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Plum, Burdekin, or Sweet Plum, n. a timber tree, Spondias pleiogyna, F. v. M., N.O. Anacardiaceae. Wood like American walnut.

Plum, Grey, 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.).

Plum, Native, or Wild Plum, 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.

Plum, Queensland, n. i.q. Sweet Plum (q.v. infra).

Plum, Sour, n. another name for Emu-Apple (q.v.).

Plum, Sweet, 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."

Plum, White, n. local name for Acacia (q.v.).

Plum, Wild, n. i.q. Native Plum (q.v.).

Plum-tree, n. the tree, Buchanania mangoides, F. v. M., N.O. Anacardiaceae.

Podargus, 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."

Poddly, 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."

Poddy, n. a Victorian name for the Sand-Mullet. See Mullet.

Poe, 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."

Pohutukawa, 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."

Pointers, 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."

Poison-berry Tree, 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 YorkPeninsula; Native Willow, Poison-berry Tree (South Australia).The berries are not poisonous—only bitter."

Poison-Bush, 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."

Poison-Tree, or Poisonous Tree, n. another name for the Milky Mangrove. See Mangrove. The Scrub Poison-Tree is Exsaecaria dallachyana, Baill., N.O. Euphorbiaceae.

Pomegranate, Native, n. another name for the Caper-tree(q.v.).

Pomegranate, Small Native, n. another name for the Native Orange. See Orange.

Pongo, 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."

Poor-Soldier, or Soldier-Bird (q.v.), n. another name for the Friar-bird (q.v.), and so named from its cry.

Poplar, n. In Queensland, a timber-tree, Carumbium populifolium, Reinw., N.O. Euphorbiaceae. In Central Australia, the Radish-tree (q.v.).

Poplar-Box, n. See Box.

Poplar-leaved Gum, n. See Gum.

Porangi, 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—sheWas foolish—was `porangi'—and would beBetter 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."

Porcupine, Ant-eating, i.q. Echidna (q.v.).

Porcupine-Bird, 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.'"

Porcupine-Fish, 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.

Porcupine-Grass, 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 flintsAnd 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."

Porcupine-grass Ant, 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."

Porcupine-Parrot, 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 theyhide during the day, a good dog is necessary to find them.They are locally known as the `Porcupine Parrot.'"

Poroporo, 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."

Porphyrio, 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 strutsAmong the cool thick rushes."

1890. `Victorian Statutes-the Game Act' (Third Schedule):

[Close Season.] ". . . Land-rail, all other members of theRail family, Porphyrio, Coots, &c. From the First day ofAugust to the Twentieth day of December following."

Port-Arthur Plum. See Plum, Native.

Port-Jackson Fig, n. See Fig.

Port-Jackson Shark, 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 ofAustralia."

Port-Jackson Thrush, 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 SouthWales."

[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 theAustralian birds, having been described in Latham's `IndexOrnithologicus,' figured in White's `Voyage' and included inthe works of all subsequent writers."

Port-Macquarie Pine. See Pine.

Post-and-Rail Tea, 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 landHave with some humour named the `post-and-rail.'"

Potato-Fern, n. a fern (Marattia fraxinea, Smith) with a large part edible, sc. the basal scales of the frond. Called also the Horseshoe-fern.

Potato, Native, 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."

Potoroo, 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."

Potorous, 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.

Pouched-lion, or Marsupial Lion, 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.

Pouched-Mouse, 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.

Pounamu, or Poenamu, 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."

Pratincole, 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.

Pre-empt, 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."

Pretty-Faces, 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."

Prickfoot, n. a Tasmanian plant, Eryngium vesiculosum, Lab., N.O. Umbelliferae.

Prickly Fern, 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.)."

Prickly Mimosa, 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."

Prickly Pine, n. See Pine.

Prickly Wattle, n. See Wattle.

Primage, 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.

Primrose, Native, 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.

Prion, 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 theBlue Petrels, has been kept [in Australia] as an English name."

Prop, 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."

Prop, 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."

Prospect, 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."

Prospect, 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."

Prospecting, 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."

Prospecting Claim = 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."

Prospector, 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, withthe result that he discovered the first payable gold on theWest Coast, for which he obtained a reward claim."

Pseudochirus, 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.)

Psophodes, 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.)

Ptilonorhynchinae, n. pl. scientific name assigned to the Australian group of birds called the Bower-birds (q.v.). (Grk. ptilon, a feather, rhunchos, a beak.)

Pudding-ball, 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."

Pukeko, 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."

Punga, 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."

Punga-punga, 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."

Puriri, 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.'"

Purple Berry, 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.]

Purple Broom, n. See Broom.

Purple Coot, n. another name for the Swamp-Hen (q.v.).

Purple Fig, n. See under Fig-tree.

Push, 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."

Pyrrholaemus, n. scientific name of the genus of the Australian birds called the Red-throats; from Grk. purros, "flame-coloured," "red," and laimos, "throat."

Quail, 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."

Quail-Hawk, 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."

Quandong, 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."

Quart-pot, 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."

Quart-pot Tea, 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."

Quartz, 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."

Quartz-battery, 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."

Quartz-blade, 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."

Quartz-crushing, adj. See Quartz.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. xxxix. p. 341:

"The dull reverberating clash of the quartz-crushing batteries."

Quartz-field, n. a non-alluvial goldfield.

1890. `The Argus,' June 16, p. 6, col. 1:

"Our principal quartz-field."

Quartz-lodes, and Quartz-mining. 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."

Quartz-reefer, n. a miner engaged in Quartz-reefing, as distinguished from one digging in alluvial. See above.

Quartz-reefing, 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."

Queensland, 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."

Queensland Asthma-Herb, n. See Asthma-Herb.

Queensland Bean. n. See Bean.

Queensland Beech, n. See Beech.

Queensland Ebony, n. See Ebony.

Queensland Hemp, n. See Hemp.

Queensland Kauri, n. another name for Dundathu Pine. See Kauri and Pine.

Queensland Nut, 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."

Queensland Nutmeg, n. a timber-tree, Myristica insipida, R. Br., N.O. Myristiceae. Not so strongly aromatic as the true nutmeg.

Queensland Plum, n. See Plum, Sweet.

Queensland Poplar, n. See under Poplar.

Queensland Sorrel, n. a plant, Hibiscus heterophyllus, Vent., N.O. Malvaceae, chewed by the aborigines, as boys chew English Sorrel.

Queenwood, n. a timber-tree, Davidsonia pruriens, F. v. M., N.O. Leguminosae.

Quince, Native, n. i.q. Bitter-bark, Emu-Apple, and Quinine-tree, all which see.

Quince, Wild, n. another name for the Black Ash-tree. See Ash.

Quinine-Tree, n. i.q. Horseradish Tree (q.v.), and used also for the Bitter-bark or Emu-Apple Tree (q.v.).

Quoll, 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." /?/


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