<hw>Shoveller</hw>, n. the English name for the duck Spatula clypeata, Linn., a species also present in Australia. The other Australian species is Spatula rhynchotis, Lath., also called Blue-wing.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vii. pl. 12:

"Spatula Rhynchotis, Australian Shoveller."

<hw>Shovel-nose</hw>, n. a New South Wales species of Ray-fish, Rhinobatus bougainvillei, Cuv.; called also the Blind Shark, and Sand Shark. In the Northern Hemisphere, the name is given to three different sharks and a sturgeon.

<hw>Shrike</hw>, n. a bird-name, generally used in Australia in composition. See Crow-Shrike, Cuckoo-Shrike, Shrike-Robin, Shrike-Thrush, and Shrike-Tit.

<hw>Shrike-Robin</hw>, n. a genus of Australasian Shrikes, Eopsaltria (q.v.). The species are—

Grey-breasted Shrike-Robin—
Eopsaltria gularis, Quoy and Gaim.

Large-headed S.-R.—
E. capito, Gould.

Little S.-R.—
E. nana, Mull.

White-breasted S.-R.—
E. georgiana, Quoy and Gaim.

Yellow-breasted S.-R.—
E. australis, Lath.

1895. W. O. Legge, `Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science' (Brisbane), p. 447:

<hw>Shrike-Thrush</hw>, n. a genus of Australasian Shrikes, Collyriocincla (q.v.). The species are—

Bower's Shrike-Thrush—
Collyriocincla boweri, Ramsay.

Brown S.-T.—
C. brunnea, Gould.

Buff-bellied S.-T.—
C. rufiventris, Gould.

Grey S.-T.— C. harmonica, Lath.; called also Port Jackson Thrush (q.v.).

Little Shrike-Thrush—
Collyriocincla parvula, Gould.

Pale-bellied S.-T.—
C. pallidirostris, Sharpe.

Rufous-breasted S.-T.—
C. rufigaster, Gould.

Whistling S.-T.— C. rectirostris, Jard. and Selb.; see Duke Willy.

1896. `The Melburnian,' Aug. 28, p. 54:

"With gathering shadows the spotted thrush of England gives forth from the top-most pine branch his full and varied notes; notes which no Australian bird can challenge, not even the shrike-thrush on the hill side, piping hard to rival his song every bright spring morning."

<hw>Shrike-Tit</hw>, n. a genus of Australian Shrikes, Falcunculus (q.v.). The species are—Falcunculus frontatus, Lath.; White-bellied S.-T., F. leucogaster, Gould.

1890. `Victorian Statutes—Game Act' (Third Schedule):

"Shrike-tit. [Close season.] From the 1st day of August to the 10th day of December next following in each year."

<hw>Shrimp</hw>, n. The only true shrimp (Crangon) which Australian waters are known to possess is found in the Gulf of St. Vincent, South Australia. (Tenison-Woods.) In Tasmania, the Prawn (Penoeus spp.) is called a Shrimp.

1883. `Royal Commission, Report on Fisheries of Tasmania,' p. 9:

"The prawn (Penoeus sp.), locally known among fishermen as the shrimp, abounds all around our coasts."

<hw>Sida-weed</hw>, n. i.q. Queensland Hemp. See Hemp.

<hw>Signed Servant</hw>, n. obsolete contraction for Assigned Servant (q.v.).

<hw>Silky-Oak</hw>, n. a tree, often tall, Grevillea robusta, Cunn., N.O. Proteaceae, producing a useful timber in demand for various purposes. See Grevillea, Maple, and Oak.

<hw>Silver</hw>, or <hw>Silver-fish</hw>, n. a Tasmanian name for Caranx georgianus, Cuv. and Val., family Carangidae, the White or Silver Trevally. See Trevally.

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), June 19, 1881:

"Common fish such as . . . garfish, strangers, silvers, and others."

1880. Mrs. Meredith, `Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 252 [Footnote]:

"To convey anything like a correct idea of this extremely beautiful fish, it should be `laid in' with a ground of burnished silver, and the delicate tints added. The skin is scaleless, and like satin, embossed all over in little raised freckles, and with symmetrical dark lines, resembling the veining of a leaf. In quality they are a good deal like mullet."

<hw>Silver-Belly</hw>, n. name given (1) in New South Wales, to the fish Silver-Bream (q.v.); (2) in Tasmania, to various species of Atherinidae.

<hw>Silver-Bream</hw>, or <hw>White-Bream</hw>, n. a New South Wales fish, Gerres ovatus, Gunth., family Percidae; also called Silver-Belly (q.v.). For another use, see Trevally.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 43:

"Mr. Hill, in the series of essays already referred to, speaks of a silver-bream or white-bream. It is probable he refers to Gerres ovatus, a common fish of very compressed form, and very protractile mouth. They probably never enter fresh-water. . . . It is necessary to cook the silver-belly, as it is often called, perfectly fresh."

<hw>Silver-Eye</hw>, n. a bird-name. Same as Wax-eye, White-eye, or Blight-bird (q.v.).

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 77:

"Zosterops caerulescens, Lath. I have myself arrived at the conclusion that the Silver-eye, although identical with the Australian bird, is in reality an indigenous species."

1888. James Thomas, `To a Silver Eye:' `Australian Poets 1788-1888' (edition Sladen), p. 550:

"Thou merry little silver-eye,
In yonder trailing vine,
I, passing by this morning, spied
That ivy-built nest of thine."

<hw>Silver Jew-fish</hw>, n. a New South Wales name for the young of the fish called Teraglin, or of the true Jew-fish (q.v.); it is uncertain which.

<hw>Silver-leaf Boree</hw>, n. i.q. Boree (q.v.).

<hw>Silver-Perch</hw>, n. a fresh-water fish, i.q. Bidyan Ruffe (q.v.).

<hw>Silver-tail</hw>, n. a bush term for a "swell": a man who goes to the manager's house, not to the men's hut. See Hut.

1890. A. J. Vogan, `The Black Police,' p. 116:

"A select circle of long-limbed members of those upper circles who belong to the genus termed in Australian parlance `silver-tailed,' in distinction to the `copper-tailed' democratic classes."

<hw>Silver-Trevally</hw>, n. See Trevally.

<hw>Sittella</hw>, n. an Australian genus of small creeping-birds, called also Tree-Runners (q.v.). Sittella is the Latin diminutive of sitta, which is from the Greek sittae, a woodpecker, whose habits the Tree-runners or Sittellae have. Gould's enumeration of the species is given in quotation.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iv.:

"Sittella chrysoptera, Orange-winged Sittella; S. leucocephala, Gould, White-headed S.; S. leucoptera,Gould, White-winged S.; S. pileata, Gould, Black-capped S.; S. tenuirostris, Gould, Slender-billed S.

1869. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia' (Supplement):

"Sittella Striata, Gould, Striated Sittella."

1875. Gould and Sharpe, `Birds of New Guinea,' vol. iii. pl. 28:

"Sittella albata, Pied Sittella."

1890 `Victorian Statutes-Game Act' (Third Schedule):

"Sittellas. [Close season.] From the first day of August to the 10th day of December next following in each year."

1896. F. G. Aflalo, `Natural History of Australia,' p. 136:

"Four species of Sitilla [sic] which, except that they do not lay their eggs in hollow trees, bear some resemblance to our nuthatch."

<hw>Skate</hw>, n. The New Zealand fish called a Skate is Raja nasuta, a different species of the same genus as the European Skate.

<hw>Skipjack</hw>, or <hw>Skipjack-Pike</hw>, n. This fish, Temnodon saltator, Cuv. and Val., is the same as the British and American fish of that name. It is called Tailor (q.v.) in Sydney. The name Skipjack used also to be given by the whalers to the Australian fish Trevally (q.v.).

1872. Hutton and Hector, `Fishes of New Zealand,' p. 111:

"It is quoted by Richardson that this fish [trevally], which he says is the Skipjack of the sealers, used to be a staple article of food with the natives."

<hw>Skipper</hw>, i.q. Hopping fish (q.v.).

<hw>Skirr</hw>, n. imitative.

1884. Marcus Clarke, `Memorial Volume,' p. 127:

"How many nights have I listened to the skirr of the wild cats."

<hw>Skirting</hw>, n. generally used in the plural. In sheep-shearing, the inferior parts of the wool taken from the extremities.

1890. `The Argus,' Sept. 20, p. 13, col. 7:

"At the `skirting-table' we will stand for a little while, and watch while the fleece just brought in is opened out by the `roller,' and the inferior portions removed."

<hw>Skullbanker</hw>, or <hw>Scowbanker</hw>, n. a slang name in Australia for a loafer, a tramp.

1866. A. Michie, `Retrospects and Prospects of the Colony,' p. 9:

"A skull-banker is a species of the genus loafer—half highwayman, half beggar. He is a haunter of stations, and lives on the squatters, amongst whom he makes a circuit, affecting to seek work and determining not to find it."

<hw>Slab</hw>, n. In English, the word slab, as applied to timber, means "an outside piece taken from a log in sawing it into boards, planks, etc." (`Webster.') In Australia, the word is very common, and denotes a piece of timber, two or three inches thick a coarse plank, axe-hewn, not sawn. Used for the walls of rough houses.

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' July 25, p. 3 col. 5:

A substantial slab building with verandah."

1845. `Voyage to Port Phillip,' p. 52:

"His slab-built hut, with roof of bark."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. c. ix. p. 266:

"The house in which this modern Robinson Crusoe dwelt was what is called a Slab Hut, formed of rough boards and thatched with grass."

1861. Mrs. Meredith, `Over the Straits,' c. iv. p. 130:

"A bare, rough, barn-like edifice built of slabs."

1869. J. Townend, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 155:

"We passed through Studley Park, with here and there a slab house or tent."

1874. G. Walch, `Head over Heels,' p. 81:

"The moonlight . . . poured on the hut, slabs an' roof."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 8:

"The hut was built of logs and slabs."

[p. 73]: "The usual bush-hut of slabs and bark."

[p.144]:"The neighbours congregated in the rough hut of unplaned slabs."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' c. vi. p. 61:

"Slab huts of split heavy boards, Australian fashion, placed vertically."

<hw>Slab</hw>, v. tr. mining term: to keep up the sides of a shaft with timber slabs.

1871. J. J. Simpson, `Recitations,' p. 24:

"So dig away, drive away, slab and bail."

<hw>Sleepy Lizard</hw>, i.q. Blue-tongued Lizard (q.v.).

<hw>Slip-panel</hw>. Same as Slip-rail (q.v.). See also Panel.

1893. `The Australasian,' Aug.12, p. 302, col. 1:

"Take him round by the water-hole and wait for me at the slip-panels."

<hw>Slip-rail</hw>, n. part of a fence so fitted that it can be removed so as to serve as a gate. Used also for the gateway thus formed. Generally in the plural. Same as Slip- panel.

1870. A. L. Gordon, `Bush Ballads From the Wreck,' p. 24:

"Down with the slip-rails; stand back."

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 43:

"He [a horse] would let down the slip-rails when shut into the stockyard, even if they were pegged, drawing the pegs out with his teeth."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 79:

"Many men rode through the sliprails and turned out their horses."

1891. Canon Goodman, `Church in Victoria during Episcopate of Bishop Perry,' p. 98:

"Some careless person had neglected to replace the slip-rails of the paddock into which his horses had been turned the previous evening."

1896. H. Lawson, `When the World was Wide,' p. 104:

"Then loudly she screamed: it was only to drown
The treacherous clatter of slip-rails let down."

<hw>Sloth, Native</hw>, i.q. Native Bear. See Bear, and Koala.

<hw>Slusher</hw>, or <hw>Slushy</hw>, n. cook's assistant at shearing-time on a station.

1890. `The Argus,' Sept.20, p.13, col. 6:

"`Sundays are the most trying days of all,' say the cuisiniers, `for then they have nothing to do but to growl.' This man's assistant is called `the slusher.'

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 162:

"The tarboy, the cook, and the slushy,
the sweeper that swept the board,
The picker-up, and the penner, with the rest of the
shearing horde."

1896. `The Field,' Jan. 18, p. 83, col. 1:

"He employs as many `slushies' as he thinks necessary, paying them generally L1 per week."

<hw>Slush-lamp</hw>, n. a lamp made by filling an old tin with fat and putting a rag in for wick. The word, though not exclusively Australian, is more common in the Australian bush than elsewhere. Compare English slush-horn, horn for holding grease; slush-pot, pot for holding grease, etc.

1883. J. Keighley, `Who are You?' p. 45:

"The slush-lamp shone with a smoky light."

1890. `The Argus,' Sept.20, p.13, col. 6:

"Occasionally the men will give Christy Minstrel concerts, when they illuminate the wool-shed with slush-lamps, and invite all on the station."

<hw>Smelt</hw>, n. name given, in Melbourne, to the fish Clupea vittata, Castln., family Clupeidae, or Herrings (q.v.); in New Zealand and Tasmania, to Retropinna richardsonii, Gill, family Salmonidae. Its young are called Whitebait (q.v.). The Derwent Smelt is a Tasmanian fish, Haplochiton sealii, family Haplochitonidae, fishes with an adipose fin which represent the salmonoids in the Southern Hemisphere; Prototroctes is the only other genus of the family known (see Grayling). Haplochiton is also found in the cold latitudes of South America.

<hw>Sminthopsis</hw>, n. the scientific name for the genus of Narrow-footed Pouched Mice, which, like the English field-mice, are entirely terrestrial in their habits. See Pouched Mouse. In Homer's' Iliad,' Bk. I. ver. 39, Smintheus is an epithet of Apollo. It is explained as "mouse-killer," from sminthos, a field-mouse, said to be a Cretan word.

<hw>Smoke</hw>, v. (slang). See quotation.

1893. `Sydney Morning Herald,' June 26, p. 8, col. 8:

"He said to the larrikins, `You have done for him now; you have killed him.' `What!' said one of them, `do not say we were here. Let us smoke.' `Smoke,' it may be explained, is the slang for the `push' to get away as fast as possible."

<hw>Smooth Holly</hw>, n. See Holly.

<hw>Snailey</hw>, n. bullock with horn slightly curled.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. ix. p. 68:

"Snaileys and poleys, old and young, coarse and fine, they were a mixed herd in every sense."

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 133:

"There's a snaily Wallanbah bullock I haven't seen this two years."

<hw>Snake</hw>, n. The Australian land snakes belong principally to the four families, Typhlopidae, Boidae, Colubridae, and Elapidae. The proportion of venomous to non-venomous species increases from north to south, the five species known in Tasmania being all venomous. The smallest forms, such as the "blind" or "worm" snakes, are only a few inches in length, while the largest Python may reach a length of perhaps eighteen feet.

Various popular names have been given to different species in different colonies, the same name being unfortunately not infrequently applied to quite distinct species. The more common forms are as follows:—

Black Snake.

Name applied in Australia to Pseudechis porphyriacus, Shaw, which is more common in the warmer parts, and comparatively rare in the south of Victoria, and not found in Tasmania. In the latter the name is sometimes given to dark-coloured varieties of Hoplocephalus curtus, and in Victoria to those of H. superbus. The characteristic colour is black or black-brown above and reddish beneath, but it can be at once distinguished from specimens of H. superbus, which not infrequently have this colour, by the presence of a double series of plates at the hinder end, and a single series at the anterior end of the tail, whereas in the other species named there is only a single row along the whole length of the tail underneath.

1799. D. Collins, `Account of New South Wales' (edition 1802), vol. ii. p. 189 [Bass Diary at the Derwent, Tasmania]:

"The most formidable among the reptiles was the black snake with venomous fangs."

[This refers to some species of Hoplocephalus, and not to the
Australian Black Snake, which does not occur in Tasmania.]

Black and white ringed Snake.

Name applied to Vermicella annulata, Gray, the characteristic colouration of which consists of a series of alternating dark and light rings. It is found especially in the dry, warmer parts of the interior.

Brown Snake.

Name given to three species of the genus Diemenia— (1) the Common Brown Snake, D. superciliosa, Fischer; (2) the small-scaled Brown Snake, D. microlepidota, McCoy; and (3) the shield-fronted Brown Snake, D. aspidorhyncha, McCoy. All are venomous, and the commonest is the first, which is usually known as the Brown Snake.

1890. A. H. S. Lucas, `Handbook of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science,' Melbourne, p. 71:

"The most abundant of these are the tiger snake, Hoplocephalus curtus, the most widespread, active, and dangerous of them all: the brown snake, Diemenia superciliosa, pretty generally distributed."

Carpet Snake.

Name applied in Australia to Python variegata, Gray, a non-venomous snake reaching a length of ten feet. The name has reference to the carpet-like pattern on the scales. The animal crushes its prey to death, and can hang from branches by means of its prehensile tail. In Tasmania, the name is unfortunately applied to a venomous snake, Hoplocephalus curtus, Schlegel.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' c. i. p. 16:

"Brown brought a carpet snake and a brown snake with yellow belly."

1878. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,' Decade ii. pl. 13:

"The pattern has some resemblance to some of the commoner sorts of Kidderminster carpets, as suggested by the popular name of Carpet Snake . . . the name . . . is, unfortunately, applied to the poisonous Tiger Snake in Tasmania, producing some confusion."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals, p. 294:

"One of the snakes most common is the Australian python (Morelia variegata), the largest snake found in Australia, which here in Northern Queensland may even attain a length of more than twenty feet."

Copper-head Snake.

Name applied in Australia to Hoplocephalus superbus, Gunth., a venomous snake which is very common in Tasmania, where it is often called the Diamond Snake (q.v.). In Victoria, it is often confused with the Black Snake; unlike the latter, it is more common in the south than in the north. It derives its popular name from the colour of the head.

1885. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Natural History of Victoria,' Decade i. pl. 2:

"In Tasmania the name Diamond snake is unfortunately given to this species, for that name properly belongs to a perfectly harmless snake of New South Wales, so that the numerous experiments made in Tasmania to test the value of some pretended antidotes, were supposed in London to have been made with the true Diamond snake, instead of, as was the case, with this very poisonous kind. . . . I have adopted the popular name `copperhead' for this snake from a well-known vendor of a supposed antidote for snake-bites."

1896. `The Melburnian,' Aug. 28, p. 54:

"Those heather lands round Caulfield and Oakleigh where the copperhead snake basks, coiled on the warm silver sand."

Death-adder; also called Deaf-adder.

An Australian snake, Acanthophis antarctica. It is usually found in hot sandy districts, and is supposed to be the most venomous of the Australian snakes. Large specimens reach a length of upwards of three feet, the body having a diameter of about two inches: at the end of the tail is a short spine popularly known as the animal's "sting."

1878. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,' Decade ii. pl. 12:

"The popular name seems to be indifferently Death Adder or Deaf Adder. The harmless horny spine at the end of the tail is its most dangerous weapon, in the popular belief."

Diamond-Snake.

Name applied in New South Wales and Queensland to Python spilotes, Lacep., a non-venomous snake reaching a large size. In Tasmania the same name is given to Hoplocephalus superbus, Gray, a venomous snake more properly called the Copperhead Snake.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 78:

"Charley killed a diamond snake, larger than any he had ever seen before."

1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, `Port Phillip,' c. iii. p. 43:

"The diamond snake is that most dreaded by the natives."

1869. G. Krefft, `The Snakes of Australia,' p. 29:

"Diamond snakes are found in almost every kind of country that offers them sufficient shelter."

1895. G. Metcalfe, `Australian Zoology,' p. 27:

"As a rule, diamond snakes have almost every scale of the body marked with a yellow spot in the centre. . . . The abdominal plates are yellow, and more or less blotched with black, and many species . . . have a number of diamond-shaped yellow spots upon the body, formed by a few of the lighter scales, and hence their name has probably arisen."

Green Tree-Snake.

Name given, owing to its colour, to the commonest Australian tree-snake, Dendrophis punctulata, Gray. It is a non-venomous form, feeding on frogs, young birds, and eggs, and rarely exceeds the length of six feet.

1869. G. Krefft, `The Snakes of Australia,' p. 24:

"Young and half grown Tree Snakes are olive-green above and light brown below . . . when angry, the body of this serpent expands in a vertical direction, whilst all venomous snakes flatten their necks horizontally. The green Tree snake, in a state of excitement is strongly suggestive of one of the popular toys of childhood."

Little Whip-Snake.

Name applied to a small venomous species of snake, Hoplocephalus flagellum, McCoy. Common in parts of Victoria, but not exceeding a foot in length.

1859. H. Kingsley, `Geoffrey Hamlyn,' vol. ii. c. xxvii. p. 190:

"He wished it had been a whip-snake instead of a magpie."

1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. xx. p. 199:

"A whip-snake . . . reared itself upon its lithe body, and made a dart at Barrington's arm."

1890. Lyth, `Golden South,' c. iii. p. 24:

"I saw a large `whip-snake' lying on the path."

Tiger-Snake.

Name applied in Australia and Tasmania to Hoplocephalus curtus, Schlegel, but this species is often also known in the latter as the Carpet Snake (q.v.). The popular name is derived from the cross-banded colouring along the body, and also from its activity. It varies much in colour from a dark olive green to a light yellowish brown, the darker cross bands being sometimes almost indistinguishable. It may reach a length of four feet, and is viviparous, producing about thirty young ones in January or February.

1875. `The Spectator' (Melbourne), Aug. 21, p. 190, col. 1:

"On Tuesday a tiger-snake was seen opposite the door of the
Sandridge police court."

1885. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,' Decade i. pl. 3:

"This species, which goes under the colonial name in Victoria of Tiger snake, from its tawny cross banded colouring and ferocity, is well known to frequently inflict bites rapidly fatal to men and dogs. . . . In Tasmania this is popularly called `Carpet snake,' a name which properly belongs to the harmless snake so called on the mainland."

Two-hooded Furina-Snake.

Name applied to a small, venomous snake, Furina bicuculata, McCoy.

1879. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,' Decade iii. pl. 32:

"Furina bicuculata (McCoy). The Two-hooded Furina-snake. . . . This rare and beautiful little snake is a clear example of the genus Furina."

White-lipped-Snake.

Name given to a small venomous species of whip-snake, Hoplocephalus coronoides, Gunth., found in Tasmania and Victoria, and reaching a length of about eighteen inches.

1890. A. H. S. Lucas, `Handbook of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science,' Melbourne, p. 71:

"Whip snakes, H. flagellum and H. coronoides."

Worm-Snake.

Name given to various species of the genus Typhlops, comprising small, non-venomous, smooth, round-bodied snakes, which burrow in warm sandy soil, and feed upon insects such as ants. The eyes are covered over by translucent plates, and the tail scarcely tapering at all, and sometimes having two black spots, gives the animal the appearance of having a head at each end. The commoner forms are the Blackish Worm-Snake (Typhlops nigrescens, Gray), and Schlegel's Worm-Snake (T. polygrammicus, Schlegel).

1881. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,' Decade vi. pl. 103:

"The `Blackish Worm snake' is not uncommon in the northern warmer parts of the colony. . . . These worm snakes are perfectly harmless, although, like the Slow-Worms and their allies in other countries, they are popularly supposed to be very poisonous."

<hw>Sneeze-weed</hw>, Myriogyne minuta, Less., Cotula or Centipeda cunninghamii, De C., and many other botanical synonyms. A valuable specific for Sandy-Blight (q.v.).

1877. F. v. Mueller, `Botanic Teachings,' p. 58:

"The Sneeze-weed (Cotula or Centipeda Cunninghamii). A dwarf, erect, odorous herb . . . can be converted into snuff."

1886. Dr. Woolls, in `Sydney Morning Herald,' Dec. 25 (quoted by Maiden):

"Dr. Jockel is, I believe, the first medical man in Australia who has proved the value of Myriogyne in a case of ophthalmia. This weed, growing as it does on the banks of rivers and creeks, and in moist places,, is common in all the Australian colonies and Tasmania, and it may be regarded as almost co-extensive with the disease it is designed to relieve."

<hw>Snipe</hw>, n. The species of Snipe known in Australia are—Scolopax australis, Lath.; Painted S., Rhynchaea australis, Gould. This bird breeds in Japan and winters in Australia. The name is also used as in the quotation.

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 210:

"Along the shore are flocks of a species of bird which some sportsmen and the game-sellers in the city are pleased to call snipe. They are probably tringa, a branch of the sea-plover family."

<hw>Snook</hw>, n. The name is applied in the Old World to various fishes, including the Garfish (q.v.). At the Cape of Good Hope, it is applied to Thyrsites atun, Cuv. and Val., and this name for the same fish has extended to New Zealand, where (as in all the other colonies) it is more generally called the Barracouta (q.v.). Under the word Cavally, `O.E.D.' quotes—

1697. Dampier, `Voyage,' vol. i:

"The chiefest fish are bonetas, snooks, cavallys."

Snook is an old name, but it is doubtful whether it is used in the Old World for the same fish. Castelnau says it is the snook of the Cape of Good Hope.

1872. Hutton and Hector, `Fishes of New Zealand,' p. 14, under `Thyrsites Atun, Barracoota':

"This is, I believe, the fish called snoek in Cape Colony."

1880. Guenther, `Study of Fishes,' p. 436:

"Th. atun from the Cape of Good Hope, South Australia, New Zealand, and Chili, is preserved, pickled or smoked. In New Zealand it is called `barracuda' or `snoek,' and exported from the colony into Mauritius and Batavia as a regular article of commerce."

<hw>Snowberry</hw>, n. a Tasmanian name for the Wax-cluster (q.v.).

<hw>Snow-Grass</hw>, n. Poa caespitosa, G. Forst., another name for Wiry grass (q.v.). See also Grass.

1875. Wood and Lapham, `Waiting for the Mail,' p. 31:

"Tethering my good old horse to a tussock of snow-grass."

<hw>Snow-line</hw>, n. In pastoralists' language of New Zealand, "above the snow-line" is land covered by snow in winter, but free in summer.

<hw>Soak</hw>, or <hw>Soakage</hw>, n. a Western and Central Australian term. See quotation.

1895. `The Australasian,' Sept. 7, p. 461, col. 1:

"`Inquirer.'—The term soak in Western Australia, as used on maps and plans, signifies a depression holding moisture after rain. It is also given to damp or swampy spots round the base of granite rocks. Wells sunk on soaks yield water for some time after rain. All soaks are of a temporary character."

<hw>Soak-hole</hw>, n. an enclosed place in a stream in which sheep are washed.

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 82:

"Parallel poles, resting on forks driven into the bed of the water-hole, were run out on the surface of the stream, forming square soak-holes, a long, narrow lane leading to the dry land."

<hw>Soldier</hw>, or <hw>Soldier-Ant</hw>, n. "one of that section of a colony of some kinds of ants which does the fighting, takes slaves, etc." (`Century Dict.') In Australia, the large red ants are called Soldier-Ants. Compare Bulldog-Ant.

1854. G. H. Haydon, `The Australian Emigrant,' p. 59:

"It was a red ant, upwards of an inch in length—`that's a soldier, and he prods hard too.'"

1865. W. Howitt, `Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 308:

"The pain caused by a wound from this grass-seed is exactly like that from the bite of a soldier-ant."

<hw>Soldier-bird</hw>, or <hw>Poor Soldier</hw>, or <hw>Old-Soldier bird</hw>, n. another name for the Friar-bird (q.v.).

1859. D. Bunce, `Australasiatic Reminiscences,' p. 62:

"The notes peculiar to the Ornithorhynchus paradoxus, or platypus, wattle-bird, and leather-head, or old soldier bird, added in no small degree to the novelties. . . . The wattle-bird has been not inaptly termed the `what's o'clock,'—the leather-head the `stop where-you-are.'"

[Mr. Bunce's observations are curiously confused. The `Soldier-bird' is also called `Four o'clock,' but it is difficult to say what `wattle bird' is called `what's o'clock'; the `notes' of the platypus must be indeed `peculiar.']

1896. Mrs. Langloh Parker, `Australian Legendary Tales,' p. 108 [Title of Tale]:

"Deegeenboyah the Soldier-bird."

<hw>Sole</hw>, n. The name is given to various Australian fishes. In Sydney, to Synaptura nigra, Macl.; in Melbourne, to Rhombosolea bassensis, Castln.; in New Zealand, to Rhombosolea monopus, Gunth., and Peltorhamphus novae-zelandiae, Gunth.; in Tasmania, to Ammotretis rostratus, Gunth., family Pleuronectidae. Rhombosolea monopus is called the Flounder, in Tasmania. See also Lemon-Sole.

<hw>Solomon's</hw> Seal, n. Not the Old World plant, which is of the genus Polygonatum, but the Tasmanian name for Drymophila cyanocarpa, R. Br., N.O. Liliacea; also called Turquoise Berry.

<hw>Sonny</hw>, n. a common nominative of address to any little boy. In Australia, the word is not infrequently pronounced as in the quotation. The form of the word came from America.

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 10:

"But maybe you're only a Johnnie,
And don't know a horse from a hoe?
Weel, weel, don't get angry, my Sonny,
But, really, a young `un should know."

<hw>Sool</hw>, v. Used colloquially—(1) to excite a dog or set him on; (2) to worry, as of a dog. Common in the phrase "Sool him, boy!" Shakspeare uses "tarre him on" in the first sense.

Shakspeare, `King John,' IV. i. 117:

"And like a dog that is compelled to fight,
Snatch at his master that doth tarre him on."

1896. Mrs. Langloh Parker, `Australian Legendary Tales,' p. 90:

"She went quickly towards her camp, calling softly, `Birree gougou,' which meant `Sool 'em, sool 'em,' and was the signal for the dogs to come out."

<hw>Sorrel, Queensland</hw>. See Queensland Sorrel.

<hw>Sour-Gourd</hw>, n. Same as Baobab (q.v.).

<hw>Sour-Plum</hw>, n. the Emu-apple. See Apple.

<hw>South Australia</hw>, n. the name of a colony, established in 1836, with Adelaide as its capital. It is not a good name, for it is not the most southerly colony, and the "Northern Territory" forms a part of South Australia. Central Australia would be a better name, but not wholly satisfactory, for by Central Australia is now meant the central part of the colony of South Australia. The name Centralia has been proposed as a change.

<hw>Southern Cross</hw>, n. The constellation of the Southern Cross is of course visible in places farther north than Australia, but it has come to be regarded as the astronomical emblem of Australasia; e.g. the phrase "beneath the Southern Cross " is common for "in Australia or New Zealand."

1863. S. Butler, `First Year in Canterbury Settlement,' p. 13:

"The southern cross is a very great delusion. It isn't a cross. It is a kite, a kite upside down, an irregular kite upside down, with only three respectable stars and one very poor and very much out of place. Near it, however, is a truly mysterious and interesting object called the coal sack: it is a black patch in the sky distinctly darker than all the rest of the heavens. No star shines through it. The proper name for it is the black Magellan cloud."

1868. Mrs. Riddell, `Lay of Far South,' p. 4:

"Yet do I not regret the loss,
Thou hast thy gleaming Southern Cross."

1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. iv. p. 35:

"The Southern Cross rose gem-like above the horizon."

<hw>Spade-press</hw>, n. a make-shift wool-press in which the fleeces are rammed down with a spade.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xvii. p. 202:

"The spade-press—that friendly adjunct of the pioneer squatter's humble wool-shed."

<hw>Spaniard</hw>, n. a prickly bushy grass of New Zealand, Aciphylla colensoi.

1857. `Paul's Letters from Canterbury,' p. 108:

"The country through which I have passed has been most savage, one mass of Spaniards."

1862. J. Von Haast, `Geology of Westland,' p. 25:

"Groves of large specimens of Discaria toumatoo, the Wild Irishman of the settlers, formed with the gigantic Aciphylla Colensoi, the Spaniard or Bayonet-grass, an often impenetrable thicket."

1863. S. Butler, `First Year of Canterbury Settlement,' p. 67:

"The Spaniard (spear-grass or bayonet-grass) `piked us intil the bane,' and I assure you we were hard set to make any headway at all."

1875. Lady Barker, `Station Amusements in New Zealand,' p. 35:

"The least touch of this green bayonet draws blood, and a fall into a Spaniard is a thing to be remembered all one's life."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 287:

"Carefully avoiding contact with the long-armed leaves of Spaniards (Aciphylla), which here attain the larger dimensions, carrying flower-spikes up to six feet long."

1890. `Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,' vol. xxiii. p. 197:

"Here were rats which lived under the dead leaves of the prickly `Spaniard,' and possibly fed on the roots. The Spaniard leaves forked into stiff upright fingers about 1 in. wide, ending in an exceedingly stiff pricking point."

1896. `Otago Witness,' May 7, p. 48 "Prickly as the points of the Spaniard."

<hw>Spear-grass</hw>, n. name given to several grasses whose spear-like seeds spoil the wool of sheep, but which are yet excellent forage plants. They are—(1) all the species of Stipa; (2) Heteropogon contortus, Roem. and Schult., and others (see quotations); (3) and in New Zealand, one or two plants of the umbelliferous genus Aciphylla; also called Spaniard (q.v.).

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 44:

"Very disagreeable, however, was the abundance of burr and of a spear-grass (Aristida)."

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. ii. p. 463 [Note]:

"On the south coast there is a grass seed which has similar properties. The seeds are sharp and covered with fine barbs, and once they penetrate the skin they will work their way onwards. They catch in the wool of sheep, and in a short time reach the intestines. Very often I have been shown the omentum of a dead sheep where the grass seeds were projecting like a pavement of pegs. The settlers call it spear-grass, and it is, I believe, a species of Anthistiria."

1874. W. H. L. Ranken, `Dominion of Australia,' c. v. p. 86:

"Sheep in paddocks cannot be so well kept clear of spear-grass."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 90:

"Heteropogon contortus, Spear Grass. A splendid grass for a cattle-run, as it produces a great amount of feed, but is dreaded by the sheep-owner on account of its spear-like seeds."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 23:

"A nocuous kind of grass, namely the dreaded spear-grass (Andropogon contortus), which grows on the coast, and which rendered sheep-raising impossible."

<hw>Spear-Lily</hw>, n. See Lily.

<hw>Spearwood</hw>, the wood of three trees so called, because the aborigines made their spears from it—Acacia doratoxylon, A. Cunn., A. homalophylla, A. Cunn., both N.O. Leguminosae; and Eucalyptus doratoxylon, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae.

<hw>Speedwell, Native</hw>, n. The English Speedwell is a Veronica. There is a Tasmanian species, Veronica formosa, R. Br., N.O. Scrophulariaceae.

<hw>Spell</hw>, n. In England, a turn at work or duty; in Australasia, always a period of rest from duty. It is quite possible that etymologically Spell is connected with Ger. spielen, in which case the Australasian use is the more correct. See `Skeat's Etymological Dictionary.'

1865. J. O. Tucker, `Australian Story,' c. i. p. 84:

"The only recompense was . . . to light his pipe and have a `spell.'"

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 84:

"Having a spell—what we should call a short holiday."

<hw>Spell</hw>, v. to rest.

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 42:

"In order to spell the oars, we landed at a point on the east side."

1880. G. n. Oakley, in `Victoria in 1880,' p. 114:

"He `spelled' upon the ground; a hollow gum
Bore up his ample back and bade him rest;
And creaked no warning when he sat upon
A war-ant's nest."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xxiv. p. 328:

"There's a hundred and fifty stock-horses there, spelling for next winter's work."

1896. Baldwin Spencer, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' Narrative, p. 48:

"We camped beside a water-pool containing plenty of fish, and here we spelled for a day to allow some of us to go on and photograph Chamber's Pillar."

<hw>Sphenura</hw>, n. scientific name for a genus of Australian birds called the Bristle-Birds (q.v.). From Grk. sphaen, "a wedge," and 'oura, "a tail." The name was given by Sir Frederick McCoy.

<hw>Spider</hw>, n. See Katipo.

<hw>Spider-Orchis</hw>, n. name given in Tasmania to the Orchid Caladenia pulcherrima, F. v. M.

<hw>Spiloglaux</hw>, n. See Sceloglaux.

<hw>Spinach, Australian</hw>, n. name applied to species of Chenopodium, N.O. Salsolaceae; called also Fat-hen. The name is also applied to various wild pot herbs.

<hw>Spinach, New Zealand</hw>, n. Tetragonia expansa, Murr., N.O. Ficoideae; called also Iceplant, in Tasmania. It is a trailing Fig-marigold, and was discovered in New Zealand by Captain Cook, though it is also found in Japan and South America. Its top leaves are eaten as spinach, and Cook introduced it to England, where it is also known as Summer Spinach.

<hw>Spine-bill</hw>, n. an Australian "Honey-eater," but not now so classed. There are two species—

The Slender Spine-bill— Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, Gould; inhabiting Australia and Tasmania, and called Cobbler's Awl in the latter colony.

White-eyebrowed S.—
A. superciliosus, Gould; of Western Australia.

Though related to the genus Myzomela, the pattern of their colouration differs widely.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 61:

"Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris. Slender-billed Spine-bill. Cobbler's Awl, Colonists of Van Diemen's Land."

Ibid. pl. 62:

"Acanthorhynchus superciliosus, Gould. White-eyebrowed Spine-bill."

<hw>Spinetail</hw>, n. an Australian bird, Orthonyx spinicauda; called also Pheasant's Mother (q.v.), Log-runner (q.v.). The name is used elsewhere for different birds. See Orthonyx.

<hw>Spinifex</hw>, n. a grass known in India, China, and the Pacific, but especially common on Australasian shores. The word means, literally, thorn-making, but it is not classical Latin. "The aggregated flowers form large clusters, and their radiating heads, becoming detached at maturity, are carried by the wind along the sand, propelled by their elastic spines and dropping their seeds as they roll." (Mueller.) This peculiarity gains for the Hairy Spinifex (Spinifex hirsutus, Labill.) the additional name of Spiny Rolling Grass. See also quotation, 1877. This chief species (S. hirsutus) is present on the shores of nearly all Australasia, and has various synonyms—S. sericeus, Raoul.; S. inermis, Banks and Sol.; Ixalum inerme, Forst.; S. fragilis, R.B., etc. It is a "coarse, rambling, much-branched, rigid, spinous, silky or woolly, perennial grass, with habitats near the sea on sandhills, or saline soils more inland." (Buchanan.)

The Desert Spinifex of the early explorers, and of many subsequent writers, is not a true Spinifex, but a Fescue; it is properly called Porcupine Grass (q.v.), and is a species of Triodia. The quotations, 1846, 1887, 1890, and 1893, involve this error.

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. ii. c. vi. p. 209:

"In the valley was a little sandy soil, nourishing the
Spinifex."

1877. Baron von Mueller, `Botanic Teachings,' p. 125:

"The Desert Spinifex of our colonists is a Fescue, but a true Spinifex occupies our sand-shores; . . . the heads are so buoyant as to float lightly on the water, and while their uppermost spiny rays act as sails, they are carried across narrow inlets, to continue the process of embarking."

1887. J. Bonwick, `Romance of Wool Trade,' p. 239:

"Though grasses are sadly conspicuous by their absence, saline plants, so nutritious for stock, occur amidst the real deserts of Spinifex."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 43:

"On the broad sandy heights . . . the so-called spinifex is found in great abundance. This grass (Triodia irritans) is the traveller's torment, and makes the plains, which it sometimes covers for hundreds of miles, almost impassable. Its blades, which have points as sharp as needles, often prick the horses' legs till they bleed."

1893. A. F. Calvert, `English Illustrated Magazine,' Feb., p. 325:

"They evidently preferred that kind of watercress to the leaves of the horrid, prickly Spinifex, so omnipresent in the north-western district."

1896. R. Tate, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' Botany, p. 119:

"A species of Triodia (`porcupine grass,' or incorrectly `spinifex' of explorers and residents) dominates sandy ground and the sterile slopes and tops of the sandstone table-lands."

<hw>Spiny-Lizard</hw>, n. i.q. Mountain Devil (q.v.).

<hw>Split-stuff</hw>, n. timber sawn into lengths and then split.

1852. Mrs. Meredith, `My Home in Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 159:

"`Sawed stuff' and `split stuff,' by which is meant timber which is sawn into regular forms and thicknesses, as flooring boards, joints, battens, &c., and that which is split into `posts and rails,' slabs, or paling. Some of the species of eucalyptus, or gum-trees, are peculiarly adapted for splitting. The peppermint-tree (Eucalyptus piperita) and the `Stringy Bark' are remarkable for the perfectly straight grain which they often exhibit, and are split with surprising evenness and regularity into paling and boards for `weather-boarding' houses and other purposes, in lengths of six or eight feet by one foot wide, and half or one-third of an inch thick. . . . Any curve in a tree renders it unfit for splitting, but the crooked- grained wood is best for sawing. . . . All houses in the colony, with few exceptions, are roofed with split shingles."

<hw>Splitter</hw>, n. a wood-cutter, cutting timber in the bush, and splitting it into posts and rails, palings or shingles. See quotation under Split-stuff.

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 105:

"There were two splitters located near us . . . they had a licence to split timber on the crown lands."

1870. A. L. Gordon, `Bush Ballads—Wolf and Hound,' p. 32:

"At the splitter's tent I had seen the track
Of horse hoofs, fresh on the sward."

<hw>Spoonbill</hw>, n. a bird-name widely used. The Australian species are—

Royal Spoonbill—
Platalea regia.

Yellow-billed S.—
P. flavipes.

P. regia has a fine crest in the breeding season; hence the name.

1863. M. K. Beveridge, `Gatherings among Gum-trees,' p. 79:

"The sun is sinking in the western sky,
And ibises and spoonbills thither fly.

<hw>Spotted-tree</hw>. Same as Leopard-tree (q.v.).

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 216:

"Spotted or Leopard Tree. The gum from this tree forms good adhesive mucilage. It reminds one strongly of East-India gum-arabic of good quality. During the summer months large masses, of a clear amber-colour, exude from the stem and branches. It has a very pleasant taste, is eaten by the aboriginals, and forms a very common bushman's remedy in diarrhoea."

<hw>Spotted-Orchis</hw>, n. Tasmanian name for the Orchid Dipodium punctatum, R. Br.

<hw>Spotting</hw>, n. New Zealand equivalent for the Australian "picking the eyes out," and "peacocking." Under Free-selection (q.v.), the squatter spotted his run, purchasing choice spots.

<hw>Spotty</hw>, n. a New Zealand fish, a Wrass, Labrichthys bothryocosmus, Richards.; also called Poddly (q.v.), and Kelp-fish (q.v.).

1878. P. Thomson, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xi. art. lii. p. 384:

"Wrasse, parrot-fish, and spotties are often in the market. There are two kinds of spotties, a big and a little. The wrasse and the parrot-fish are mostly caught outside amongst the kelp, and these, with the spotty, are indiscriminately called kelp-fish by the fishermen."

<hw>Sprag</hw>, n. In gold-mining. See quotation. The word is used in England, applied to coal-mining.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. iii. p. 23:

"A `sprag,' being a stout piece of hard wood, was inserted between the rope and the iron roller on which the rope ran."

<hw>Squat</hw>, v. to be a squatter (q.v.) in any of the senses of that word.

1846. Feb. 11, `Speech by Rev. J. D. Lang,' quoted in `Phillipsland,' p. 410:

In whatever direction one moves out of Melbourne, whether north, east, or west, all he sees or hears is merely a repetition of this colonial note—`I squat, thou squattest, he squats; we squat, ye or you squat, they squat.'. . . Exeunt omnes. `They are all gone out a-squatting.'"

1846. T. H. Braim, `History of New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 236:

"The regulations . . . put an end to squatting within the boundaries of location, and reduced it to a system without the boundaries."

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 136:

"The Speaker squats equally and alternately on the woolsack of the House and at his wool-stations on the Murrumbidgee. One may squat on a large or small scale, squat directly or indirectly, squat in person or by proxy."

1854. W. Golder, `Pigeons' Parliament,' p. 68:

"Some spot,
Found here and there, where cotters squat
With self-permission."

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 119:

"Squatting, in its first phase, was confined to the region round about Sydney; it was not until the pass through the Blue Mountains was discovered that the flocks and herds of the colonists began to expand."

<hw>Squattage</hw>, n. a squatter's station. The word can hardly be said to have prevailed.

1864. W. Westgarth, `Colony of Victoria,' p. 272:

"The great Riverine district, which is one vast series of squattages . . . the toil and solitude of a day's journey between the homesteads of adjacent squattages."

<hw>Squatter</hw>, n. (1) One who squats; that is, settles on land without a title or licence. This is an English use.

1835. T. A. Murray (Evidence before Legislative Council of New South Wales on Police and Gaols):

"There are several parties of squatters in my neighbourhood. I detected, not long since, three men at one of their stations in the act of slaughtering one of my own cattle. I have strong reason to suspect that these people are, in general, illicit sellers of spirits."

1835. W. H. Dutton (Evidence before same Committee):

"These persons (squatters) are almost invariably the instigators and promoters of crime, receivers of stolen property, illegal vendors of spirits, and harbourers of runaways, bushrangers, and vagrants."

1843. Rev. W. Pridden, `Australia Its History and Present Condition,' pp. 332-3:

"The squatters, as they are called, are men who occupy with their cattle, or their habitations, those spots on the confines of a colony or estate which have not yet become any person's private property. By the natural increase of their flocks and herds, many of these squatters have enriched themselves; and having been allowed to enjoy the advantages of as much pasture as they wanted in the bush, without paying any rent for it to the government, they have removed elsewhere when the spot was sold, and have not unfrequently gained enough to purchase that or some other property. Thus . . . the squatter has been converted into a respectable settler. But this is too bright a picture to form an average specimen. . . . Unfortunately, many of these squatters have been persons originally of depraved and lawless habits, and they have made their residence at the very outskirts of civilization a means of carrying on all manner of mischief. Or sometimes they choose spots of waste land near a high road . . . there the squatters knock up what is called a `hut.' In such places stolen goods are easily disposed of, spirits and tobacco are procured in return."

Ibid. p. 334:

"The rich proprietors have a great aversion to the class of squatters, and not unreasonably, yet they are thus, many of them, squatters themselves, only on a much larger scale. . ."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. c. ix. p. 260:

"This capital of Australia Felix had for a long time been known to some squatters from Tasmania."

1846. T. H. Braim, `History of New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 235:

"A set of men who were to be found upon the borders of every large estate, and who were known by the name of squatters. These were ticket-of-leave holders, or freedmen who erected a but on waste land near a great public road, or on the outskirts of an estate."

1897. Australian Steam Navigation Company, `Guide Book,' p. 29:

"Nowaday squatters may be interested and possibly shocked on learning that in March, 1836, a petition was being largely signed for the prevention of `squatting, through which so much crime was daily occurring,' inasmuch as `squatting' was but another term for sly grog selling, receiving stolen property, and harbouring bushrangers and assigned servants. The term `squatter,' as applied to the class it now designates—without which where would Australia now be?—was not in vogue till 1842."

(2) A pastoral tenant of the Crown, often renting from the Crown vast tracts of land for pasturage at an almost nominal sum. The term is still frequently, but incorrectly, used for a man rearing and running stock on freehold land. Pastoralist is now the more favoured term.

1840. F. P. Labillicre, `Early History of the Colony of Victoria' (edition 1878), vol. ii. p. 189:

"In a memorandum of December 19th, 1840, `on the disposal of Lands in the Australian Provinces,' Sir George Gipps informs the Secretary of State on the subject, and states that,—'A very large proportion of the land which is to form the new district of Port Phillip is already in the licensed occupation of the Squatters of New South Wales, a class of persons whom it would be wrong to confound with those who bear the same name in America, and who are generally persons of mean repute and of small means, who have taken unauthorized possession of patches of land. Among the Squatters of New South Wales are the wealthiest of the land, occupying, with the permission of the Government, thousands and tens of thousands of acres. Young men of good families and connexions in England, officers of the army and navy, graduates of Oxford and Cambridge, are also in no small number amongst them.'"

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' July 8, p. 3, col. 3:

"The petitioner has already consigned the whole country to the class squatter in perpetuity."

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 165:

"The squatters of Australia Felix will meet on horseback, upon Batman's Hill, on the 1st of June, for the purpose of forming a Mutual Protection Society. From the Murray to the sea-beach, from the Snowy Mountains to the Glenelg, let no squatter be absent."

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 366:

"`Squatters.' A word not to be found in `Johnson's Dictionary'; of Canadian extraction, literally to sit on the haunches: in Australia a term applied to the sheep farmers generally; from their being obliged frequently to adopt that position."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition' (Introd.), p. 15:

"We were received with the greatest kindness by my friends the `squatters,' a class principally composed of young men of good education, gentlemanly habits, and high principles."

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 168:

"The Port Phillip squatters, as occupants of the territory of
New South Wales, were afterwards required to take out an annual
depasturing licence in terms of a Colonial Act passed at
Sydney."

(p. 246): "The modern squatters, the aristocratic portion of the colonial community."

1851. `Australasian,' p. 298:

"In 1840 the migratory flockmaster had become a settled squatter. A wretched slab but is now his home; for furniture he has a rough bush-made table, and two or three uncouth stools."

1861. T. McCombie, Australian Sketches,' p. 128:

"The term squatter was applied in the first instance to signify, as in America, such as erected huts on unsold land. It thus came to be applied to all who did not live on their own land, to whom the original and more expressive name of settler continued to be applied. When the owners of stock became influential from their education and wealth, it was thought due to them to change this term for one more suitable to their circumstances, as they now included in their order nearly every man of mark or wealth in Australia. The Government suggested the term `tenants of the Crown,' the press hinted at `licensed graziers,' and both terms were in partial use, but such is the prejudice in favour of what is already established, that both were soon disused, and the original term finally adopted."

1862. G. T. Lloyd, `Thirty-three Years in Tasmania and Victoria,' p. 478:

"The term `squatter' . . . is thus derived:—A flock-master settling in Australia could drive his stock to, and occupy, any tract of country, which, from its extent and pastoral capabilities, might meet his comprehensive views; always provided, that such lands had not been already appropriated. . . . Early flock-masters were always confirmed in their selection of lands, according to the quantity of stock they possessed. . . . The Victorian Squatter who can number but five or six thousand sheep is held to be a man of no account. . . . Those only, who can command the shearing of from ten to forty thousand fleeces annually, are estimated as worthy of any note."

1866. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 47:

"The squatters (as owners of sheepstations are called)."

1868. J. Bonwick, `John Batman, Founder of Victoria,' p. 94:

"In the language of the times, Messrs. Evans, Lancey, and subsequently J. P. Fawkner, were squatters. That term is somewhat singular as applied to the latter, who asserts that he founded the colony to prevent its getting into the hands of the squatters. The term was then applied to all who placed themselves upon public lands without licence."

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 265:

"It is not too much to say that all the early success of Australia was due to the squatters of New South Wales, who followed the steps of Captain McArthur."

1878. `The Australian,' vol. i. p. 532:

"I have been a super, a small freeholder, and a middling-sized squatter, at different times."

1889. Rev. J. H. Zillmann, `Australian Life,' p. 165:

"The Squatters are the large leaseholders and landed proprietors of the colony, whose cry has always been that the country was unfit for agricultural settlement, and only adapted for the pastoral pursuits in which they were engaged. . . . It is true the old squatter has been well-nigh exterminated."

1893. J. F. Hogan, `Robert Lowe,' p. 36:

"The pastoral enterprise of the adventurous squatters.
Originally unrecognized trespassers on Crown lands. . . ."

(3) Applied as a nickname to a kind of Bronze-wing Pigeon (q.v.).

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 122:

"On the plains you find different kinds of pigeons, the squatters being most common—plump, dust-coloured little fellows, crouching down to the ground quite motionless as you pass. I have frequently killed them with my stock-whip."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 114:

"Gentle little squatter-pigeons cooed lovingly in answer to their mates on all sides."

<hw>Squatterarchy</hw>, n. squatters collectively.

1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. iii. p. 25:

"The Squatterarchy of the Koorong rose up in a body and named its hero, martyr."

<hw>Squatterdom</hw>, n. the state of being a squatter, or collective word for squatters; the squatter-party.

1866 (circiter). `Political parody':

"The speaker then apologised, the Members cried, Hear, Hear;
And e'en the ranks of squatterdom could scarce forbear to
cheer."

1868. J. Bonwick, `John Batman, Founder of Victoria,' p. 94:

"Writes to another at a distance upon the subject of squatterdom."

<hw>Squatting</hw>, adj.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition' (Introd.), p. 13:

"During my recent excursions through the squatting districts,
I had accustomed myself to a comparatively wild life."

1847. J. D. Lang, `Cooksland,' p. 268:

"The large extent of land occupied by each Squatting Station."

1890. `The Argus,' June 7, p. 4, col. 2:

"A gathering of the squatting and bush life of Australia."

<hw>Squattocracy</hw>, n. squatters collectively.

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 118:

"Throughout the Colony generally, English are the most numerous, then the Scotch, then the Irish, amongst the Squattocracy."

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 59:

"The howl for the abolition of the squattocracy had not yet been fostered under the malign influence of shortsighted politicians."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Head Station,' p. 35 (`Century'):

"The bloated squattocracy represents Australian conservatism."

1890. E. W. Hornung, `A Bride from the Bush,' p. 243:

"The hearty, hospitable manner of the colonial `squatocracy.'"

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. iv. p. 42:

"He trusted to pass into the ranks of the Squatocracy."

<hw>Squattocratic</hw>, adj. connected with previous word.

1854. `Melbourne Morning Herald,' Feb. 18, p. 4, col. 5:

"Squattocratic Impudence." [A heading.]

<hw>Squeaker</hw>, n. a vernacular name applied to various birds from their cries. See quotations.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 45:

"Strepera Anaphonensis, Grey Crow-shrike; Squeaker of the Colonists."

1855. W. Blandowski, `Transactions of Philosophical Society, Victoria,' vol. i. p. 63:

"The Squeaker (Strepera anaphonensis) is a shy and solitary bird, living entirely on the flats, and is remarkable on account of its frequenting only the same locality. He is hence easily distinguished from the Gymnorhina tibicen, whose shrill and piping voice is so well known on all the high lands."

1896. A. J. North, `List of Insectivorous Birds of New South Wales,' part i. p. 1:

"A local name is often more apt to mislead and confuse than to assist one in recognizing the particular species on which it is bestowed. This is chiefly due to the same local name being applied to two or more species.For instance, Corcorax melanorhamphus, Xerophila leucopsis, and Myzantha garrula are all locally known in different parts of the Colony by the name of `Squeaker.'"

<hw>Squid</hw>, n. a marine animal. The Australian species is Sepioteuthis australis, Quoy and Gaim.

1883. `Report of the Royal Commission on the Fisheries of Tasmania,' p. xi:

"None of the Squid family seems to be sought after, although certain kinds are somewhat abundant in our waters. It is stated by the New South Wales Fisheries Enquiry Commission, 1880, that `the cephalopods might be made a source of a considerable profit for exportation to Japan and China. In both these countries all animal substances of a gelatinous character are in great request, and none more than those of the cuttle-fish tribe; the squid (Sepioteuthis australis) is highly appreciated, and in consequence is highly prized. The cuttle-fish (sepia) is of rather inferior quality, and the star-fish of the fishermen (octopus) not used at all.'"

1892. R L. Stevenson, `The Wrecker,' p. 345:

"You can't fill up all these retainers on tinned salmon for nothing; but whenever I could get it, I would give 'em squid. Squid's good for natives, but I don't care for it, do you?— or shark either."

<hw>Squire</hw>, n. name given to the fish called Schnapper at two years old. See Schnapper.

<hw>Squirrel</hw>, n. See Flying-Squirrel.

<hw>Stamper</hw>, or <hw>Stamphead</hw>, n. "A cast-iron weight, or head, fixed on to a shank or lifter, and used for stamping or reducing quartz to a fine sand." (Brough Smyth, `Glossary.') The word is used elsewhere as a term in machinery. In Australia, it signifies the appliance above described. The form stamphead is the earlier one. The shorter word stamper is now the more usual.

1869. J. F. Blanche, `Prince's Visit,' p. 25:

"For steam and stampers now are all the rage."

1880. A. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 76:

"The battery was to have eight stampers."

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 11:

"This, with the old battery, brings the number of stampers up to sixty."

Ibid. p. 15:

"A battery of twenty-six stamp heads."

<hw>Star of Bethlehem</hw>. The Old World plant is Ornithogalum umbellatum; the name is given in Australia to Chamaescilla corymbosa, and in Tasmania to Burchardia umbellata, R. Br., both of the Liliaceae.

<hw>Star-fern</hw>, n. name given in Victoria to Gleichenia flabellata, R. Br.; called also Fan-fern. See Fern.

<hw>Starling</hw>, n. English bird-name. The Australian species is the Shining Starling, Calornis metallica. The common English starling is also acclimatised.

<hw>Start</hw>, n. The young Australian has a fine contempt for the English word to begin, which he never uses where he can find any substitute. He says commence or start, and he always uses commence followed by the infinitive instead of by the verbal noun, as "The dog commenced to bark."

1896. Modern talk in the train:

"The horse started to stop, and the backers commenced to hoot."

<hw>Station</hw>, n. originally the house with the necessary buildings and home-premises of a sheep-run, and still used in that sense: but now more generally signifying the run and all that goes with it. Stations are distinguished as Sheep-stations and Cattle-stations.

1833. C. Sturt, `Southern Australia,' vol. i. (Introd.):

"They . . . will only be occupied as distant stock-stations."

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 120:

"Their [squatters'] huts or houses, gardens, paddocks, etc., form what is termed a station, while the range of country over which their flocks and herds roam is termed a run."

1868. J. Bonwick, `John Batman, Founder of Victoria,' p. 35:

"The lecturer assured his audience that he came here to prevent this country being a squatting station."

1870. A. L. Gordon, `Bush Ballads,' p. 17:

"The sturdy station-children pull the bush flowers on my grave."

1890. E. D. Cleland, `The White Kangaroo,' p. 4:

"Station—the term applied in the colonies to the homesteads of the sheep-farmers or squatters."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood,'Miner's Right,' c. xviii. p. 171:

"Men who in their youth had been peaceful stockmen and station-labourers."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 125:

"I'm travelen' down the Castlereagh and I'm a station-hand,
I'm handy with the ropin' pole, I'm handy with the brand,
And I can ride a rowdy colt, or swing the axe all day,
But there's no demand for a stationhand along the Castlereagh."

<hw>Station-jack</hw>, n. a form of bush cookery.

1853. `The Emigrant's Guide to Australia.' (Article on Bush-Cookery, from an unpublished MS. by Mrs. Chisholm], pp. 111-12:

"The great art of bush-cookery consists in giving a variety out of salt beef and flour . . . let the Sunday share be soaked on the Saturday, and beat it well . . . take the . . . flour and work it into a paste; then put the beef into it, boil it, and you will have a very nice pudding, known in the bush as `Station jack.'"

<hw>Stavewood</hw>, n. another name for the Flindosy Beech. See Beech.

<hw>Stay-a-while</hw>, n. a tangled bush; sometimes called Wait-a-while (q.v.).

<hw>Steamer</hw>, n. obsolete name for a colonial dish. See quotation.

1820. Lieut. C. Jeffreys, R.N., `Geographical and Descriptive Delineations of the Island of Van Dieman's Land,' p. 69:

"Their meal consisted of the hindquarters of a kangaroo cut into mincemeat, stewed in its own gravy, with a few rashers of salt pork; this dish is commonly called a steamer."

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 309:

"Our largest animals are the Kangaroos . . . making most delicious stews and steaks, the favourite dish being what is called a steamer, composed of steaks and chopped tail, (with a few slices of salt pork) stewed with a very small quantity of water for a couple of hours in a close vessel."

<hw>Stewart Islander</hw>, n. name given to the oyster, Ostrea chiloensis, Sowerby; so called because it is specially abundant on Stewart Island off the south coast of New Zealand. The Stewart Island forms are mud oysters, those of Sydney Cove growing on rock. See Oyster.

<hw>Stick-Caterpillar</hw>, n. See Phasmid.

<hw>Stick-up</hw>, v. tr. (1) The regular word for the action of bushrangers stopping passers-by on the highway and robbing them.

(2) In the case of a bank or a station, simply to rob.

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. ii. c. xiii. p. 502:

"It was only the previous night that he had been `stuck up' with a pistol at his head."

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. ii. p. 187:

"Unless the mail came well armed, a very few men could `stick it up,' without any trouble or danger."

1857. `Melbourne Punch,' Feb. 19, p. 26, col. 1:

"I have been stuck up, trampled in the mud."

1869. J. Townend, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 140:

"Five or six bushrangers took up a position about a mile from town, and (to use a colonial phrase) `stuck up' every person that passed."

1869. Mrs. W. M. Howell, `The Diggings and the Bush,' p. 93:

"The escort has been `stuck up,' and the robbers have taken notes to the value of L700, and two thousand ounces of gold."

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia,' p. 253:

"We had a revolver apiece in case of being `stuck up' on the road."

1888. Rolf Boldrewood, `Robbery under Arms,' p. 168:

"We could make more money in one night by `sticking up' a coach or a bank than in any other way in a year . . . Any one who has been stuck up himself knows that there's not much chance of doing much in the resisting line." [The operation is then explained fully.]

1890. Lyth, `Golden South,' c.viii. p. 68:

"Accounts of bushrangers `sticking up' stations, travellers, and banks were very frequent."

1893. `Sydney Morning Herald,' Aug. 26, p. 4. col. 6:

"The game of sticking up hotels used to be in the old days a popular one, and from the necessary openness of the premises the practice was easy to carry out."

(3) Humorously applied to a collector or a beggar. In `Twenty- five Years of St. Andrews' (vol. ii. p. 87), A. K. H. B. tells a story of a church dignitary, who was always collecting money for church building. When a ghost appeared at Glamis Castle, addressing the ghost, the clergyman began—that "he was most anxious to raise money for a church he was erecting; that he had a bad cold and could not well get out of bed; but that his collecting-book was on the dressing-table, and he would be `extremely obliged' for a subscription." An Australian would have said he "stuck up" the ghost for a subscription.

1890. E. W. Hornung, `A Bride from the Bush,' p. 297:

"You never get stuck up for coppers in the streets of the towns."

(4) Bring a kangaroo to bay.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. iii. p. 24:

"We knew that she had `stuck up' or brought to bay a large forester."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 15:

"The fiercest fighter I ever saw `stuck up' against a red gum-tree."

(5) Simply to stop.

1863. S. Butler, `First Year in Canterbury Settlement,' p. 68:

"This [waterfall] `stuck us up,' as they say here concerning any difficulty."

1890. `The Argus,' June 7, p. 4, col. 2:

"We are stuck up for an hour or more, and can get a good feed over there."

(6) To pose, to puzzle.

1896. Modern:

"I was stuck up for an answer."

"That last riddle stuck him up."

1897. `The Australasian,' Jan. 2, p. 33, col. 1:

"The professor seems to have stuck up any number of candidates with the demand that they should `construct one simple sentence out of all the following.'"

<hw>Sticker-up</hw>, n. sc. a bushranger.

1879. W. J. Barry, `Up and Down,' p. 197:

"They had only just been liberated from gaol, and were the stickers-up, or highwaymen mentioned."

<hw>Sticker-up/2</hw>, n. a term of early bush cookery, the method, explained in first quotation, being borrowed from the aborigines.

1830. `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 112:

"Which he cooked in the mode called in colonial phrase a sticker up. A straight twig being cut as a spit, the slices were strung upon it, and laid across two forked sticks leaning towards the fire."

1852. Mrs. Meredith, `My Home in Tasmania,' vol. i. p. 55:

"Here I was first initiated into the bush art of `sticker-up' cookery . . . the orthodox material here is of course kangaroo, a piece of which is divided nicely into cutlets two or three inches broad and a third of an inch thick. The next requisite is a straight clean stick, about four feet long, sharpened at both ends. On the narrow part of this, for the space of a foot or more, the cutlets are spitted at intervals, and on the end is placed a piece of delicately rosy fat bacon. The strong end of the stick-spit is now stuck fast and erect in the ground, close by the fire, to leeward; care being taken that it does not burn." ". . . to men that are hungry, stuck-up kangaroo and bacon are very good eating." . . . "our `sticker-up' consisted only of ham."

1862. G. T. Lloyd, `Thirty-three Years in Tasmania and Victoria,' p. 103:

"Pounds of rosy steaks . . . skilfully rigged after the usual approved fashion (termed in Bush parlance a sticker-up'), before the brilliant wood fire, soon sent forth odours most grateful to the hungered way-worn Bushmen."

<hw>Stilt</hw>, n. English bird-name. In New Zealand, the species are—

The Black Stilt— Himantopus novae-zelandiae, Gould; Maori name, Kaki.

Pied S., or Whiteheaded S.—
H. leucocephalus, Gould; Maori name, Tutumata.

White-necked S.—
H. albicollis, Buller.

H. leucocephalus (the White-headed Stilt) is also present in Australia, and the world-wide species, H. pectoralis, Du Bus. (the Banded Stilt), is found through all Australasia.

<hw>Stingareeing</hw>, n. the sport of catching Stingrays, or Stingarees.

1872. Hutton and Hector, `Fishes of New Zealand,' p. 121:

"It has been recently discovered by the writer of the animated article in the `Field' on Fishing in New Zealand [London, Nov. 25, 1871], that `stingareeing' can be made to afford sport of a most exciting kind."

<hw>Stinging-tree</hw>, n. a Queensland name for the Giant Nettle, or Nettle-tree (q.v.)

1890. A. J. Vogan, `The Black Police,' p. 209:

"The stinging-tree, . . . the most terrible of all vegetable growths. This horrible guardian of the Queensland jungle stands from five to fifteen feet in height, and has a general appearance somewhat similar to that of a small mulberry-tree. Their peculiarly soft and inviting aspect is caused by an almost invisible coating of microscopic cillia, and it is to these that the dangerous characteristics of the plant are due. The unhappy wanderer in these wilds, who allows any part of his body to come in contact with those beautiful, inviting tongues of green, soon finds them veritable tongues of fire, and it will be weeks, perhaps months, ere the scorching agony occasioned by their sting is entirely eradicated."

<hw>Sting-moth</hw>, n. an Australian moth, Doratifera vulnerans. The larva has at each end of the body four tubercles bearing stinging hairs. (`Standard.')

<hw>Stinkwood</hw>, n. The name is given to various woods in different parts of the world, from their unpleasant smell. In Tasmania, it is applied to the timber of Zieria smithii, Andr., N.O. Rutaceae.

1832. J. Bischoff, `Van Diemen's Land,' p. 175:

"The timber in this district I found to be principally myrtle, sassafras, and stinkwood."

<hw>Stint</hw>, n. English bird-name. The Australian species are—

Curlew Stint—
Tringa subarquata, Gmel.

Little S.—
T. ruficollis.

Sharp-tailed S.—
T. acuminata, Horsf.

<hw>Stitch-bird</hw>, n. a bird of New Zealand. See quotation.

1885. Hugh Martin, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xviii. art. xxii. p. 112:

"Pogonornis cincta (Hihi, Matahiore, stitch-bird), North Island."

[From a list of New Zealand birds that ought to be protected.]

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 101:

"Pogonornis cincta, Gray. [A full description.]"

1889. Prof. Parker, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 119:

"Stitch-bird (Pogonornis cincta), formerly abundant in the North Island, but now extinct on the main-land, and found only in some of the outlying islets. The rarest and one of the most beautiful of native Passerines."

<hw>Stock</hw>, n. The word has many meanings. In the one from which the Australian compounds are made, it denotes horses, cattle, or sheep, the farmer's stock in trade. Of course, this use is not peculiar to Australia, but it is unusually common there.

1802. G. Barrington, `History of New South Wales,' c. ix. p. 320:

"The cattle suffered much, and some of both the public and private stock perished."

<hw>Stock-agent</hw>, n. more usually in the form Stock and Station-agent. The circumstances of Australian life make this a common profession.

<hw>Stock-holder</hw>, n. a grazier; owner of large herds of cattle, or flocks of sheep.

1820. Lieut. Chas. Jeffreys, `Delineations of Van Dieman's Land' [sic], p. 25:

"Near this is the residence of D. Rose, Esq., formerly an officer of the 73rd regiment, and now a large land and stockholder."

1824. E. Curr, `Account of Van Diemen's Land,' p. 83:

"The most negligent stock-holders now carefully house their wool, and many take the trouble to wash their sheep."

<hw>Stock-horse</hw>, n. horse accustomed to go after cattle used in mustering and cutting-out (q.v.).

1874. W. H. L. Ranken, `Dominion of Australia,' c. vi. p. 122:

"The Australian stock-horse is a wonderful animal. . . . He has a wonderful constitution, splendid feet, great endurance, and very good temper."

1890. `The Argus,' June 14, p.4, col. 1:

"A twenty-year-old stock-horse."

<hw>Stock-hut</hw>, n. the hut of a stock-man.

1833. C. Sturt, `Southern Australia,' vol. ii. c. ii. p. 21:

"We crossed the Underaliga creek a little below the stock-hut."

<hw>Stock-keep</hw>, v. a quaint compound verb.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. x. p. 96 (1890):

"`What can you do, young man?' `Well, most things . . . fence, split, milk, drive bullocks, stock-keep, plough."

<hw>Stock-keeper</hw>, n. equivalent to a shepherd, or herdsman.

1821. Governor Macquarie, `Government Notice,' June 30, 1821, in E. Curr's `Van Diemen's Land' (1824), p. 154:

"To yard the flocks at night . . . for the purpose of keeping the stock-keepers in check, and sufficient shepherds should be kept to ensure constant attention to the flock."

1828. Governor Arthur in J. Bischoff's `Van Diemen's Land,' 1832, p. 185:

"Every kind of injury committed against the defenceless natives by the stock-keepers."

<hw>Stock-man</hw>, n. used in Australia for a man employed to look after stock.

1821. Governor Macquarie, `Government Notice,' June 30, 1821, in E. Curr's `Van Diemen's Land' (edition 1824), p. 155:

"It is the common practice with owners of flocks to allow their shepherds to acquire and keep sheep . . . it affords to the stock-men a cover frequently for disposing dishonestly of sheep belonging to their master."

1822. G. W. Evans, `Description of Van Diemen's Land,' p. 68:

"At its junction there is a fine space, named by the stockmen
Native Hut Valley."

1833. C. Sturt,' Southern Australia,'vol. i. c. i. p. 6:

"He was good enough to send for the stockman (or chief herdsman)."

1846. J L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. ii. c. xii. p. 402:

"An exchange of looks I caught the overseer and stockman indulging in."

1854. W. Golder, `Pigeons' Parliament,' p. 96:

"Here and there a stockman's cottage stands."

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 5:

"Would you still exchange your comfortable home and warm fireside . . . for a wet blanket, a fireless camp, and all the other etceteras of the stockman's life?"

1886. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 17:

"One stooped—a stockman from the nearer hills
To loose his wallet strings."

<hw>Stock-rider</hw>, n. a man employed to look after cattle, properly on an unfenced station.

1870. A. L. Gordon, `Bush Ballads' [Title]:

"The Sick Stock-rider."

1892. Gilbert Parker, `Round the Compass in Australia,' p. 33:

"`Thus far into the bowels of the land
Have we marched on without impediment,'

said a lithe-limbed stock-rider, bearded like a pard, as he lit his pipe—the bushman's only friend. And this was once a fellow of St. John's, Cambridge."

<hw>Stock-riding</hw>, n. the occupation of a Stock-rider (q.v.).

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 260 [Footnote]:

"Like other Australian aborigines, the Kurnai have a natural aptitude for stock-riding."

<hw>Stock-route</hw>, n. When land is first let in surveyed blocks to a Squatter (q.v.), and is, of course, unfenced, the lessee is required by law to leave passages through it from two to four chains wide, at certain intervals, as a right-of-way for travelling sheep and cattle. These are called Stock-routes. He may fence these routes if he chooses—which he very rarely does—but if he fences across the route he must provide gates or slip-rails (q.v.), or other free passage.

1896. `The Argus,' May 21, p. 5, Col. 1:

"To-day the Land Board dealt with the application for the re-appraisement of the Yantara pastoral holding. The manager said that owing to deterioration of the feed through the rabbits, from 9 to 10 acres were required to carry a sheep. . . . Thirteen trial wells had been put down on the holding, all of which had bottomed on a drift of salt water. Four stock routes passed through the area, one being the main stock route from South-western Queensland. . . . Wild dogs had been troublesome since the February rains. . . . There were Government bores on the run."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 51:

"Now Saltbush Bill was a drover tough, as ever the country
knew,
He had fought his way on the Great Stock Routes from the
sea to the Big Barcoo."

<hw>Stock-up</hw>, v. complete the number of animals on a station, so that it may carry its full complement.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. vii. p. 68:

"I shall decide to stock up as soon as the fences are finished."

<hw>Stock-whip</hw>, n. whip for driving cattle. See quotations.

1857. W. Howitt, `Tallangetta,' vol. i. p. 100:

"The stock-whip, with a handle about half a yard long and a thong of three yards long, of plaited bullock-hide, is a terrible instrument in the hands of a practised stockman. Its sound is the note of terror to the cattle; it is like the report of a blunderbuss, and the stockman at full gallop will hit any given spot on the beast that he is within reach of, and cut the piece away through the thickest hide that bull or bison ever wore."

1870. A. L. Gordon, `Bush Ballads,' p. 14:

"With a running fire of stock-whips and a fiery run of hoofs."

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 76:

"The stock-whip, which bears such a prominent part in all dealings with cattle, is from twelve to fourteen feet in length, with a short light handle of about fourteen inches long, to which it is attached by a leather keeper as on a hunting crop. . . . The whip is made of a carefully selected strip of green hide, great attention having been paid to curing it."

<hw>Stocks-man</hw>, n. an unusual form for Stock-man (q.v.).

1862. F. J. Jobson, `Australia,' c. vi. p. 145:

"We saw the stocksman seated upon his bony long-limbed steed."

<hw>Stone-lifter</hw>, n. a Melbourne name for the fish Kathetostoma laeve, Bl., family Trachinidae, one of the genera of the "Stargazers" (Uranoscopina), which have eyes on the surface of the head.

<hw>Stonewall</hw>, v. intr. (1) A Parliamentary term: to make use of the forms of the House so as to delay public business.

(2) To obstruct business at any meeting, chiefly by long-winded speeches.

(3) To play a slow game at cricket, blocking balls rather than making runs.

1876. `Victorian Hansard,' Jan., vol. xxii. p. 1387:

"Mr. G. Paton Smith wished to ask the honourable member for Geelong West whether the six members sitting beside him (Mr. Berry) constituted the `stone wall' that had been spoken of? Did they constitute the stone wall which was to oppose all progress—to prevent the finances being dealt with and the business of the country carried on? It was like bully Bottom's stone wall. It certainly could not be a very high wall, nor a very long wall, if it only consisted of six."

1884. G. W. Rusden, `History of Australia,' vol. iii. p. 405:

"Abusing the heroic words of Stonewall Jackson, the Opposition applied to themselves the epithet made famous by the gallant Confederate General."

1894. `The Argus,' Jan. 26, p. 3, col. 5:

"The Tasmanians [sc. cricketers] do not as a rule stonewall."

<hw>Stonewood</hw>, n. Callistemon salignus, De C., N.O. Myrtaceae; called also the River Tea-tree.

1894. `Melbourne Museum Catalogue—Economic Woods,' No. 48:

"Stonewood."

<hw>Store</hw>, n. a bullock, cow, or sheep bought to be fattened for the market.

1874. W. H. L. Ranken, `Dominion of Australia,' c. xiii. p. 233:

"They then, if `stores,' pass to the rich salt-bush country of
Riverina."

<hw>Store-cattle</hw>, n. lean cattle bought to be fattened for the market; often contracted to stores (q.v.).

1885. R. M. Praed, `Head-Station,' p. 74:

"Oh, we're not fit for anything but store-cattle: we are all blady grass."

<hw>Stranger</hw>, n. name given in Victoria and Tasmania to the Rock-Whiting, Odax richardsoni, Gunth., family Labridae. The Stranger, which is a marine fish, is caught occasionally in the fresher water of the upper estuary of the Derwent; hence its name. See Whiting.

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), June 19, 1881, p. 1:

"Common fish such as . . . garfish, strangers, silvers, and others.'

<hw>Stringy-bark</hw>, n. (1) any one of various Gums, with a tough fibrous bark used for tying, for cordage, for roofs of huts, etc.

1845. J. O. Balfour, `Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 37:

"The string bark [sic] tree is also useful, and its bark, which is of a fibrous texture, often more than an inch in thickness, parts easily from the wood, and may be obtained ten or twelve feet in length, and seven or eight in breadth."

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 73:

"The natives appear also to like the fruit of the pandanus, of which large quantities are found in their camps, soaking in water contained in vessels formed of stringy-bark."

1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, `Port Phillip in 1849,' p. 27:

"In truth, the forests of Australia (consisting principally of woods of iron-bark, stringy-bark, and other species of the Eucalyptus) seen at a distance, just before sunset, are noble objects—perfect pictures."

1862. G. T. Lloyd, `Thirty-three Years in Tasmania and Victoria,' p. 29:

"The stringy bark tree is so named from the ropy nature of its bark, which is frequently used for tying on the rods and thatch of sheds, huts, and barns in the country."

1862. W. Archer, `Products of Tasmania,' p. 39:

"Gum-topped String-bark, sometimes called white gum (Eucalyptus gigantea, var.). A tree resembling the Blue Gum in foliage, with rough bark similar to Stringy Bark towards the stem."

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 237:

"Stringy-bark trees were also seen—so called, because the rough bark has a brown tenacious fibre, like that of the cocoanut, which can be split off in sheets to make the roofs of houses, or unravelled into a fibre that will tie like string."

1868. Carleton, `Australian Nights,' p. 2:

"The mia-mia that the native dark
Had formed from sheets of stringy bark."

1873. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 204:

"The Stringy-bark tree is of straight growth, and takes its name from the strip-like character of its bark. . . . The wood is of a brown colour, hard, heavy, strong and close in the grain. It works up well . . . in ship-building, for planking, beams, keels and keelsons, and in civil architecture for joists, flooring, etc. Upon the farms it is used for fences and agricultural implements: it is also employed for furniture and for all ordinary purposes."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 196:

"Down to the waist they are all wound round with frayed stringy-bark in thick folds."

1894. `The Age,' Oct. 19, p. 5, col. 8:

"Granite and stringy-bark are always associated with `hungry' country."

(2) Bush slang for bad whisky.

1890. A. J. Vogan, `The Black Police,' p. 217:

"Stringy-bark, a curious combination of fusil oil and turpentine, labelled `whisky.'"

<hw>Stringy-bark</hw>, adj. equivalent to "bush."

1833. Oct. `New South Wales Magazine,' vol. 1. p. 173:

". . . the workmanship of which I beg you will not scrutinize, as I am but, to use a colonial expression, `a stringy-bark carpenter.'"

1853. C. Rudston Read, `What I Heard, Saw, and Did at the Australian Gold Fields,' p. 53:

". . . after swimming a small river about 100 yards wide he'd arrive at old Geordy's, a stringy bark settler . . ."

<hw>Sturt's Desert Pea</hw>, n. a beautiful creeper, Clianthus dampieri, Cunn., N.O. Leguminosae, which will only grow in very dry, sandy soil. It is sometimes called Lobster's Claw, from its clusters of brilliant scarlet flowers with black-purple centres, like a lobster's claw. Called also Glory Pea (q.v.). See Clianthus.

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 29:

"Amongst which appears the beautiful Clianthus, known to the colonists as Sturt's desert pea."

[Footnote]: "Woodward in `Dampier's Voyages,' vol. iii. cap. 4, pl. 2. The plant is there called Colutea Novae-Hollandiae. Its name now is Clianthus Dampieri. R. Brown proposed the name of Eremocharis, from the Greek 'eraemos, desert."

[Dampier's voyage was made in 1699, and the book published in 1703. Mr. Woodward contributed notes on the plants brought home by Dampier.]

<hw>Stump-jump Plough</hw>, n. a farm implement, invented in Australia, for ploughing the wheat-lands, which are often left with the stumps of the cleared trees not eradicated.

1896. `Waybrook Implement Company' (Advt.):

"It is only a very few years since it came into use, and no one ever thought it was going to turn a trackless scrub into a huge garden. But now from the South Australian border right through to the Murray, farms and comfortable homesteads have taken the place of dense scrub. This last harvest, over three hundred thousand bags of wheat were delivered at Warracknabeal, and this wonderful result must, in the main, be put down to the Stump-jump Plough. It has been one of the best inventions this colony has ever been blessed with."

<hw>Stump-tailed Lizard</hw>, n. an Australian lizard, Trachydosaurus rugosus, Gray.

<hw>Styphelia</hw>, n. scientific name of a genus of shrubby plants of New Zealand and Australia, of the N.O. Epacrideae. It contains the Five-Corners (q.v.).

1793. J. E. Smith, `Specimen of the Botany of New Holland,' p. 46:

"We adopt Dr. Solander's original name Styphelia, derived from stuphelos, harsh, hard, or firm, expressive of the habit of the whole genus and indeed of the whole natural order."

<hw>Sucker</hw>, n. name given in New Zealand to the fish Diplocrepis puniceus, Rich., family Gobiesocidae. This is a family of small, marine, littoral fishes provided with a ventral disc, or adhesive apparatus. Other genera of the family occur in Australasia.

<hw>Sugar</hw>, n. slang for money. It may be doubted if it is specially Australian.

1887. J. Bonwick, `Romance of Wool Trade,' p. 273 (quoting `Victoria, the El Dorado'):

"I hear him sing out `sold again, and got the sugar' (a colonial slang word for ready money); `half a sheep for a shilling.'"

<hw>Sugar-Ant</hw>, n. a small ant, known in many parts of Australia by this name because of its fondness for sweet things.

1896. `The Melbournian,' Aug. 28, p. 53:

"The sun reaches a sugar-ant and rouses him from his winter sleep. Out he scurries, glad to greet the warmth, and tracks hurriedly around. He feels the sun, but the cold damp ground tells him the time is not yet come when at evening he will sally forth in long columns over the soft warm dust in search of the morrow's meal; so, dazzled by the unaccustomed glare, he seeks his hiding-place once more."

<hw>Sugar-bag</hw>, n. nest of honey, and the honey.

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 67:

"The regular sharp chop-chop of the tomahawks could be heard here and there, where some of them had discovered a sugar-bag (nest of honey) or a 'possum on a tree."

Ibid. vol. ii. p. 129:

"The tiny bee which manufactures his adored chewgah-bag."

[Footnote: "Sugar-bag—the native pigeon-English word for honey."]

<hw>Sugar-Grass</hw>, n. an Australian grass, Erianthus fulvus, Kunth., N.O. Gramineae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 106:

"The `Sugar Grass' of colonists, so called on account of its sweetness; it is highly productive, and praised by stockowners. Cattle eat it close down, and therefore it is in danger of extermination, but it is readily raised from seed."

<hw>Sugar-Gum</hw>, n. an Australian Gum, Eucalyptus corynocalyx of South Australia and North-Western Victoria. The foliage is sweet, and attractive to cattle. See Gum.

<hw>Sultana-bird</hw>, n. a name for the Swamp-Hen (q.v.), Porphyrio melanonotus, Temm.

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 223:

"Black sultana-birds, blue-breasted as deep ocean."

<hw>Summer-bird</hw>, n. the Old Colonists' name for the Wood-swallows. See Swallow. In Tasmania it is applied to a species of Shrike, Graucalus melanops, Lath. The name refers to the migratory habits of both birds.

1895. C. French, Government entomologist, letter to `Argus,' Nov. 29:

"The wood-swallows, known to us old colonists as summer birds, are migratory, making their appearance about September and disappearing about the end of January."

<hw>Summer Country</hw>, n. In New Zealand (South Island), country which can be used in summer only; mountain land in Otago and Canterbury, above a certain level.

<hw>Sun-bird</hw>, n. a common name of various birds. Applied in Australia to Cinnyris frenata, Mull.

1869. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia' (Supplement), pl. 45:

"`This pretty Sun-bird,' says Mr. MacGillivray, `appears to be distributed along the whole of the northeast coast of Australia, the adjacent islands, and the whole of the islands in Torres Straits.'"

<hw>Sundew</hw>, n. There are many species of this flower in Australia and Tasmania, most of them peculiar to Australasia; Drosera spp., N.O. Droseraceae.

1888. `Cassell's Picturesque Australasia,' vol. ii. p. 236:

"Smooth, marshy meadows, gleaming with the ruby stars of millions of tiny little sundews."

<hw>Sundowner</hw>, n. a tramp who takes care to arrive at a station at sundown, so that he shall be provided with `tucker' (q.v.) at the squatter's cost: one of those who go about the country seeking work and devoutly hoping they may not find it.

1880. G. n. Oakley, in `Victoria in 1880,' p. 114 [Title of poem of seventeen stanzas]:

"The Sundowner."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 32:

"When the real `sundowner' haunts these banks for a season, he is content with a black pannikin, a clasp knife, and a platter whittled out of primaeval bark."

1890. `The Argus,' Sept. 20, p. 13, col. 5:

"Sundowners are still the plague of squatocracy, their petition for `rashons' and a bed amounting to a demand."

1891. F. Adams, `John Webb's End,' p. 34:

"`Swagsmen' too, genuine, or only `sundowners,'—men who loaf about till sunset, and then come in with the demand for the unrefusable `rations.'"

1892. `Scribner's Magazine,' Feb., p. 143:

"They swell the noble army of swagmen or sundowners, who are chiefly the fearful human wrecks which the ebbing tide of mining industry has left stranded in Australia."

[This writer does not differentiate between Swagman (q.v.) and Sundowner.]

1893. `Sydney Morning Herald,' Aug. 12, p. 8, col. 7:

"Numbers of men who came to be known by the class name of `sundowners,' from their habit of straggling up at fall of evening with the stereotyped appeal for work; and work being at that hour impossible, they were sent to the travellers' hut for shelter and to the storekeeper or cook for the pannikin of flour, the bit of mutton, the sufficiency of tea for a brew, which made up a ration."

1896. `Windsor Magazine,' Dec., p. 132:

"`Here,' he remarked, `is a capital picture of a Queensland sundowner.' The picture represented a solitary figure standing in pathetic isolation on a boundless plain. `A sundowner?' I queried. `Yes; the lowest class of nomad. For days they will tramp across the plains carrying, you see, their supply of water. They approach a station only at sunset, hence the name. At that hour they know they will not be turned away.' `Do they take a day's work?' `Not they! There is an old bush saying, that the sundowner's one request is for work, and his one prayer is that be may not find it.'"

<hw>Super</hw>, n. short for superintendent, sc. of a station.

1870. A. L. Gordon, `Bush Ballads,' p. 23:

"What's up with our super to-night? The man's mad."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. ix. p. 83:

"That super's a growlin' ignorant beggar as runs a feller from daylight to dark for nothing at all."

1890. `The Argus,' June 10, p. 4, col. 1:

"He . . . bragged of how he had bested the super who tried to `wing him' in the scrub."

<hw>Superb-Dragon</hw>, n. an Australian marine fish, Phyllopteryx foliatus, Shaw. See Sea-Dragon.

1880. Mrs. Meredith, `Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' pl. 7:

"`Superb-Dragon—Phyllopteryx Foliatus.' This is one of the `Pipe fishes,' order Lophobranchii. It has been compared to the ghost of a seahorse (Hippocampus) with its winding sheet all in ribbons around it; and the tattered cerements are like in shape and colour to the seaweed it frequents, so that it hides and feeds in safety. The long ends of ribs which seem to poke through the skin to excite our compassion are really `protective resemblances,' and serve to allure the prey more effectually within reach of these awful ghouls. Just as the leaf-insect is imitative of a leaf, and the staff insect of a twig, so here is a fish like a bunch of seaweed. (Tenison-Woods.)" [Compare Phasmid.]

<hw>Superb-Warbler</hw>, n. any Australian bird of the genus Malurus (q.v.), especially M. cyaneus, the Blue Wren.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 80:

"We also observed the Superb Warbler, Malurus cyaneus, of Sydney."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iii. pl. 18:

"Malurus Cyaneus, Vieill., Blue Wren; Superb Warbler of the Colonists."

1896. F. G. Aflalo, `Natural History of Australia,' p. 136:

"The best known are . . . and the Blue Wren or Superb
Warbler (Malurus cyaneus), both of which I have
repeatedly watched in the Sydney Botanic Gardens. . . .
They dart about the pathways like mice, but rarely seem to fly.
There are a dozen other Superb Warblers."

<hw>Supple-jack</hw>, n. The word is English in the sense of a strong cane, and is the name of various climbing shrubs from which the canes are cut; especially in America. In Australia, the name is given to similar creeping plants, viz.—Ventilago viminalis, Hook., N.O. Rhamnaceae; Clematis aristata, R. Br., N.O. Ranunculaceae. In New Zealand, to Ripogonum (spp.).

1818. `History of New South Wales,' p. 47:

"The underwood is in general so thick and so bound together by that kind of creeping shrub called supple-jack, interwoven in all directions, as to be absolutely impenetrable."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 218:

"After a tedious march . . . along a track constantly obstructed by webs of the kareau, or supple-jack, we came to the brow of a descent."

1857. C. Hursthouse, `New Zealand, the Britain of the South,' vol. i. p. 135:

"Supple-jack snares, root-traps, and other parasitical impediments."

1867. F. Hochstetter, `New Zealand,' p. 135:

"Two kinds of creepers extremely molesting and troublesome, the so-called `supple-jack' of the colonists (Ripogonum parviflorum), in the ropelike creeping vines of which the traveller finds himself every moment entangled."

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 11:

"The tangles black
Of looped and shining supple jack."

1874. W. M. B., `Narrative of Edward Crewe,' p. 199:

The supple-jack, that stopper to all speedy progression in the
New Zealand forest."

1881. J.L. Campbell, `Poenamo,' p. 154:

"Forty or fifty feet of supple-jack. This creeper is of the thickness of your finger, and runs along the ground, and goes up the trees and springs across from one tree to the other, spanning great gaps in some mysterious manner of its own—a tough, rascally creeper that won't break, that you can't twist in two, that you must cut, that trips you by the foot or the leg, and sometimes catches you by the neck . . . so useful withal in its proper places."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 71:

"Threading with somewhat painful care intricacies formed by loops and snares of bewildering supple-jacks, that living study of Gordian entanglement, nature-woven, for patient exercise of hand and foot."

1892. A. Sutherland, `Elementary Geography of British Colonies,' p. 309:

"Laced together by creepers called supple-jacks, which twine and twist for hundreds of yards, with stems as thick as a man's wrist, so as to make the forests impassable except with axes and immense labour."

<hw>Surfacing</hw>, n. (1) Wash-dirt lying on the surface of the ground.

(2) verbal n. Gold-digging on the surface of the ground.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 133:

"What is termed `surfacing' consists of simply washing the soil on the surface of the ground, which is occasionally auriferous."

1861. Mrs. Meredith, `Over the Straits,' c. iv. p. 133:

"I've been surfacing this good while; but quartz-reefin's the payinest game, now."

1866. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches' [Second Series], p. 133:

"What is termed `surfacing' consists of simply washing the soil on the surface of the ground, which is occasionally auriferous."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. xv. p. 153:

"They have been mopping up some rich surfacing."

1894. `The Argus,' March 28, p. 5. col. 5:

"`Surfacing' or `loaming.' Small canvas bags are carried by the prospector, and top soil from various likely-looking spots gathered and put into them, the spots being marked to correspond with the bags. The contents are then panned off separately, and if gold is found in any one of the bags the spot is again visited, and the place thoroughly overhauled, even to trenching for the reef."

<hw>Swag</hw>, n. (1) Used in the early days, and still by the criminal class, in the ordinary sense of Thieves' English, as booty, plunder.

1837. J. Mudie, `Felonry of New South Wales,' p. 181:

"In short, having brought with her a supply of the `swag,' as the convicts call their ill-gotten cash, a wife seldom fails of having her husband assigned to her, in which case the transported felon finds himself his own master."

1879. R. H. Barham, `Ingoldsby Legends' (Misadventures at Margate):

"A landsman said, `I twig the drop,—he's been upon
the mill,
And `cause he gammons so the flats, ve calls him
Veepin' Bill.'
He said `he'd done me very brown, and neatly stowed
the swag,'
-That's French, I fancy, for a hat,—or else a carpet-bag."

(2) A special Australian use: a tramp's bundle, wrapt up in a blanket, called a Bluey (q.v.). Used also for a passenger's luggage.

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. ii. p. 59:

"A number of the slang phrases current in St. Giles's Greek bid fair to become legitimatized in the dictionary of this colony: plant, swag, pulling up, and other epithets of the Tom and Jerry school, are established—the dross passing here as genuine, even among all ranks."

1853. S. Sidney, `Three Colonies of Australia,' p. 361:

"His leathern overalls, his fancy stick, and his `swag' done up in mackintosh."

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 384:

"There were others with huge swags suspended from a pole, with which they went on, like the Children of Israel carrying the gigantic bunches of the grapes of Canaan."

1865. J. O. Tucker, `Australian Story,' c. i. p. 86:

"The cumbrous weight of blankets that comprised my swag."

1867. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 127:

"A pair of large double blankets to make the tent of,—that was one swag, and a very unwieldy one it was, strapped knapsack fashion, with straps of flax leaves."

1868. J. Bonwick, `John Batman, Founder of Victoria,' p. 51:

"Three white men, the Sydney natives, and Batman, who carried his swag the same as the rest, all armed."

1871. C. L. Money, `Knocking About in New Zealand,' p. 9:

"With my rug and blankets on my back (such a bundle being called a `swag')."

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 285:

"Swag, which consists of his personal properties rolled up in a blanket."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 33:

"His cumbrous attire and the huge swag which lay across the seat."

1888. A. Reischek, in Buller's `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 93:

"With the hope that there would now be a few fine days, I at once packed up my swag with provisions, ammunition, blanket, &c."

1892. `The Australasian,' May 7, p. 903, col. 1:

"Kenneth, in front, reminded me comically of Alice's White Knight, what with the billies dancing and jingling on his back, and the tomahawk in his belt, and his large swag in front."

1896. H. Lawson, `When the World was Wide,' p. 95:

"I suppose he's tramping somewhere,
Where the bushmen carry swags,
Cadging round the wretched stations
With his empty tucker-bags."

<hw>Swag</hw>, v. to tramp the bush, carrying a swag.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 5:

"There was the solitary pedestrian, with the whole of his supplies, consisting of a blanket and other necessary articles, strapped across his shoulders—this load is called the `swag,' and the mode of travelling `swagging it.'"

<hw>Swag-like</hw>, adv. in the fashion of a swag.

1890. `The Argus,' Aug. 2, p. 4, col. 2:

"He strapped the whole lot together, swag-like."

<hw>Swagger</hw>, n. Same as Swagman (q.v.). Specially used in New Zealand. The word has also the modern English slang sense.

1875. Lady Barker, `Station Amusements in New Zealand,' p. 154:

"Describing the real swagger, clad in flannel shirt, moleskin trowsers, and what were once thick boots."

1890. `The Century,' vol. xli. p. 624 (`Century'):

"Under the name of swagger or sundowner the tramp, as he moves from station to station in remote districts, in supposed search for work, is a recognized element of society."

1893. `Otago Witness,' Dec. 21, p. 6, col. 3:

"Once a footsore swagger came along, and having gone to the house to ask for `tucker,' soon returned. He took his swag from his shoulders and leant it against the Tree; then he busied himself gathering the small sticks and dried leaves lying about on every side."

1896. `The Argus,' March 23, p.5, col. 1:

"The minister's house is the sure mark for every stone-broke swagger in search of clothes or victuals."

1896. `Southern Standard' (New Zealand), [page not given]:

"An ardent young lady cyclist of Gore, who goes very long journeys on her machine, was asked by a lady friend if she was not afraid of swaggers on the road. `Afraid of them?' she said, `why, I take tea with them!'"

1896. `The Champion,' Jan. 4, p. 3, col. 3:

"He [Professor Morris] says that `swagger' is a variant of `swagman.' This is equally amusing and wrong."

[Nevertheless, he now says it once again.]

<hw>Swaggie</hw>, n. a humorous variation on swagman.

1892. E. W. Horning, `Under Two Skies,' p. 109:

"Here's a swaggie stopped to camp, with flour for a damper, and a handful of tea for the quart-pot, as safe as the bank."

<hw>Swagman</hw>, n. a man travelling through the bush carrying a Swag (q.v.), and seeking employment. There are variants, Swagger (more general in New Zealand), Swaggie, and Swagsman. The Sundowner, Traveller, or New Zealand Tussocker, is not generally a seeker for work.

1890. `The Argus,' June 7, p. 4, col. 2:

"The regular swagman carrying his ration bags, which will sometimes contain nearly twenty days' provender in flour and sugar and tea."

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 156:

"We pulled up a swagman. He was walking very slow; he was a bit lame too. His swag wasn't heavy, for he had only a rag of a blue blanket, a billy of water in his hand, and very little else."

1893. `The Herald' (Melbourne), Jan. 25:

"Under the electric light in the quadrangle of the Exhibition they will give tableaux, representing the murder of a swagman by a native and the shooting of the criminal by a black tracker."

1897. `The Argus,' Jan. 11, p. 7, col. 2:

"The Yarra has claimed many swagman in the end, but not all have died in full travelling costume . . . a typical back-blocks traveller. He was grey and grizzled, but well fed, and he wore a Cardigan jacket, brown moleskin trousers, blucher boots, and socks, all of which were mended with rough patches. His knife and tobacco, his odds and ends, and his purse, containing 14 1/2d., were still intact, while across his shoulder was a swag, and the fingers of his right hand had tightly closed round the handle of his old black billy-can, in which were some scraps of meat wrapped in a newspaper of the 5th inst. He had taken with him his old companions of the roads—his billy and his swag."

<hw>Swagsman</hw>, n. a variant of Swagman (q.v.).

1879 J. Brunton Stephens, `Drought and Doctrine' (Works, p. 309):

"Rememberin' the needful, I gets up an' quietly slips
To the porch to see—a swagsman—with our bottle at his lips."

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 89:

"One of these prospecting swagsmen was journeying towards
Maryborough."

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 111:

"Idleness being the mainspring of the journeys of the Swagsman
(Anglice, `tramp')."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xix. p. 235:

"The able-bodied swagsmen hasten towards Rainbar."

<hw>Swallow</hw>, n. common English bird-name. The species observed in Australia are—

The Swallow—
Hirundo neoxena, Gould.

Black-and-white S.—
Cheramaeca leucosternum, Gould.

Black-faced Wood S.—
Artamus melanops, Gould.

Eastern S.—
Hirundo javanica, Sparrm.

Grey-breasted Wood S.—
Artamus cinereus, Vieill.

Little Wood S.—
A. minor, Vieill.

Masked Wood S.—
Artamus personatus, Gould.

White-bellied Wood S.—
A. hypoleucus.

White-browed Wood S.—
A. superciliosus, Gould.

White-rumped Wood S.—
A. leucogaster, Valenc.

Wood S.—
A. sordidus, Lath.

Artamus is often wrongly spelt Artemus. The Wood-Swallows are often called Summer-birds (q.v.).

<hw>Swamp-Broom</hw>, n. a rush-broom, Viminaria denudata, Sm., N.O. Leguminosae. See Swamp-Oak.

<hw>Swamp-Daisy-tree</hw>, n. See Daisy-tree.

<hw>Swamp-Gum</hw>, n. See Gum.

<hw>Swamp-Hawk</hw>, n. another name for the New Zealand Harrier. See Harrier.

<hw>Swamp-Hen</hw>, n. an Australasian bird, Porphyrio melanonotus, Temm. (often incorrectly shortened to Melanotus). Called sometimes the Porphyrio (q.v.); Maori name, Pukeko. Called also the Swamp-Turkey, the Purple Coot, and by New Zealand colonists, Sultana-bird, Pukaki, or Bokaka, the last two being corruptions of the Maori name. For a West-Australian variety of the Porphyrio, see quotation (1848).

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. i. p. 228:

"The pukeko is of a dark-blue colour, and about as large as a pheasant. The legs, the bill, and a horny continuation of it over the front of the head, are of a bright crimson colour. Its long legs adapt it for its swampy life; its flight is slow and heavy, resembling that of a bittern."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vi. pl. 70:

"Porphyrio Bellus, Gould, Azure breasted Porphyrio; Swamp-Hen, Colonists of Western Australia."

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 79:

[A full description.]

<hw>Swamp-Mahogany</hw>, n. a timber tree, Eucalyptus botryoides, Sm. See Gum and Mahogany.

1886. T. Heney, `Fortunate Days,' p. 50:

"Swamp mahogany's floor-flowered arms."

<hw>Swamp-Oak</hw>, n. (1) A broomlike leguminous shrub or small tree, Viminaria denudata, Sm. (also called Swamp-broom). (2) A tree of the genus Casuarina, especially C. paludosa. See Oak.

1833. C. Sturt, I Southern Australia,'vol. i. c. i. p. 53:

"Light brushes of swamp-oak, cypress, box and acacia pendula."

1847. J. D. Lang, `Phillipsland,' p. 257:

"Its banks (Murrumbidgee) are fringed with the beautiful swamp-oak, a tree of the Casuarina family, with a form and character somewhat intermediate between that of the spruce and that of the Scotch fir, being less formal and Dutch-like than the former, and more graceful than the latter."

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 324:

"A stream, whose winding channel could be traced by the particularly dark verdure of the swamp-oak (Casuarina paludosa) on its banks."

1866. Miss Parkes, `Poems,' p. 40:

"Your voice came to me, soft and distant seeming,
As comes the murmur of the swamp-oak's tone."

1870. F. S. Wilson, `Australian Songs,' p. 100:

"Softly the swamp-oak
Muttered its sorrows to her and to me."

1883. C. Harpur, `Poems,' p. 47:

"Befringed with upward tapering feathery swamp-oaks."

<hw>Swamp-Pheasant</hw>, n. called also Pheasant-cuckoo. Another name for the Coucal (q.v.).

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 60:

"A Centropus phasianellus (the swamp-pheasant of Moreton Bay) was shot."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 116:

"Far down the creek, on one of the river-oaks which grow in its bed, a swamp-pheasant utters its rapid coocoo-coo-coo-coo- coo-cook."

1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. xvi. p. 102:

"The gurgling note of the swamp-pheasant."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 94:

"The bird Centropus, which is common in all Queensland, is found here in great numbers. Although it really is a cuckoo, the colonists call it the `swamp-pheasant,' because it has a tail like a pheasant. It is a very remarkable bird with stiff feathers, and flies with difficulty on account of its small wings. The swamp-pheasant has not the family weakness of the cuckoo, for it does not lay its eggs in the nests of other birds. It has a peculiar clucking voice which reminds one of the sound produced when water is poured from a bottle."

<hw>Swamp-Sparrow</hw>, n. a nickname in New Zealand for the Fern-bird (q.v.).

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 60:

"These beds of rushes which form blind water-courses during the winter season, are dry in summer and are then a favourite resort for the Swamp-Sparrow as this bird is sometimes called."

Ibid. vol. ii. p. 255:

"The melancholy cry of the Fern-bird is so general and persistent that its nick-name of Swamp Sparrow is not undeserved."

<hw>Swan, Black</hw>, n. an Australian bird—Cycnus niger, Juvenal; Cygnus atratus, Gould; Chenopsis atrata, Wagl., sometimes miscalled Chenopis.

The river upon which Perth, Western Australia, is situated, is called the Swan River, and the colony was long known as the Swan River Settlement. It has expanded into Western Australia, the emblem of which colony is still the Black Swan. Since 1855 the Black Swan has been the device on the postage stamps of Western Australia.

82 A.D. (circiter). `Juvenal, Sat.' vi. 164: "Rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cycno."

1700 (circiter). J. Locke, in `Johnson's Dictionary' (9th edition, 1805), s.v. Swan:

"The idea which an Englishman signifies by the name Swan, is a white colour, long neck, black beak, black legs, and whole feet, and all these of a certain size, with a power of swimming in the water, and making a certain kind of noise."

1789. Governor Phillip, `Voyage,' p. 98:

"A black swan, which species, though proverbially rare in other parts of the world, is here by no means uncommon . . . a very noble bird, larger than the common swan, and equally beautiful in form . . . its wings were edged with white: the bill was tinged with red."

1790. J. White, `Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 137:

"We found nine birds, that, whilst swimming, most perfectly resembled the rara avis of the ancients, a black swan."

1802. G. Barrington, `History of New South Wales,' p. 146:

"Large ponds covered with ducks and black swans."

1847. J. D. Lang, `Phillipsland,' p. 115:

"These extensive sheets of glassy water . . . were absolutely alive with black swans and other water fowl . . . There must have been at least five hundred swans in view at one time on one of the lakes. They were no `rara avis' there."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vii. pl. 6:

"Cygnus Atratus, Black Swan. The first notice on record respecting the existence of the Black Swan occurs in a letter written by Mr. Witsen to Dr. M. Lister about the year 1698, in which he says, `Here is returned a ship, which by our East India Company was sent to the south land called Hollandea Nova'; and adds that Black Swans, Parrots and many Sea-Cows were found there."

1856. J. S. Mill, `Logic' [4th edition], vol. i. bk. iii. c. iii. p. 344:

"Mankind were wrong, it seems, in concluding that all swans were white. . . . As there were black swans, though civilized people had existed for three thousand years on the earth without meeting with them."

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), May 29, p. 45, col. 3:

"The presence of immense flocks of black swans is also regarded as an indication of approaching cold weather."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 22:

"The musical whoop of the black swan is sometimes heard as the wedge-shaped flock passes over."

1895. G. Metcalfe, `Australian Zoology,' p. 64:

"Strzelecki states that the black swan was discovered in 1697 by Vlaming. . . . In 1726 two were brought alive to Batavia, having been procured on the West Coast of Australia, near Dirk Hartog's Bay. Captain Cook observed it on several parts of the coast."

<hw>Swan-River Daisy</hw>, n. a pretty annual plant, Brachycome iberidifolia, Benth., N.O. Compositae, of Western Australia. The heads are about an inch broad, and have bright blue rays, with paler centre. It is cultivated in flower gardens, and is well suited for massing. (`Century.')

<hw>Sweep</hw>, n. a marine fish of the Australian coasts, called by this name in Sydney. It is Scorpis aequipinnis, Richards., family Squamipinnes. This family has the soft, and frequently also the spinous, part of their dorsal and anal fins so thickly covered with scales, that the boundary between fins and body is entirely obliterated. S. aequippinnis is possibly the Light-horseman (q.v.) of early Australian writers.

<hw>Sweet Tea</hw>. See Tea.

<hw>Swift</hw>, n. In Australia, the species of this common bird are—Spine-tailed Swift, Chaetura caudacuta, Lath.; White-rumped S., Micropus pacificus, Lath.

<hw>Swing-gate</hw>, n. Used in its ordinary English sense, but specially applied to a patent gate for drafting sheep, invented by Mr. Lockhart Morton.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. ix. p. 91:

"Mr. Stangrove . . . has no more idea of a swing-gate than a shearing-machine."

<hw>Sword-grass</hw>, n. In New Zealand, Arundo conspicua; in Australia, Cladium psittacorum, Labill. It is not the same as the English plant of that name, and is often called Cutting Grass (q.v.).

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 172:

"The great plumes far and wide of the sword-grass aspire."

<hw>Sword-Sedge</hw>, a sedge on Australian coasts, Lepidosperma gladiatum, Labill., N.O. Cyperaceae, useful for binding sea-sand, and yielding a good material for paper.

1877. Baron von Mueller, `Botanic Teachings,' p. 124:

"Lepidosperma is nearly endemically Australian. Lepidosperma gladiatum, the great Swords-edge [sic] of our coasts, furnishes an admirable material for writing paper."

[It is curious that Swords-edge makes most ingenious sense, but it is evidently a misprint for Sword-sedge.]

<hw>Sycamore Tree</hw>. See Laurel. In New South Wales, the name is given to Brachyciton luridus, C. Moore, N.O. Sterculiaceae.

<hw>Sycoceric</hw>, adj. belonging to a waxy resin obtained from the Port-Jackson Fig; see under Fig. (From Grk. sukon, "fig," and kaeros, "wax.")

<hw>Sycoceryl</hw>, n. a supposed element of the sycoceric compounds. See Sycoceric.

T

<hw>Taboo</hw>, n. See Tapu.

<hw>Tagrag-and-Bobtail</hw>, n. a species of sea-weed. See quotation.

1866. S. Hannaford, `Wild Flowers of Tasmania,' p. 80:

"It is a wiry-stemmed plant, with small mop-like tufts, which hold water like a sponge. This is Bellotia Eriophorum, the specific name derived from its resemblance to the cotton-grass. Harvey mentions its colonial name as `Tagrag and Bobtail,' and if it will enable collectors the more easily to recognise it, let it be retained."

<hw>Taiaha</hw>, n. a Maori word for a chief's walking-staff, a sign of office, sometimes used in fighting, like a quarterstaff.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 139:

"The men are placed at equal intervals along either side to paddle, and they keep excellent stroke to the song of two leaders, who stand up and recite short alternate sentences, giving the time with the taiaha, or long wooden spear. The taiaha is rather a long-handled club than a spear. It is generally made of manuka, a very hard, dark, close-grained and heavy wood. The taiaha is about six feet long, etc."

1851. Mrs. Wilson, `New Zealand,' p. 46:

"The taiaha is rather a long-handled club than a spear."

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 299:

"A taiaha, or chiefs staff."

1881. J. L. Campbell, `Poenamo,' p. 80:

"In his right hand he brandished a taiaha, a six-foot Maori broadsword of hard wood, with its pendulous plume of feathers hanging from the hilt."

1889. Major Wilson and Edward Tregear, `On the Korotangi,' `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xxii. art. lxii. p. 505:

"Many famous tribal heirlooms are hidden and lost to posterity. The Rev. Mr. Buller mentions a famous taiaha, of great mana, as having been buried and lost in this way, lest it should fall into the power of opposing tribes, and cause disaster to the original owner."

<hw>Taihoa</hw>, Maori phrase, meaning "Wait a bit." Much used in some circles in New Zealand. The `Standard' gives it wrongly as "Anglo-Tasmanian," probably because Mr. Wade's book was published in Hobart.

1842. W. R. Wade, `Journey in New Zealand' (Hobart Town), p.66:

"`Taihoa.' This word has been translated, By and by; but in truth, it has all the latitude of directly,—presently, —by and by,—a long time hence,—and nobody knows when . . . the deliberate reply is, `Taihoa'. . . this patience-trying word. . . ."

1881. J. L. Campbell, `Poenamo,' p. 87:

"That irritatingly provoking word, `taihoa.'"

[p. 88]: "The drawled-out t-a-i-h-o-a fell upon the ear."

[p. 266] [Title of chapter]: "I learn what Taihoa means."

[p.271]: "Great is the power of taihoa."

[p. 276]: "The imperturbable taihoa, given to us with the ordinary placid good-humour."

<hw>Tail</hw>, v. tr. to herd and tend sheep or cattle: lit. to follow close behind the tail.

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' Aug. 5, p. 3, col. 6:

"I know many boys, from the age of nine to sixteen years, tailing cattle."

1855. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes,' p. 153:

"The stockman, as he who tends cattle and horses is called, despises the shepherd as a grovelling, inferior creature, and considers `tailing sheep' as an employment too tardigrade for a man of action and spirit."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xix. p. 239:

"`The cattle,' no longer `tailed,' or followed daily, as a shepherd does sheep."

<hw>Tailing</hw>, adj. consisting of tailings (q.v.).

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 21:

"From recent assays of the tailing-sand, scarcely one quarter of the pyrites has been extracted."

<hw>Tailings</hw>, n. "The detritus carried off by water from a crushing machine, or any gold-washing apparatus." (Brough Smyth, `Glossary of Mining Terms.') Not limited to Australia.

1891. `The Argus,' June 16, p. 6, col. 2:

"A hundred and fifty tons of tailings are treated at the
Sandhurst pyrites works every month."

<hw>Tailor</hw>, n. name given in New South Wales to the fish Temnodon saltator, Cuv. and Val. It is called Skipjack (q.v.) in Melbourne, a name by which it is also known in America and Britain. Those of large size are called "Sea-tailors." It belongs to the family Carangidae, or Horse-Mackerels (q.v.).

<hw>Taipo</hw>, n. a New Zealand word for devil, often applied by settlers to a vicious horse or as a name for a dog. There is a dangerous river, the Taipo, on the west coast. There is considerable dispute as to whether the word is true Maori or not. The Rev. T. G. Hammond of Patea says—

"No such Maori word as taipo, meaning devil, exists. It would mean evening-tide—tai-po. Probably the early sailors introduced attached meaning of devil from the Maori saying, `Are you not afraid to travel at night?' referring to the danger of tidal rivers."

On the other hand, Mr. Tregear says, in his `Maori Comparative
Dictionary,' s.v.—

"Taepo, a goblin, a spectre. Cf. tae, to arrive; po, night."

The Rev. W. Colenso says, in his pamphlet on `Nomenclature' (1883), p. 5:

"Taepo means to visit or come by night,—a night visitant,—a spectral thing seen in dreams,—a fancied and feared thing, or hobgoblin, of the night or darkness; and this the settlers have construed to mean the Devil!—and of course their own orthodox one."

Taipo or taepo is also a slang term for a surveyor's theodolite among the Maoris, because it is the "land-stealing devil."

1848. Rev. R. Taylor, `Leaf from the Natural History of New Zealand,' p. 43:

"Taipo, female dreamer; a prophetess; an evil spirit."

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 49:

"There is the Taringa-here, a being with a face like a cat; and likewise another, called a Taipo, who comes in the night, sits on the tops of houses, and converses with the inmates, but if a woman presumes to open her mouth, it immediately disappears."

1878. B. Wells, `History of Taranaki,' p. 3:

"The similarity in sound and meaning of the Egyptian word typhon with that of the Maori taipo, both being the name of the Spirit of Evil, is also not a little remarkable."

[Ingenious, but worthless.]

1886. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' `New Zealand Country journal,' vol. x. p. 262:

"His wife became seriously affected, declaring that Taipo had entered into her. Reasoning was wholly useless. She declared that Taipo was in the smoke of the wood, which smoke she had inhaled; soon she became prostrated by illness and was expected to die."

1887. J. C. Crawford, `Travels in New Zealand and Australia,' p. 107:

"After dinner Watkins requested the loan of a tomahawk to defend himself on going up to the Pa on the hill above. He said he knew that there was a taipo (devil) about; he felt it in his head."

1888. P. W. Barlow, `Kaipara,' p. 48:

"They were making the noises I heard to drive away the `Taipo,' a sort of devil who devotes his attention exclusively to Maoris, over whom, however, he only possesses power at night."

1891. W. H. Roberts, `Southland in 1856,' p. 72:

"They believed it was the principal rendez-vous of the fallen angel (Taipo) himself."

1896. Modern. Private Letter (May):

"Taipo, for instance, of course one knows its meaning, though it has been adopted chiefly as a name as common as `Dash' or `Nero' for New Zealand dogs; all the same the writers upon Maori superstitions seem to have no knowledge of it. Polach, Dieffenbach, Nicholas, Yates, call their evil spirits whiros or atuas. Tepo, the place of darkness, is the nearest they have come to it. I think myself it is South Island Maori, often differing a little in spelling and use; and so very much the larger proportion of New Zealand literature is the literature of the North."

<hw>Tait</hw>, n. a Western Australian animal, properly called the Long-snouted Phalanger, Tarsipes rostratus, the only species of its genus. See Phalanger and Opossum. It is about the size of a mouse, and lives almost entirely on honey, which it extracts from flowers.

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 120:

"The Long-snouted Phalanger, which derives its scientific name from a certain resemblance of its hind feet to those of a Malayan Lemur-like animal known as the Tarsier, is one of the most interesting of the phalangers. . . . Known to the natives by the names of Tait and Nulbenger, it is, writes Gould, `generally found in all situations suited to its existence, from Swan River to King George's Sound.'"

<hw>Takahe</hw>, n. Maori name for an extinct New Zealand Rail, Notornis mantelli, Owen. See Notornis.

1889. Prof. Parker, 'Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 116:

"The Takahe is the rarest of existing native birds, if indeed it is not already extinct."

<hw>Takapu</hw>, n. Maori name for the bird Dysporus serrator, Banks, a Gannet (q.v.).

<hw>Take (a man) down</hw>, Australian sporting slang. (1) To induce a man to bet, knowing that he must lose. (2) To advise a man to bet, and then to "arrange" with an accomplice (a jockey, e.g.) for the bet to be lost. (3) To prove superior to a man in a game of skill.

1895. `The Argus,' Dec. 5, p. 5, col. 2:

"It appeared that [the plaintiff] had a particular fancy for a [certain] horse, and in an evil hour induced [the defendant] to lay him a wager about this animal at the long odds of two shillings to threepence. When the horse had romped triumphantly home and [the plaintiff] went to collect his two shillings [the defendant] accused him of having `taken him down,' stigmatised him as a thief and a robber, and further remarked that [the plaintiff] had the telegram announcing the result of the race in his pocket when the wager was made, and in short refused to give [the plaintiff] anything but a black eye."

<hw>Talegalla</hw>, n. aboriginal name for the Brush-Turkey, and the scientific name for that bird, viz., Talegalla lathami, Gray. See Turkey.

<hw>Tallow-wood</hw>, n. another name for one of the Stringy-barks (q.v.), Eucalyptus microcorys, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae. The timber, which is hard, gives forth an oily substance: hence the name. The tree reaches a great height. Also called Turpentine-tree (q.v.). See also Peppermint.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 493:

"In Queensland it is known as `Peppermint,' the foliage being remarkably rich in volatile oil. But its almost universal name is Tallow-wood. North of Port Jackson it bears the name of `Turpentine Tree' and `Forest Mahogany.' The aboriginals of the Brisbane River, Queensland, call it `tee.'"

Ibid. p. 494:

"Tallow-wood.—Used . . . for flooring, e.g. in ball-rooms; for this purpose it is selected on account of its greasy nature. This greasiness is most marked when it is fresh cut. (General Report, Sydney International Exhibition, 1879.)"

1897. `The Argus,' Feb. 22, p. 5, col. 4 (Cable message from London):

"Mr. Richards stated that the New South Wales black butt and tallow wood were the most durable and noiseless woods for street-paving."

<hw>Tallygalone</hw>, n. a fish of New South Wales, Myxus elongatus, Gunth., a genus of the family Mugilidae, or Grey-Mullet. The word is also spelled talleygalann, and tallagallan. Also called Sand-Mullet.

<hw>Tamarind-Tree</hw>, name given to Diploglottis cunninghamii, Hook., N.O. Sapindaceae; called also Native Tamarind. "A tall tree. The flesh of the fruit is amber and of delightful acid flavour." (Bailey.)

<hw>Tambaroora</hw>, n. a Queensland game. More generally known as "A shilling in and the winner shouts." From a town in Queensland.

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 63:

"The exciting game of tambaroora . . . Each man of a party throws a shilling, or whatever sum may be mutually agreed upon, into a hat. Dice are then produced, and each man takes three throws. The Nut who throws highest keeps the whole of the subscribed capital, and out of it pays for the drinks of the rest."

<hw>Tamure</hw>, n. the Maori name for the New Zealand Schnapper fish (q.v.).

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 206:

"Tamure s. Bream fish."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 93:

"There are many other sorts of fish, including the tamure, or snapper, the manga, or barracouta, the mango, or dog-fish, of which the natives catch large quantities, and the hapuka. This last fish is caught in pretty deep water, near reefs and rocks. It often attains a great size, attaining as much as 112 pounds. It bears a considerable resemblance to the cod in form, but is, however, of far finer flavour."

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 413:

"Tamure, kouarea (the snapper), is a large fish like the bream."

1879. W. Colenso, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xii. art. vii. p. 118:

"The tamure is the snapper (Pagrus unicolor), a common fish on all the coasts."

<hw>Tandan</hw>, n. the aboriginal name for the Catfish (q.v.) or Eel-fish (q.v.), Copidoglanis tandanus, Mitchell (or Plotosus tandanus). Mitchell, who first discovered and described the Cat-fish, called it the Tandan, or Eel-fish.

1838. T. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' pp. 44, 45, pl. 5:

"In this piece of water we caught some small fish, two of them being of a rather singular kind, resembling an eel in the head and shape of the tail."

[p. 45]: "On my return to the camp in the evening, I made a drawing of the eel fish which we had caught early in the day (fig. 2, pl. 5)."

<hw>Tanekaha</hw>, n. Maori name of a New Zealand tree; also called Celery-topped Pine, Phyllocladus trichomanoides, Don., N.O. Coniferae.

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 306:

"The Tanakaha Tree (Podocarpus asplenifolius) is found scattered over a large portion of the northern island of New Zealand. . . Height, sixty to eighty feet. . . The wood is close and straight in the grain. . . It works up well, is tough and very strong; so much so that the New Zealanders say it is the `strong man' among their forest trees."

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 125:

"Tanakaha. A slender, handsome tree, sixty feet high; trunk rarely exceeds three feet in diameter; wood pale, close-grained, and excellent for planks and spars; resists decay in moist positions in a remarkable manner."

<hw>Tangi</hw>, n. (pronounced Tang-y) Maori word for a lamentation, a cry, or dirge.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 207:

"Tangi, s. a cry or lamentation."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 194:

"They wrapped the mutilated corpse in his red blanket, and bore it, lashed to a tree, to the village, where the usual tangi took place."

1873. Lieut.-Colonel St. John, `Pakeha Rambles through Maori Lands,' p. 154:

"Shortly afterwards a `tangi' was held over those of the party whose remains could be identified."

1881. J. L. Campbell, `Poenamo,' p.191:

"Perhaps some old woman did a quiet tangi over his grave."

1883. F. S. Renwick, `Betrayed,' p. 41:

"'Tis the tangi floats on the seaborne breeze,
In its echoing notes of wild despair."

<hw>Taniwha</hw>, n. Maori name for a mythical monster.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 207:

"Taniwa, s. a sea-monster so called."

1842. W. R. Wade, `Journey in New Zealand' (Hobart Town), p. 34:

"Hearing us use the word tapu, as we looked towards it, one of our boatmen quickly repeated that the place was tapued for the tanewa (a water demon). `And I wonder,' was his irreverent addition, `what this same tanewa may be! An old pot leg, perhaps!'"

1896. `Otago Witness,' Jan. 23, p. 51, col. 2:

"The river at one time is reported as having been infested with taniwhas—gigantic fish that used to swallow the natives—and a Maori pointed out a deep pool under some willows, and told me his grandfather had been seized by one of these monsters at that spot, dragged to the bottom and eaten. This taniwha, which was about forty feet in length and had a long mane, was in the habit of sometimes standing almost erect in the water, and frightening the women and children out of their wits. It had a tremendous-sized head, and its mouth somewhat resembled the beak of a very large bird. Its neck was about six feet in circumference and was covered with scales, as likewise its body down to its tail, which was formed by a series of fin-shaped projections, and somewhat resembled in form the tail of a grey duck. It had two short legs which were as big around as the body of a half-grown pig, and with one kick it could knock a hole through the stoutest canoe."

<hw>Tannergrams</hw>, n. very recent New Zealand slang. On 1st of June, 1896, the New Zealand Government reduced the price of telegrams to sixpence (slang, a `tanner') for twelve words.

1896. `Oamaru Mail,' June 13:

"Tannergrams is the somewhat apt designation which the new sixpenny telegrams have been christened in commercial vernacular."

<hw>Tappa</hw>, n. South-sea Island word. A native cloth made from the bark of the Paper-mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera, Benth.

1886. `Art journal: Exhibition Supplement,' p. 24:

"The Tappa, or native cloth [of Fiji], made from the bark of a tree. . . Has been extensively used in the draping of the court."

1888. H. S. Cooper, `The Islands of the Pacific,' p. 9:

"Tappa, a native cloth of spotless white, made from the bark of the mulberry-tree.'

<hw>Tapu</hw>, adj. a Maori word, but common also to other Polynesian languages. The origin of the English word taboo. It properly means `prohibited.' There was a sacred tapu, and an unclean tapu. What was consecrated to the gods was forbidden to be touched or used by the people.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 208:

"Tapu, a. sacred, inviolable."

1835. W. Yate, `Some Account of New Zealand,' p. 84:

"This system of consecration—for that is the most frequent meaning of the term `tapu'—has prevailed through all the islands of the South Seas, but nowhere to a greater extent than in New Zealand."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 194:

"They wrapped the mutilated corpse in his red blanket, and bore it, lashed to a tree, to the village, where the usual tangi took place after it had been deposited in the wahi tapu, or sacred ground.'"

1859. A. S. Thomson, M.D., `Story of New Zealand,' p. 100:

"The primary meaning of the Maori word tapu is `sacred'; tabut is a Malay word, and is rendered `the Ark of the Covenant of God'; taboot is a Hindoo word signifying `a bier,' `a coffin,' or `the Ark of the Covenant'; ta is the Sanscrit word `to mark,' and pu `to purify.'"

[There is no authority in this polyglot mixture.]

1879. Clement Bunbury, `Fraser's Magazine,' June, `A Visit to the New Zealand Geysers,' p. 767:

"I had not much time to examine them closely, having a proper fear of the unknown penalties incurred by the violation of anything `tapu' or sacred."

1893. `Otago Witness,' Dec. 21, p. 10, col. 1:

"He seeks treasures which to us are tapu."

<hw>Tapu</hw>, n. the state of being consecrated or forbidden.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 25:

"We found no natives, the cove being under tapu, on account of its being the burial-place of a daughter of Te Pehi, the late chief of the Kapiti, or Entry Island, natives."

1847. A. Tennyson, `Princess,' canto iii. l. 261:

". . . Women up till this
Cramp'd under worse than South-Sea-Isle taboo,
Dwarfs of the gynaeceum."

1851. Mrs. Wilson, `New Zealand,' p. 24:

"But chiefly thou, mysterious Tapu,
From thy strange rites a hopeful sign we draw."

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 281:

"The tapu, which either temporarily or permanently renders sacred an object animate or inanimate, is the nearest approach to the Hindoo religious exclusive-ism."

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 89:

"His sole `tapu' a far securer guard
Than lock and key of craftiest notch and ward."

Ibid. p. 100:

"Avenge each minor breach of this taboo."

<hw>Tapu</hw>, v. originally to mark as sacred, and later to place under a ban. English, taboo.

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 284:

"The tapued resting-place of departed chieftains."

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), May 29, p. 40, col. 2:

"I . . . found the telegraph office itself tabooed."

1893. R. L. Stevenson, `Island Nights' Entertainments,' p. 39:

"By Monday night I got it clearly in my head I must be tabooed."

<hw>Tara</hw>, n. (1) Maori name for the birds Sterna caspia, Pallas, and S. frontalis, Gray, the Sea-Swallow, or Tern (q.v.).

(2) A Tasmanian aboriginal name for the fern Pteris aquilina, L., N.O. Polypodeae.

1834. Ross, `Van Diemen's Land Annual,' p. 129:

"The most extensively diffused eatable roots of Van Diemen's Land are those of the tara fern . . . greatly resembles Pteris aquilina, the common fern, brake, breckon, or brackin, of England . . . it is known among the aborigines by the name of tara . . . the root of the tara fern possesses much nutritive matter."

<hw>Taraire</hw>, n. Maori name for a New Zealand tree; formerly Nesodaphne tarairi, Hook., now Beilschmiedia tarairi, Benth. and Hook., N.O. Laurineae.

1873. `Catalogue of Vienna Exhibition':

"Tarairi. Used for most of the purposes for which sycamore is applied in Europe."

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 129:

"Tarairi. A lofty forest tree, sixty to eighty feet high, with stout branches. Wood white, splits freely, but not much valued."

<hw>Tarakihi</hw>, n. the Maori name for the fish Chilodactylus macropterus, Richards.; called in Sydney the Norwong (q.v.).

<hw>Tarata</hw>, n. Maori name for the New Zealand tree Pittosporum eugenioides, A. Cunn., N.O. Pittosporeae; called also Mapau, Maple, etc. See Mapau.

1876. W. n. Blair, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. ix., art. x. p. 143:

"A small tree seldom exceeding thirty feet in height, and twelve inches in diameter. It has pale green shining leaves and purple flowers. The wood of a dirty white colour, is tough and fibrous."

1879. J. B. Armstrong, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xii. art. xlix. p. 329:

"The tarata or Lemon-wood, a most beautiful tree, also used for hedges."

1889. E. H. and S. Featon, `New Zealand Flora,' p. 35:

"The Tarata. This elegant tree is found on the east coast of both islands. It attains a height of from twenty to thirty feet, and has a stem from twelve to eighteen inches in diameter. It is known to the settlers in some parts as `Lemon-wood.' When displaying its profuse masses of pale golden flowers, it is very pretty."

<hw>Tare, Native</hw>, n. name applied in Tasmania to the plant Swainsonia lessertiaefolia, De C., N.O. Leguminosae.

<hw>Taro</hw>, n. a familiar food plant, Colocasia species, widely cultivated in tropical regions, especially in Polynesia. The word is Polynesian, and much used by the Maoris.

1846. J. Lindley, `Vegetable Kingdom,' p. 128 [Stanford]:

"Whole fields of Colocasia macrorhyza are cultivated in the South Sea Islands under the name tara or kopeh roots."

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 374:

"Many a bed,
That late in such luxurious neatness spread,
Of melons, maize and taro—now a wreck."

1878. Lady Brassey, `Voyage in the Sunbeam,' p. 263:

"A good-looking man was busy broiling beef-steaks, stewing chickens and boiling taro, and we had soon a plentiful repast set before us."

<hw>Tarsipes</hw>, n. the scientific generic name of the Tait (q.v.).

<hw>Tarwhine</hw>, n. an Australian fish, Chrysophrys sarba, Forsk. See Black-Bream. It is somewhat difficult to distinguish the fish from its close relation the Black-Bream, Chrysophrys australis, Gunth. Both are excellent food, and frequently abundant in brackish waters.

<hw>Tar-wood</hw>, n. name given by the Otago bushmen to the tree Darrydium colensoi, Hook.; Maori name, Manoao (q.v.). (Kirk, `Forest Flora,' p. 189.)

<hw>Tasmania</hw>, n. island and colony, formerly called Van Diemen's Land. The new name, from that of the Dutch navigator, Abel Jansen Tasman, was officially adopted in 1853, when the system of transportation ceased. The first quotations show it was in popular use much earlier.

1820. Lieut. Charles Jeffreys, `Delineation of the Island of Van Dieman's Land,' p. 1:

"Van Dieman's Land, or Tasmania, is an island of considerable extent."

1823. `Godwin's Emigrant's Guide to Van Diemen's Land, more properly called Tasmania':

[Title.]

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 8:

"Over Van Diemen's Land (or Tasmania, as we love to call it here), New South Wales enjoys also many advantages."

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), p. 491:

"Tasmania is a more musical alias adopted by the island. It has been given in titular distinction to the first bishop, my excellent and accomplished friend Dr. Nixon, and will doubtless be its exclusive designation when it shall have become a free nation."

1892. A. and G. Sutherland, `History of Australia,' p. 41:

"The wild country around the central lakes of Tasmania."

<hw>Tasmanian</hw>, adj. belonging or native to Tasmania.

1825. A. Bent, `The Tasmanian Almanack for the Year of our Lord 1825'

[Title.]

<hw>Tasmanian</hw>, n. an inhabitant of Tasmania, a colonist. The word is also used of the aborigines, the race of whom is now extinct.

<hw>Tasmanian Devil</hw>, n. the only species of the genus Sarcophilus (q.v.), S. ursinus.

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 156:

"Like many of its kindred, the Tasmanian Devil is a burrowing and nocturnal animal. In size it may be compared to a Badger, and owing to its short limbs, plantigrade feet, and short muzzle, its gait and general appearance are very Badger or Bear-like."

<hw>Tasmanian Tiger</hw>, n. called also Native Wolf, Marsupial Wolf, Zebra Wolf, and Hyaena; genus, Thylacinus (q.v.). It is the largest carnivorous marsupial extant, and is so much like a wolf in appearance that it well deserves its vernacular name of Wolf, though now-a-days it is generally called Tiger. There is only one species, Thylacinus cynocephalus, and the settlers have nearly exterminated it, on account of its fierce predatory habits and the damage it inflicts on their flocks. The Tasmanian Government pays L1 for every one destroyed. The Van Diemen's Land Company in the North-West of the Island employs a man on one of its runs who is called the "tiger-catcher."

1813. `History of New South Wales' (1818), p. 430:

"About Port Dalrymple an animal was discovered which bore some resemblance to the hyena both in shape and fierceness; with a wide mouth, strong limbs, sharp claws and a striped skin. Agreeably to the general nature of New South Wales quadrupeds, this animal has a false belly. It may be considered as the most formidable of any which New South Wales has been yet found to produce, and is very destructive; though there is no instance of its attacking the human species."

1832. Ross, `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 85:

"During our stay a native tiger or hyena bounded from its lair beneath the rocks."

1880. Mrs. Meredith, `Friends and Foes,' p. 65:

"There is another charming fellow, which all the people here call the Tiger, but as a tiger is like a great cat, and this beast is much more like a dog, you will see how foolish this name is. I believe naturalists call it the dog-faced opossum, and that is not much better . . . the body is not a bit like that of an opossum."

1892. A. Sutherland, `Elementary Geography of British Colonies,' p. 273:

"The `Tasmanian tiger' is of the size of a shepherd's dog, a gaunt yellow creature, with black stripes round the upper part of its body, and with an ugly snout. Found nowhere but in Tasmania, and never numerous even there, it is now slowly disappearing."

<hw>Tasmanian Whiptail</hw>, n. a Tasmanian fish, Coryphaenoides tasmaniae, family Macruridae, or deep-sea Gadoids, an altogether different fish from Myliobatis aquila, the Eagle or Whiptail Ray, which also occurs in Tasmania, but is found all over the world.

<hw>Tasmanite</hw>, n. a mineral. "A resinous, reddish-brown, translucent, hydrocarbon derivative (C40H6202S), found in certain laminated shales of Tasmania, Resiniferous shale." (`Standard.')

<hw>Tassel-fish</hw>, n. a thread-fish of Queensland, of the genus Polynemus, family Polynemidae. Polynemoid fish have free filaments at the humeral arch below the pectoral fins, which Guenther says are organs of touch, and to be regarded as detached portions of the fin; in some the filaments or threads are twice as long as the fish.

<hw>Tassy</hw>, n. a pet name for Tasmania.

1894. `The Argus,' Jan. 26, p. 3, col. 5:

"To-day Tassy—as most Victorian cricketers and footballers familiarly term our neighbour over the straits—will send a team into the field."

<hw>Tattoo</hw>, v. and n. to mark the human body with indelible pigments. The word is Polynesian; its first occurrence in English is in Cook's account of Tahiti. The Tahitian word is Tatau, which means tattoo marks on the human skin, from Ta, which means a mark or design. (Littre.) The Maori verb, ta, means to cut, to tattoo, to strike. See Moko.

1773. `Hawkesworth's Voyages' (Cook's First Voyage; at Tahiti, 1769), vol. ii. p. 191:

"They have a custom of staining their bodies . . . which they call Tattowing. They prick the skin, so as just not to fetch blood, with a small instrument, something in the form of a hoe. . . . The edge is cut into sharp teeth or points . . . they dip the teeth into a mixture of a kind of lamp-black . . . The teeth, thus prepared, are placed upon the skin, and the handle to which they are fastened being struck by quick smart blows, they pierce it, and at the same time carry into the puncture the black composition, which leaves an indelible stain."

1777. Horace Walpole, `Letters,' vol. vi. p. 448:

"Since we will give ourselves such torrid airs, I wonder we don't go stark and tattoo ourselves."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 109:

"A very famous artist in tatu came with the party, and was kept in constant and profitable employment. Everybody, from the renowned warrior to the girl of twelve years old, crowded to be ornamented by the skilful chisel. . . . The instruments used were not of bone, as they used formerly to be; but a graduated set of iron tools, fitted with handles like adzes, supplied their place. . . . The staining liquid is made of charcoal."

1847. A. Tennyson, `Princess,' canto ii. l. 105:

". . . Then the monster, then the man;
Tattoo'd or woaded, winter-clad in skins,
Raw from the prime, and crushing down his mate."

1859. A. S. Thomson, `Story of New Zealand,' vol. i. c. iv. p. 74:

"First among the New Zealand list of disfigurations is tattooing, a Polynesian word signifying a repetition of taps, but which term is unknown in the language of the New Zealanders; moko being the general term for the tattooing on the face, and whakairo for that on the body." [But see Moko.]

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 17:

"Lips no stain of tattoo had turned azure."

Ibid. p. 104:

"A stick knobbed with a carved and tattoo'd wooden head."

1873. J. B. Stephens, `Black Gin,' p. 3:

"Thy rugged skin is hideous with tattooing."

<hw>Tawa</hw>, n. Maori name for a New Zealand tree, Nesodaphne tawa, Hook., N.O. Laurineae. The newer name is Beilschmiedia tawa, Benth. and Hook. f. Allied to Taraire (q.v.). A handsome forest tree with damson-like fruit.

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 129:

"Tawa. A lofty forest tree, sixty to seventy feet high, with slender branches. The wood is light and soft, and is much used for making butter-kegs."

<hw>Tawara</hw>, n. Maori name for the flower of the Kie-kie (q.v.), Freycinetia Banksii.

<hw>Tawhai</hw>, or <hw>Tawai</hw>, n. Maori name for several species of New Zealand Beech-trees, N.O. Cupuliferae. The settlers call them Birches (q.v.).

1873. `Catalogue of Vienna Exhibition':

"Tawhai. Large and durable timber, used for sleepers."

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 125:

"Tawhai, Red-birch (from colour of bark). A handsome tree, eighty to one hundred feet high. Fagus Menziesii, Hook. [also called large-leaved birch]. Tawhai, Tawhairaunui, Black-birch of Auckland and Otago (from colour of bark), Fagus fusca, Hook."

<hw>Tawhiri</hw>, or <hw>Tawiri</hw>, n. Maori name for the Black Mapau. A name applied to the tree Pittosporum tenuifolium, N.O. Pittosporeae. It is profusely covered with a fragrant white blossom. See Mapau.

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' p. 108:

"Its floor . . . with faint tawhiri leaves besprent "

1884. T. Bracken, `Lays of Maori,' p. 21:

"The early breeze that . . . stole
The rich Tawhiri's sweet perfume."

<hw>Tea</hw>, n.—

Billy-tea, or Bush-tea. Tea made in a billy (q.v.). There is a belief that in order to bring out the full flavour it should be stirred with a gum-stick.

New Zealand tea. Tea made of the leaves of Manuka (q.v.). See Tea-tree.

<hw>Sweet-tea</hw>, or <hw>Botany-Bay tea</hw>, or Australian tea. (Called also Native Sarsaparilla. See Sarsaparilla.) A plant, Smilax glycyphylla, Smith., N.O. Liliaceae.

1788. D. Considen, letter to Sir Joseph Banks, Nov. 18, in `Historical Records of New South Wales,' vol. i. part ii. p. 220:

"I have sent you some of the sweet tea of this country, which
I recommend, and is generally used by the marines and convicts.
As such it is a good anti-scorbutic, as well as a substitute
for that which is more costly."

1790. J. White, `Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 195:

"The sweet-tea, a creeping kind of vine . . . the taste is sweet, exactly like the liquorice-root of the shops. Of this the convicts and soldiers make an infusion which is tolerably pleasant, and serves as no bad succedaneum for tea."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 203:

"`Sweet tea' . . . The decoction made from its leaves . . . is similar in properties, but more pleasant in taste, than that obtained from the roots of S. officinalis, or Jamaica sarsaparilla. The herb is a common article of trade among Sydney herbalists."

<hw>Tea-broom</hw>, n. a New Zealand name for the Tea-tree (q.v.).

1872. A. Domett, `Ranolf,' [Notes] p. 505:

"Manuka. . . . The settlers often call it `tea-broom.'"

<hw>Teak</hw>, n. The original Teak is an East Indian timber-tree, Tectina grandis, but the name has been transferred to other trees in different parts of the world, from a similarity in the hardness of their wood. In Australia, it is given to Dissiliaria baloghioides, F. v. M., N.O. Euphorbiaceae; to Endiandra glauca, R. Br., N.O. Leguminosae; and to Flindersia Bennettiana, F. v. M., N.O. Meliaceae. In New Zealand, it is Vitex littoralis; Maori name, Puriri (q.v.).

<hw>Teal</hw>, n. the common English name given to the small ducks of the genus Querquedula. In Australia, the name is applied to Anas castanea, Eyton; and to the Grey Teal, A. gibberifrons, Mull. See also Goose-teal.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 291:

"Brown returned with . . . four teals (Querquedula castanea)." [The old name.]

<hw>Tea-tree</hw>, n. (Very frequently, but erroneously, spelt Ti-tree, and occasionally, more ridiculously still, Ti-tri, q.v.) A name given in Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania to several species of trees and shrubs whose leaves were used by Captain Cook's sailors, by escaped convicts, and by the early settlers as a ready substitute for the leaves of the Chinese Tea-plant (Thea chinensis) for making tea. The trees of the genera Leptospermum and Melaleuca were the earliest used, in Australia and New Zealand, in this way. When in blossom, the branches of many species, with their little white flowers, and the general appearance of their leaves, bear a strong resemblance to those of the true Tea-plant. Their leaves, though exceedingly aromatic, have not, however, the same flavour. Nevertheless, it was probably this superficial likeness which first suggested the experiment of making an infusion from them. Some of the species of Leptospermum and Melaleuca are so closely allied, that their names are by some botanists interchanged and used as synonyms for the same plant.

Although not all of the species of these two genera were used for making tea, yet, as a tree-name, the word Tea-tree is indifferently and loosely used to denote nearly all of them, especially in the form Tea-tree scrub, where they grow, as is their habit, in swamps, flat-land, and coastal districts. Other trees or plants to which the name of Tea-tree was occasionally given, are species of the genera Kunzea and Callistemon.

The spelling Ti-tree is not only erroneous as to the origin of the name, but exceedingly misleading, as it confuses the Australian Tea-tree with another Ti (q.v.) in Polynesia (Cordyline ti). This latter genus is represented, in Australia and New Zealand, by the two species Cordyline australis and C. indivisa, the Cabbage-trees (q.v.), or Cabbage palms (q.v.), or Ti-palms (q.v.), or Ti (q.v.), which are a marked feature of the New Zealand landscape, and are of the lily family (N.O. Liliaceae), while the genera Leptospermum and Melaleuca are of the myrtle family (N.O. Myrtaceae).

As to the species of the Australian Tea-tree, that first used by Cook's sailors was either—Leptospermum scoparium, R. and G. Forst.,

or L. lanigerum, Smith.

The species most used for infusions was—

L. fravescens, Smith (syn. L. thea, Willd., and Melaleuca thea, Willd.).

The Coast Tea-tree, common on the Victorian shores, and so useful as a sand-binder, is—

L. laevigatum, F. v. M.

The Common Australian Tea-tree (according to Maiden) is Melaleuca leucodendron, Linn.; called also White Tea-tree, Broad-leaved T.-t., Swamp T.-t., and Paper-bark T.-t.

The name, however, as noted above, is used for all species of Melaleuca, the Swamp Tea-tree being M. ericifolia, Smith, and the Black, or Prickly-leaved Tea-tree, M. styphelioides, Smith.

Of the other genera to which the name is sometimes applied, Kunzea pedunculata, F. v. M., is called Mountain Tea-tree, and Callistemon salignus, De C., is called—

Broad-leaved, or River Tea-tree.

In New Zealand, the Maori name Manuka (q.v.) is more generally used than Tea-tree, and the tree denoted by it is the original one used by Cook's sailors.

Concerning other plants, used in the early days for making special kinds of infusions and drinking them as tea, see under Tea, and Cape-Barren Tea.

1777. Cook's `Voyage towards the South Pole and Round the World' [2nd Voyage], vol. i. p. 99:

"The beer certainly contributed not a little. As I have already observed, we at first made it of a decoction of the spruce leaves; but finding that this alone made the beer too astringent, we afterwards mixed with it an equal quantity of the tea plant (a name it obtained in my former voyage from our using it as tea then, as we also did now), which partly destroyed the astringency of the other, and made the beer exceedingly palatable, and esteemed by every one on board."

[On page 100, Cook gives a description of the tea-plant, and also figures it. He was then at Dusky Bay, New Zealand.]

1790. J. White, `Voyage to New South Wales,' p. 229:

"Tea Tree of New South Wales, Melaleuca (?) Trinervia. This is a small shrub, very much branched. . . . It most nearly approaches the Leptospermum virgatum of Forster, referred by the younger Linnaeus, perhaps improperly, to Melaleuca."

1820. C. Jeffreys, R.N., `Geographical and Descriptive Delineations of the Island of Van Dieman's Land,' p. 133:

"Of course they [the Bushrangers] are subject to numerous privations, particularly in the articles of tea, sugar, tobacco, and bread; for this latter article, however, they substitute the wild yam, and for tea they drink a decoction of the sassafras and other shrubs, particularly one which they call the tea-tree bush."

1820. W. C. Wentworth, `Description of New South Wales,' p. 175:

"On Monday the bushrangers were at a house at Tea-tree Brush."

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 200:

"The leaves of the tea-tree furnished the colonists with a substitute for the genuine plant in the early period of the colony, and from their containing a saccharine matter required no sugar."

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 78:

"This boy got some bark from a tree called the tea-tree, which makes excellent torches."

1832. J. Bischoff, `Van Diemen's Land,' c. ii. p. 25:

"The tea-tree grows in wet situations . . . the leaves infused make a pleasant beverage, and with a little sugar form a most excellent substitute for tea."

1834. Ross, `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 134:

"Leptospermum lanigerum, Hoary tea-tree; Acacia decurrens, Black wattle; Conaea alba, Cape-Barren tea. The leaves of these have been used as substitutes for tea in the colony, as have also the leaves and bark of Cryptocarya glaucescens, the Australian Sasafras" (sic) [q.v.].

1845. J. O. Balfour, `Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 39:

"The Australian myrtles, or tea-trees, are to be found in thick clusters, shading rocky springs. . . . Its leaves I have seen made into a beverage called tea. It, however, was loathsome, and had not the slightest resemblance to any known Chinese tea."

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 85:

"Often we had to take the boat down the river several miles, to cut reeds amongst the tea-tree marshes, to thatch our houses with."

1846. G. H. Haydon, `Five Years in Australia Felix;' p. 33:

"A great quantity of the tea-tree (Leptospermum) scrubs, which formerly lined both banks of the Yarra."

(p. 84): "It is allied to the myrtle family (Melaleuca) . . . A decoction of the leaves is a fair substitute for tea, yielding a beverage of a very aromatic flavour."

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 210:

"Dense with tea-trees and wattles shrouding the courses of the stream."

1862. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 126:

"Half-hidden in a tea-tree scrub,
A flock of dusky sheep were spread."

1870. A. L. Gordon, `Bush Ballads,' p. 14:

"Through the tea-tree scrub we dashed."

1871. C. L. Money, `Knocking About in New Zealand,' p. 70:

"Chiefly covered with fern and tea-tree (manuka) scrub."

1871. T. Bracken, `Behind the Tomb,' p. 60:

"Sobbing through the tea-tree bushes,
Low and tender, loud and wild,
Melancholy music gushes."

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 2o6:

Table of Tasmanian woods found in low marshy ground.

Hgt. Dia. Used.

Swamp Tea-tree 12 ft. 6 in. Useless.

Tea-tree 30 " 9 " } Turners' and
} Agricultural
Musk Tea-tree 12 " small } Implements.

1877. Baron von Mueller, `Botanic Teachings,' p. 18:

"We have among them [the Myrtaceae] . . . the native tea-trees, inappropriately so called, as these bushes and trees never yield substitutes for tea, although a New Zealand species was used in Captain Cook's early expedition, to prepare a medicinal infusion against scurvy; these so-called tea-trees comprise within our colony [Victoria], species of Leptospermum, Kunzea, Melaleuca and Callistemon, the last-mentioned genus producing flowers with long stamens, on which the appellation of `Bottle-brushes' has been bestowed."

1880. W. Senior, `Travel and Trout,' p. 78:

"Numerous flowering shrubs, such as the tea-tree, native lilac, and many another that varies the colour and softly scents the atmosphere."

1880. Mrs.Meredith, `Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 221:

"Thickets of tea-tree, white with lovely hawthorn-like flowers."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 19:

"Along the water's edge, noble titrees, whose drooping branches swept the stream, formed a fringe, the dark green of their thick foliage being relieved."

1883. C. Harpur, `Poems,' p. 78:

"Why roar the bull-frogs in the tea-tree marsh?"

1884. R. L. A. Davies, `Poems and Literary Remains,' p. 84:

"Shading a brook the tea-trees grew,
Spangled with blossoms of whitish hue,
Which fell from the boughs to the ground below,
As fall from heaven the flakes of snow."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 112:

"The bottle-brush flowers of the ti-trees."

1888. Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, `Select Extra-Tropical Plants,' p. 221:

"The somewhat aromatic leaves of Liscoparium (Forster) were already in Captain Cook's Expedition used for an antiscorbutic Tea, hence the name tea-tree for this and some allied plants."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 76:

"The intrusive ti-tree. . . . The dark line of ti-tree in the foreground . . ."

1889. T. Kirk, `Forest Flora of New Zealand,' pp. 235, 236:

"Leptospermum scoparium, Forster, the Manuka. . . . It is commonly termed `tea-tree' by the settlers, but must not be confounded with the `ti' or `toi' of the Maories, which is a handsome palm-lily, Cordyline australis, often termed `cabbage-tree' by the bushmen."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 38:

"Leptospermum scoparium, Tea Tree. It is said that this is the shrub the leaves of which were utilized by the crews of Captain Cook's ships for the purpose of making `tea,' and that they were also used with spruce leaves in equal quantity for the purpose of correcting the astringency in brewing a beer from the latter. It is exceedingly common about Sydney, so large quantities would therefore be available to the sailors. Species of this genus are exceedingly abundant not far from the coast, and the leaves would be very readily available, but the taste of the infusion made from them is too aromatic for the European palate."

[In Maiden's admirable book slips are very rare. But he is mistaken here in the matter of the abundance of the tree at Sydney having any reference to the question. Captain Cook had but one ship, the Endeavour; and it never entered Port Jackson. It is true that L. scoparium was the tree used by Cook, but he was then at Dusky Bay, New Zealand, and it was there that he used it. See quotations 1777 and 1877.]

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 24:

"The well-known Melaleuca Leucadendron, called by the colonists tea-tree, from which is extracted what is known in medicine as cajeput oil."

1893. `The Australasian,' Jan 14:

"The ti-tree on either side of the road was in bloom, its soft, fluffy, creamy bushes gathering in great luxuriance on the tops of the taller trees, almost hiding the green."

1893. `The Argus,' April 29, p. 4, col. 4:

"There was many a shorthorned Hereford hidden in the innermost recesses of that tick and sand-fly infested ti-tree that knew not the cunning of a stockman's hand."

1894. `Melbourne Museum Catalogue—Economic Woods':

"No. 133, Coast tea-tree, Leptospermum laevigatum,
F. v. M. No. 142, Swamp tea-tree, Melaleuca ericifolia,
Smith."

<hw>Teetee</hw>. Same as Ti-Ti (q.v.).

<hw>Telopea</hw>, n. scientific name of the genus containing the flower called the Waratah (q.v.), from the Greek taelowpos, `seen from afar,' in allusion (as the author of the name, Robert Brown, himself says) to the conspicuous crimson flowers. The name has been corrupted popularly into Tulip, and the flower is often called the Native Tulip.

1835. Ross, `Hobart Town Almanack,' p. 110:

"The beautiful crimson flowering shrub, with dark green rhododendron-like leaves, which grows in the upper region of Mount Wellington. . . . The generic name is derived from telopos, seen at a distance. It has been corrupted into tulip tree, to which it bears not the least resemblance."

<hw>Tena koe</hw>, a Maori salutation used in North Island of New Zealand. Lit. "That is you," and meaning "How do you do?"

Tena and Tera both mean `that'; but tena implies the idea of nearness, `that near you,' tera the idea of distance, `that (or there) away yonder.' Hence, while Tena koe is a welcome, Tera koe would be an insult.

<hw>Tench</hw>, n. slang term, used during the days of transportation, for the Hobart Town Penitentiary, or Prisoners' Barracks—a corruption of "'tentiary," which is for Penitentiary. It is now obsolete.

1859. Caroline Leakey, `The Broad Arrow,' vol. ii. p. 32:

"Prisoners' barracks, sir—us calls it Tench."

<hw>Teraglin</hw>, n. a fish of New South Wales, Otolithus atelodus, Gunth. The name Teraglin is stated to be aboriginal. Sometimes called Jew-fish (q.v.).

<hw>Thickhead</hw>, n. the name applied to the Australian birds of the genus Pachycephala (q.v.). They are often called Thrushes. The species are—

The Banded Thickhead
Pachycephala pectoralis, Vig. and Hors.

Black T.—
P. melanura, Gould.

Gilbert's T.—
P. gilbertii, Gould.

Grey-tailed T.—
P. glaucura, Gould (confined to Tasmania).

Lunated T.—
P. falcata, Gould.

Olivaceous T.—
P. olivacea, Vig. and Hors. (confined to Tasmania).

Pale-breasted T.—
P. pallida, Ramsay.

Plain-coloured T.—
P. simplex, Gould.

Red-throated T.—
P. rufigularis, Gould.

Rufous-breasted T.—
P. rufiventris, Lath.

Shrike-like T.—
Pachycephala lanoides, Gould.

Torres-straits T.—
P. fretorum, De Vis.

Western T.—
P. occidentalis, Ramsay.

White-throated T.— P. gutturalis, Lath.; called also the Thunder-bird (q.v.).

1890. `Victorian Statutes—Game Act' (Third Schedule):

"Thick-heads. [Close season.] From the first day of August to the twentieth day of December next following in each year."

<hw>Thornback</hw>, n. special name for one of the Stingrays, Raia lemprieri, Richards., or Raja rostata, Castln., family Raijdae.

1875. `Melbourne Spectator,' Aug. 28, p. 201, col. 3:

"A thornback skate . . . weighing 109 lbs., has been caught . . . at North Arm, South Australia."

<hw>Thousand-Jacket</hw>, n. a North Island name for Ribbon-wood (q.v.), a New Zealand tree. Layer after layer of the inner bark can be stripped off.

1888. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iii. p. 210:

"Koninny [sic], raupo, toi-toi, supplejack, thousand-jacket, and the like, are names of things known well enough to the inhabitants of Napier and Taranaki, but to the average stay-at-home Englishman they are nouns which only vexatiously illustrate the difference between names and things."

1889. T. Kirk, `Flora of New Zealand,' p. 87:

"Hoheria populnea. The Houhere. Order—Malvaceae. . . In the north of Auckland the typical form is known as `houhere'; but Mr. Colenso informs me the varieties are termed `houi' and `whau-whi' in the south . . . By the settlers all the forms are termed `ribbon-wood,' or less frequently `lace-bark'— names which are applied to other plants: they are also termed `thousand-jacket.'"

1896. `The Australasian,' Aug. 28, p. 407, col. 5:

"`Thousand-jacket' is a picturesque name for a many-named New Zealand tree, the bark of which peels, and peels, and peels again, though in the number chosen there is certainly a note of exaggeration."

<hw>Throwing-stick</hw>, n. native Australian weapon, by means of which the spear is thrown. See Woomera.

1802. G. Barrington, `History of New South Wales,' c. i. p. 12:

"The principals who perform it come from, Cammer-ray, armed with shields, clubs, and throwing-sticks."

Ibid. c. i. p. 26:

"The throwing-stick is used in discharging the spear. The instrument is from two to three feet in length, with a shell on one end and a hook on the other."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. p. 72:

"Natives . . . seemingly ignorant of the use of the throwing-stick."

1879. J. D. Woods, `Native Tribes of South Australia,' Introd. p. xviii:

"The spear is propelled by a wommerah or throwing-stick, having at one end a kangaroo's tooth, fixed so as to fit into a notch at the end of the spear. This instrument gives an amount of leverage far beyond what would be excited by unaided muscular strength."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 251:

"It is supposed that if the hair of a person is tied on the end of the throwing-stick. . . and roasted before the fire with some kangaroo fat, the person to whom it belonged will pine away and die."

1885. H. H. Hayter, `Carboona,' p. 24:

"Warrk Warrk, having a dart on his throwing-stick ready adjusted, hurled it."

<hw>Thrush</hw>, n. This common English bird-name is applied in Australia and New Zealand to four different genera of birds, viz.—

(1) Collyriocincla, the Shrike-Thrushes (q.v.); the name Collyriocincla is a compound of two Greek bird-names, kolluriown /corr. from kolluriowu in Morris/, `a bird, probably of the thrush kind, Arist. H. A. 9, 23, 2' (`L. & S.' /1869 p.864/), and kigalos, `a kind of wag-tail or water-ousel' (`L. & S.'). The next two genera are derived in a similar way from gaer, earth, and 'opos, mountain.

(2) Geocincla, the Ground-Thrushes (q.v.).

(3) Oreocincla, the Mountain-Thrush (q.v.).

(4) Pachycephala (q.v.); called Thrushes, but more often Thickheads (q.v.).

(5) Turnagra (the New Zealand Thrushes), viz.—

T. hectori, Buller, North Island Thrush. T. crassirostris, Gmel., South Island Thrush.

The name Thrush was also applied loosely, by the early writers and travellers, to birds of many other genera which have since been more accurately differentiated. The common English thrush has been acclimatised in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.

<hw>Thunder-bird</hw>, n. an early name for one of the Thickheads (q.v.), or Pachycephalae (q.v.). See also quotation, 1896.

1827. Vigors and Horsfield, `Transactions of Linnaean Society,' vol. xv. p. 239:

"`This species,' Mr. Caley says, `is called Thunder-bird by the colonists. . . . The natives tell me, that when it begins to thunder this bird is very noisy.'"

1848. J. Gould,' Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 64:

"Pachycephala Gutturalis, Thunder Bird, Colonists of New South Wales."

1896. A. J. North, `List of the Insectivorous Birds of New South Wales,' part i. p. 3:

"Pachycephala gutturalis, Latham. `Yellow-breasted Thick-head.' . . . From its habit of starting to sing immediately after a clap of thunder, the report of a gun, or any other loud and sudden noise, it is known to many residents of New South Wales as the Thunder-bird.'

"Pachycephala rufiventris, Latham. `Rufous-breasted
Thickhead.' . . . Also known as the `Thunder-bird.'"

<hw>Thunder-dirt</hw>, n. In New Zealand, a gelatinous covering of a fungus (Ileodictyon cibarium) formerly eaten by the Maoris.

<hw>Thylacine</hw>, and <hw>Thylacinus</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus of the animal called variously the Tasmanian Tiger (q.v.), Hyaena, Tasmanian Wolf, Zebra Wolf, and Marsupial Wolf. The first spelling is the Anglicised form of the word. (Grk. thulakos, a pouch, and kuown, a dog.)

1894. R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia,' p. 153:

"The Thylacine appears to be generally found among caverns and rocks and the deep and almost impenetrable glens in the neighbourhood of the highest mountains of Tasmania."

<hw>Ti</hw>, n. the name of various species of trees of the genus Cordyline, N.O. Liliaceae. It exists in the Pacific Islands as C. Ti, and in New Zealand the species are C. australis and C. indivisa. It is called in New Zealand the Cabbage-tree (q.v.), and the heart used to be eaten by the settlers. The word is Polynesian. In Hawaiian, the form is Ki; in Maori, Ti. Compare Kanaka (q.v.) and Tangata. By confusion, Tea, in Tea-tree (q.v.), is frequently spelt Ti, and Tea-tree is sometimes spelt Ti-tri (q.v.).

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 58:

"In these natural shrubberies, too, and especially in wet situations, a kind of cabbage-tree, called ti by the natives, flourishes to great abundance."

1855. Rev. R. Taylor,' Te Ika a Maui,' p. 435:

"The ti (Cordyline australis or Dracoena australis) is found in great abundance. Though so common, it has a very foreign look . . . the leaf is that of a flag, the flower forms a large droop and is very fragrant."

1866. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 52:

"Ti-ti palms are dotted here and there, and give a foreign and tropical appearance to the whole."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 297:

"An abundance of narrow strips of the tough, fibrous leaves of the ti-palm."

1890. W. Colenso, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xviii. art. lvii. p. 486:

"In these plains stand a number of cabbage-trees (Cordyline Australis), the ti-trees of the Maori. These often bear only a single head of long narrow harsh leaves at the top of their tall slender stems, but sometimes they are slightly branched, the branches also only bearing a similar tuft."

1892. `Otago Witness,' Dec. 22, p. 7, col. 2:

"A small grove of ti-palms or cabbage-tree."

<hw>Tiaki</hw> (spelt also <hw>Tieke</hw>), n. Maori name for the Saddle-back or Jack-bird (q.v.).

1835. W. Yate, `Account of New Zealand,' p. 56:

"Tiaki or purourou. This elegant bird is about the size of the sky-lark."

<hw>Tieke</hw>, n. Same as Tiaki (q.v.).

<hw>Tiers</hw>, pl. n. used in Tasmania as the usual word for mountains, in the same way as the word Ranges (q.v.) in Australia.

1876. W. B. Wildey, `Australasia and Oceanic Region,' p. 320:

"Two chains of mountains, the eastern and western tiers, run through it nearly north and south."

1891. `The Australasian,' April 4, p. 670, col. 2:

"That stuff as they calls horizontal, a mess of branches and
root,
The three barren tiers; and the Craycroft, that 'ud settle
a bandicoot."

<hw>Tiersman</hw>, n. Tasmanian word for one who lives in the Tiers (q.v.).

1852. F. Lancelott, `Australia as it is,' vol. ii. p. 115:

"Splatters, or, as they are commonly called tiersmen, reside in the forest of stringy bark . . ."

<hw>Tiger-Cat</hw>, n. special name applied to the Common and Spotted-tailed Native Cat. See under Cat.

1832. J. Bischoff, `Van Diemen's Land,' c. ii. p. 52:

"The skins of the . . . opossum, tiger-cat, and platypus . . . are exported."

1852. Ronald C. Gunn, `Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land,' vol. ii. p. 11:

"Dasyurus maculatus, Shaw. . . . The Spotted Martin, Phillip's `Voy. to Botany Bay, p. 276. Martin Cat,' pl. 46. `Tiger Cat' of the Colonists of Tasmania, to which island it is confined. It is distinguished from D. viverrinus, the `Native Cat' of the Colonists, by its superior size and more robust form; also from the tail being spotted as well as the body."

1891. `Guide to the Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':

"After the opossums comes a specimen of the tiger-cat (Dasyurus maculatus); this animal, which is so destructive to poultry, is well known throughout the country in Victoria."

<hw>Tiger, Tasmanian</hw>. See Thylacine and Tasmanian Tiger.

<hw>Tiger-Snake</hw>, n. See under Snake.

<hw>Tihore</hw>, n. Maori name for a species of New Zealand flax. Name used specially in the North Island for the best variety of Phormium (q.v.).

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 286:

"The species of Phormium tenax thus cultivated is the tihore, literally the `skinning' flax. This name describes the ease with which it submits to the scraping process."

<hw>Tiki</hw>, n. Maori name for the Creator of man, and thence taken to represent an ancestor. The Maoris made large wooden images to represent their Tiki, and gave the name of Tiki to these images. Later they were made in miniature in greenstone (q.v.), and used as neck ornaments. See Heitiki.

<hw>Tit</hw>, n. common English bird name. Applied in Australia to the following species—

Broad-tailed Tit—
Acanthiza apicalis, Gould.

Brown T.—
A. pusilla, Lath.

Buff T.—
Geobasileus reguloides, V. and H.

Chestnut-rumped T.—
Acanthiza uropygialis, Gould.

Little T.—
A. nana, Vig. and Hors.

Plain T.—
A. inornata, Gould.

Red-rumped T.—
A. pyrrhopygia, Gould.

Scaly-breasted T.—
A. squamata, De Vis.

Scrub T.—
Sericornis magna, Gould.

Striated T.—
Acanthiza lineata, Gould.

Tasmanian T.—
A. diemenensis, Gould; called also Brown-tail.

Yellow-rumped T.—
Geobasileus chrysorrhoea, Quoy and Gaim.