X

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kumai,' p. 265:

"Wombat is cooked, then opened and skinned."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 81:

"The wombat is very powerful, and can turn a boulder almost as large as itself out of the way when it bars the road."

1889. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iv. p. 183:

"There are large numbers of wombats in the district, and these animals, burrowing after the fashion of rabbits, at times reach great depths, and throw up large mounds."

1894. `The Argus,' June 23, p. 11, col. 4:

"The wombat's grunt is strictly in harmony with his piggish appearance."

Wombat-hole, n. hole made by Wombat (q.v.).

1891. Mrs. Cross (Ada Cambridge), `The Three Miss Kings,' p. 181:

"He took them but a little way from where they had camped, and disclosed in the hillside what looked like a good-sized wombat or rabbit-hole."

Wommera. See Woomera.

Wonga, n. aboriginal name for the bulrush, Typha angustifolia, Linn. It is the same as the Raupo (q.v.) of New Zealand, and is also known as Bulrush, Cat's Tail and Reed Mace, and in Europe as the `Asparagus of the Cossacks.' For etymology, see next word.

Wonga-wonga, n. an Australian pigeon, Leucosarcia picata, Lath.; it has very white flesh. The aboriginal word wonga is explained as coming from root signifying the idea of `quiver motion,' `sudden springing up' and the word is thus applied as a name for the bulrush, the vine, and the pigeon. Some, however, think that the name of the pigeon is from the bird's note. In Gippsland, it was called by the natives Wauk-wauk-au, sc. `that which makes wauk-wauk.'

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i. p. 321:

"We have a large pigeon named the Wanga-wanga, of the size and appearance of the ringdove, which is exquisite eating also."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. c. x. p. 314:

"At Captain King's table I tasted the Wonga-wonga pigeon."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. v. pl. 63:

"Leucosarcia Picata, Wonga-wonga, Aborigines of New South Wales; White-fleshed and Wonga-wonga Pigeon, Colonists of New South Wales."

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1855), c. i. p. 12:

"A delicate wing of the Wonga-wonga pigeon."

1860. G. Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 174:

"Nothing can surpass in delicacy the white flesh of theWonga-wonga (Leucosarcia picata)."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 213:

"Hark! there goes a Wonga-wonga, high up in the topmost branches of the great cedar."

1891. `Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':

"The Wonga-Wonga (Leucosarcia Picata) is also represented. This Pigeon, though less bright in plumage than the last-named, exceeds it in size; both are excellent eating."

Wonga-wonga Vine, n. a name for the hardy, evergreen climber, Tecoma australis, R. Br., N.O. Bignoniaceae. There are several varieties, all distinguished by handsome flowers in terminal panicles. They are much cultivated in gardens and for ornamental bower-trees.

Woodhen, n. a name given to several birds of New Zealand of the Rail family, and of the genus Ocydromus; some of them are called by the Maori name of Weka (q.v.). The species are—

Black Woodhen— Ocydromus fuscus, Du Bus.; Maori name, Weka-pango.

Brown W.—O. earli, Gray.

Buff W.—O. australis, Gray; called also Weka.

North-Island W.—O. brachypterus, Buller; called also Weka.

South-Island W.—Same as Buff W.; see above.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 95:

"Two young weka, or wood-hens, about as large as sparrows . . . were esteemed a valuable addition to our scanty supper."

1889. Vincent Pyke, `Wild Will Enderby,' p. 82:

"We-ka! we-ka! we-ka! Three times the plaintive cry of the `wood hen `was heard. It was a preconcerted signal."

Wood-duck, n. a name given by the colonists of New South Wales and "Swan River" to the Maned Goose, Branta jubata, Latham.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 147:

"The wood-duck (Bernicla jubata) abounded on the larger water-holes."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vii. pl. 3:

"Bernicla jubata, Maned Goose; Wood-Duck, Colonists of New South Wales and Swan River."

Wood Natives, or Wood Savages, obsolete names for the Australian aborigines.

1817. O'Hara, `History of New South Wales,' p. 161:

". . . robbed by a number of the inland or wood natives . . ."

Ibid. p. 201:

"The combats of the natives near Sydney were sometimes attended by parties of the inland or wood savages."

Wooden Pear, n. a tree peculiar to New South Wales and Queensland, Xylomelum pyriforme, Smith, N.O. Proteaceae; called also Native Pear.

1860. G. Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 322:

"The Wooden Pear-tree of the colonists (Xylomelum pyriforme) is peculiar to Australia; its general appearance is very ornamental, especially when the tree is young; the flowers grow in clusters in long spikes, but are not conspicuous. This tree attains the height of from fifteen to twenty feet, and a circumference of six to eight feet. It is branchy; the wood is of dark colour, and being prettily marked, would form an ornamental veneering for the cabinet-maker. When young, in the Australian bush, this tree bears a close resemblance to the young Warratah, or Tulip-tree (Telopea speciosissima)."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 615:

"Native Pear-Wooden Pear. This moderate-sized tree produces a dark-coloured, prettily-marked wood. It is occasionally used for making picture-frames, for ornamental cabinet-work, for veneers, and walking-sticks. When cut at right-angles to the medullary rays it has a beautiful, rich, sober marking."

Woollybutt, a name given to one of the Gum trees, Eucalyptus longifolia, Link. See Gum.

1843. James Backhouse, `Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies,' p. 445 (October 1836.):

"One called here the Woolly Butted Gum seems identical with the black butted gum of Tasmania."

1894. `Melbourne Museum Catalogue Economic Woods,' p. 28:

"The Woollybutt grown at Illawarra is in very high repute for wheelwright's work "

Woolly-headed Grass, n. an indigenous Australian grass, Andropogon bombycinus, R. Br.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 72:

"Woolly-headed Grass, a valuable pasture-grass, highly spoken of by stock-owners, and said to be very fattening."

Wool-man, n. aboriginal mispronunciation of old man (q.v.).

1830. Robert Dawson, `The Present State of Australia,' p. 139:

"The male kangaroos were called by my natives old men, `wool-man,' and the females, young ladies, `young liddy.'"

Wool-shed, n. the principal building of a station, at which the shearing and wool-packing is done. Often called the Shed.

1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, `Port Phillip,' vol. ii. p. 23:

"In some instances the flood has swept away the wool-sheds."

1851. `Australasian' [Quarterly], vol. i. p. 298:

". . . we next visit the `wool-shed,' and find the original slab-built shed has been swept away, to make room for an imposing erection of broad-paling . . ."

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 126:

"The wool-shed is a large building open on every side, with a high-pitched roof,—all made of wood and very rough. The sheep are driven in either at one end or both, or at three sides, according to the size of the station and the number of sheep to be shorn. They are then assorted into pens, from which the shearers take them on to the board;—two, three or four shearers selecting their sheep from each pen. The floor, on which the shearers absolutely work, is called `the board.'"

1890. `The Argus,' Aug. 9, p. 4, col. 1:

"You would find them down at Reed's wool-shed now."

Woomera, n. an aboriginal name for a throwing-stick (q.v.); spelt in various ways (seven in the quotations), according as different writers have tried to express the sound of the aboriginal word.

1793. Governor Hunter, `Voyage,' p. 407 [in a Vocabulary]:

"Womar—a throwing stick."

1798. D. Collins, `Account of English Colony in New South Wales,' p. 613:

"Wo-mer-ra—throwing stick."

1814. L. E. Threlkeld, `Australian Grammar' [as spoken on Hunter's River, etc.], p. 10:

"As a barbarism—wommerru, a weapon."

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 240:

"Pieces of hard iron-bark to represent their war weapon, the womerah . . . the whirling womerahs."

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia,' vol. ii. p. 342:

"The spear is thrown by means of a wammera, which is a slight rod, about three feet long, having at one end a niche to receive the end of a spear."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 492:

"But showed the greatest reluctance in parting with their throwing-sticks (wommalas)."

185o. J. B. Clutterbuck, `Port Phillip in 1849,' p. 58:

"They employ also, as a warlike weapon, a smaller kind of spear or javelin, which is discharged by means of a notched stick called a Woomera; and with this simple artillery I have seen them strike objects at 150 yards' distance. They also employ this minor spear in capturing the Bustard."

1863. M. K. Beveridge, `Gatherings among the Gum-trees,' p. 13:

"Then the Wamba Wamba warriors,Sprang unto their feet with TchgrelsReady fitted to their Womrahs."

Ibid. (In Glossary) pp. 84, 85:

"Tchgrel, reed spear. Womrah, spear heaver."

1868. J. Bonwick, `John Batman, the Founder of Victoria,' p. 20:

"Taking with him, therefore, on board the Port Phillip, presents of spears, wommeras, boomerangs, and stone tomahawks, he tried to get from the Williamstown waters."

1889. P. Beveridge, `Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina,' p. 48:

"Spears all ready shipped, that is, having the hook of the Womerar (throwing-stick) placed in the small cavity made for that purpose in the end of the spear, with both raised in readiness for launching at the object."

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

"The `womara' is an instrument of wood, from twenty-four to thirty inches long, and a little thicker than a spear. Unlike the spear, it is not thrown at the enemy in battle, but remains always in the black man's hand . . . he ornaments it profusely, back and front. . . . The point is turned up, exactly like the point of a lady's crochet needle. . . . The spears have a dimpled hole worked in their butt end, which hole receives the point of the hook end of the `throw-stick.'"

Worm-Snake, n. See under Snake.

Wrasse, n. This English name for many fishes is given, in New Zealand, to Labrichthys bothryocosmus, Richards. Called also Poddly, Spotty, and Kelp-fish.

Wreck-fish, n. The Australian species is Polyprion ceruleum, family Percoidae. Guenther says that the European species has the habit of accompanying floating wood. Hence the name.

Wren, n. This common English bird-name is assigned in Australia to birds of several genera, viz.—

Banded Wren—Malurus splendens, Quoy and Gaim.

Black-backed W.—M. melanotus, Gould.

Blue W.—M. cyaneus, Lath.

Blue-breasted W.—M. pulcherrimus, Gould.

Bower's W.—M. cruentatus, Gould.

Chestnut-rumped Ground W.—Hylacola pyrrhopygia, Vig. and Hors.

Emu-wren (q.v.)—Stipiturus malachurus, Lath.

Goyder's Grass W.—Amytis goyderi, Gould.

Grass W.— A. textilis, Quoy and Gaim.; called by Gould the Textile Wren.

Large-tailed Grass W.—A. macrura, Gould.

Longtailed W.—Malurus gouldii, Sharpe.

Lovely W.—M. amabilis, Gould.

Orange-backed W.—M. melanocephalus, Vig. and Hors.

Purple-crowned W.—M. coronatus, Gould.

Red-rumped Ground W.—Hylacola cauta, Gould.

Red-winged W.—Malurus elegans, Gould.

Silvery Blue W.—M. cyanochlamys, Gould.

Striated Grass W.— Amytis striatus, Gould; called also the Porcupine bird (q.v.).

Turquoise W.—Malurus callainus, Gould.

Variegated W.—M. lamberti, Vig. and Hors.

White-backed W.—M. leuconotus, Gould.

White-winged W.—M. leucopterus, Quoy and Gaim.

See also Scrub-Wren.

In New Zealand, the name is applied to the Bush-Wren, Xenicus longipes, Gmel., and the Rock (or Mountain) Wren, X. gilviventris, von Pelz.

Wry-billed Plover, n. a very rare bird of New Zealand, Anarhynchus frontalis, Quoy and Gaim.

1889. Prof. Parker, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,' p. 116:

"The curious wry-billed plover . . . the only bird known in which the bill is turned not up or down, but to one side—the right."

Wurley, n. aboriginal name for an aboriginal's hut. For other words expressing the same thing, see list under Humpy. In the dialect of the South-East of South Australia oorla means a house, or a camp, or a bird's nest.

1862. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 110:

"Seeking, hoping help to find;Sleeping in deserted wurleys."

1865. W. Howitt, `Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 233:

"Immediately went across to the blacks' wurleys, where I foundKing sitting in a but which the natives had made for him."

1879. G. Taplin, `Native Tribes of South Australia,' p. 12, and Note:

"In case of a man having two wives, the elder is always regarded as the mistress of the hut or wurley. The word wurley is from the language of the Adelaide tribe. The Narrinyeri word is mante. I have used `wurley' because it is more generally understood by the colonists."

1880. P. J. Holdsworth, `Station Hunting on the Warrego':

"`My hand

Must weather-fend the wurley'. This he did.He bound the thick boughs close with bushman's skill,Till not a gap was left where raging showersOr gusts might riot. Over all he stretchedStrong bands of cane-grass, plaited cunningly."

1886. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 42

"He tookHis axe, and shaped with boughs and wattle-forksA wurley, fashioned like a bushman's roof."

Xanthorrhoea, n. scientific name for a genus of Australian plants, N.O. Liliaceae, having thick palm-like trunks. They exude a yellow resin. (Grk. Xanthos, yellow, and rhoia, a flow, sc. of the resin.) They are called Black Boys and Grass-trees (q.v.).

Yabber, n. Used for the talk of the aborigines. Some think it is the English word jabber, with the first letter pronounced as in German; but it is pronounced by the aborigines yabba, without a final r. Ya is an aboriginal stem, meaning to speak. In the Kabi dialect, yaman is to speak: in the Wiradhuri, yarra.

1874. M. K. Beveridge, `Lost Life,' pt. iii. p. 37:

"I markedMuch yabber that I did not know."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 28:

"Longing to fire a volley of blacks' yabber across a London dinner-table."

1886. R. Henty, `Australiana,' p. 23:

"The volleys of abuse and `yabber yabber' they would then utter would have raised the envy of the greatest `Mrs. Moriarty' in the Billingsgate fishmarket."

1888. Rolf Boldrewood, `Robbery under Arms,' p. 55:

"Is it French or Queensland blacks' yabber? Blest if I understand a word of it."

Yabber, v. intr. (See noun.)

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 19:

"They yabbered unsuspiciously to each other."

1887. J. Farrell, `How he died,' p. 126:

"He's yabbering some sort of stuff in his sleep."

Yabby, n. properly Yappee, aboriginal name for a small crayfish found in water-holes in many parts of Australia, Astacopsis bicarinatus. The Rev. F. A. Hagenauer gives Yappy, in `Curr's Australian Race,' vol. iii. p. 554, as a Gippsland word. Such variants as the following occur—Yappitch, kapich, yabbechi, yaabity. The distinction between the thin and thick consonants is usually uncertain.

1894. `The Argus,' Oct. 6, p. 11, col. 2:

"In the case of small crayfish, called `yabbies,' . . . these may be found all over Australia, both in large and small lagoons. These creatures, whilst nearing a drought, and as the supply of water is about to fail, burrow deeply in the beds of the lagoons, water-holes, or swamps, piling up the excavations on the surface over their holes, which I take, amongst other reasons, to be a provision against excessive heat."

1897. `The Australasian,' Jan. 30, p. 224, col. 4:

"The bait used is `yabby,' a small crayfish found in the sand on the beach at low tide. The getting of the bait itself is very diverting. The yabbies are most prized by fish and fishermen, and the most difficult to obtain. The game is very shy, and the hunter, when he has found the burrow, has to dig rapidly to overtake it, for the yabby retires with marvellous rapidity, and often half a dozen lifts of wet sand have to be made before he is captured. There is no time to be lost. In quite twenty-five per cent. of the chases the yabbies get away through flooding and collapse of the hole."

Yakka, v. frequently used in Queensland bush-towns. "You yacka wood? Mine, give 'im tixpence;"—a sentence often uttered by housewives. It is given by the Rev. W. Ridley, in his `Kamilaroi, and other Australian Languages,' p. 86, as the Turrubul (Brisbane) term for work, probably cognate with yugari, make, same dialect, and yengga, make, Kabi dialect, Queensland. It is used primarily for doing work of any kind, and only by English modification (due to "hack") for cut. The spelling yacker is to be avoided, as the final r is not heard in the native pronunciation.

Yam, n. a West Australian tuber, Dioscorea hastifolia, Ness., N.O. Dioscorideae. "One of the hardiest of the Yams. The tubers are largely consumed by the local aborigines for food; it is the only plant on which they bestow any kind of cultivation." (Mueller, apud Maiden, p. 22.)

Yam, Long, n. a tuber, Discorea transversa, R. Br., N.O. Dioscorideae. "The small tubers are eaten by the aborigines without any preparation." (Thozet, apud Maiden, p. 23.)

Yam, Native, n. a tuber, Ipomaea spp., N.O. Convolvulaceae. The tubers are sometimes eaten by the aboriginals.

Yam, Round, n. i.q. Burdekin Vine, under Vine.

Yam-stick, n. See quotation 1882, Tolmer.

1863. M. K. Beveridge, `Gatherings,' p. 27.

"One leg's thin as Lierah's yamstick."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 195:

"Behind the pair stands the boy's mother holding her `yam-stick' erect, resting on the ground."

1882. A. Tolmer, `Reminiscences,' vol. ii. p. 101:

"The natives dig these roots with the yam-stick, an indispensable implement with them made of hard wood, about three feet in length, thick at one end and edged; it is likewise used amongst the aboriginal tribes of South Australia, like the waddy, as a weapon of offence."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. iii. p. 31:

"Why, ole Nanny fight you any day with a yam-stick."

Yama, n. aboriginal name for a tree; probably a variant of Yarrah (q.v.).

1838. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. ii. p. 54:

"The `Yama,' a species of the eucalyptus inhabiting the immediate banks, grew here, as on the Darling, to a gigantic size. . . . The `yama' is certainly a pleasing object, in various respects; its shining bark and lofty height inform the traveller at a distance of the presence of water; or at least the bed of a river or lake."

Yan Yean, n. the reservoir from which Melbourne obtains its water supply: hence commonly used for water from the tap.

1871. Dogberry Dingo, `Australian Rhymes and jingles,' p. 8:

"O horror! What is this I find?The Yan Yean is turned off."

Yarra-Bend, n. equivalent to the English word Bedlam. The first lunatic asylum of the colony of Victoria stood near Melbourne on a bend of the river Yarra.

Yarrah, n. aboriginal name for a species of Eucalyptus, E. rostrata, Schlecht; often called the River Gum, from its habit of growing along the banks of watercourses, especially in the dry interior of the continent. According to Dr. Woolls (apud Maiden, p. 511), Yarrah is "a name applied by the aboriginals to almost any tree." The word is not to be confused with Jarrah (q.v.). As to etymology, see Yarraman.

Yarra-Herring, n. name given in Melbourne to a fresh-water fish, Prototroctes maraena, Gunth.; called also Grayling (q.v.).

Yarraman, n. aboriginal name for a horse. Various etymologies are suggested; see quotation, 1875. The river "Yarra Yarra" means ever flowing, sc. fast.

[A possible derivation is from Yaran, a common word in New South Wales and South Queensland, and with slight variation one of the most common words in Australia, for beard and sometimes hair. The mane would suggest the name. —J. Mathew.]

1848. T. L. Mitchell, `Tropical Australia,' p. 270:

"It was remarkable that on seeing the horses, they exclaimed `Yarraman,' the colonial natives' name for a horse, and that of these animals they were not at all afraid, whereas they seemed in much dread of the bullocks."

1875. W. Ridley, `Kamilaroi and other Australian Languages,' p. 21:

"Horse-yaraman. All the Australians use this name, probably from the neighing of the horse, or as some think from `yira' or `yera,' teeth (teeth), and `man' (with)."

Ibid. p. 104:

"Language of George's River. Horse—yaraman (from `yara,' throw fast)."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 4:

"Yarraman being the native word for horse."

Yarran, n. aboriginal name adopted by the colonists for several Acacias (q.v.)—Acacia homalophylla, A. Cunn., called also Spearwood; A. linifolia, Willd., called also Sally; A. pendula, A. Cunn., called also Boree, and Weeping or True Myall (see Myall).

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 99:

"That infernal horse . . . pretty near broke my leg and chucked me out over a yarran stump."

Yate, or Yate-tree, n. a large West Australian tree, Eucalyptus cornuta, Labill., yielding a hard tough elastic wood considered equal to the best ash.

Yellow-belly, n. In New South Wales, the name is given to a fresh-water fish, Ctenolates auratus; called also Golden-Perch. See Perch. In Dunedin especially, and New Zealand generally, it is a large flounder, also called Lemon-Sole, or Turbot (q.v.).

Yellow Fever, sc. the gold-fever.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 47:

"Evident symptoms of the return of the `yellow' fever, and a journey to the new goldfields seemed to be the only cure."

Yellow-head, n. name given to a bird of New Zealand, Clitonyx ochrocephala, or Native Canary (q.v.), common in South Island. See Clitonyx.

Yellow Jacket, n. a name given to various gum-trees, and especially to Eucalyptus melliodora, Cunn., E. ochrophlora, F. v. M., and E. rostrata, Schlecht, all of the N.O. Myrtaceae. They all have a smooth yellowish bark, and many other names are applied to the same trees.

Yellow Lily, n. a Tasmanian name for the Native Leek. See Leek.

Yellow-tail, n. The name is given in Victoria to the fish Caranx trachurus, Cuv. and Val.; the Horse-Mackerel (q.v.) of England. In New South Wales, it is Trachurus declivis, a slightly different species, also called Scad; but the two fish are perhaps the same. Seriola grandis, Castln., also of the Carangidae family, is likewise called Yellow-tail in Melbourne. In New Zealand, the word is used for the fish Latris lineata, of the family of Sciaenidae, and is also a name for the King-fish, Seriola lalandii, and for the Trevally.

Yellow Thyme, n. a herb, Hibbertia serpyllifolia, R. Br., N.O. Dilleneaceae.

Yellow-wood, a name applied to several Australian trees with the epithets of Dark, Light, Deep, etc., in allusion to the colour of their timber, which is allied to Mahogany. They are—Acronychia laevis, Forst., N.O. Rutaceae; Rhus rhodanthema, F. v. M., N.O. Anacardiaciae; Flindersia oxleyana, F. v. M., N.O. Meliaceae. See also Satin-wood.

Yuro, n. i.q. Euro (q.v.).

Zebra-fish, n. name given to the fish Neotephraeops zebra, Richards.

Zebra-Wolf, n. i.q. Tasmanian Wolf, or Tasmanian Tiger (q.v.).

Zelanian, a scientific term, meaning `pertaining to New Zealand,' from Zelania, a Latinised form of Zealand.

Zosterops, n. the scientific name of a genus of Australian birds, often called also popularly by that name, and by the names of Wax-eye, White-eye, Silver-eye (q.v.), Ring-eye, Blight-bird (q.v.), etc. From the Greek zowstaer, a girdle, `anything that goes round like a girdle' (`L. & S.'), and 'owps, the eye; the birds of the genus have a white circle round their eyes. The bird was not generally known in New Zealand until after Black Thursday (q.v.), in 1851, when it flew to the Chatham Islands. Some observers, however, noted small numbers of one species in Milford Sound in 1832. New Zealand birds are rarely gregarious, but the Zosterops made a great migration, in large flocks, from the South Island to the North Island in 1856, and the Maori name for the bird is `The Stranger' (Tau-hou). Nevertheless, Buller thinks that the species Z. caerulescens is indigenous in New Zealand.

(See under Silver-eye, quotation 1888.)The species are—

Zosterops caerulescens, Lath.

Green-backed Z.— Z. gouldi, Bp.; called also Grape-eater, and Fig-eater (q.v.).

Gulliver's Z.—Z. gulliveri, Castln. and Ramsay.

Pale-bellied Z.—Z. albiventer, Homb. and Jacq.

Yellow Z.—Z. lutea, Gould.

Yellow-rumped Z.—Z. westernensis, Quoy and Gaim.

Yellow-throated Z.—Z. flavogularis, Masters.

1897. A. J. Campbell (in `The Australasian,' Jan. 23), p. 180, col. 3:

"I have a serious charge to prefer against this bird [the Tawny Honeyeater] as well as against some of its near relatives, particularly those that inhabit Western Australia, namely, the long-billed, the spine-billed, and the little white-eye or zosterops. During certain seasons they regale themselves too freely with the seductive nectar of the flaming bottle-brush (Callistemon). They become tipsy, and are easily caught by hand under the bushes.In the annals of ornithology I know of no other instance of birds getting intoxicated."

Edward E. Morris

Austral English: A Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases andUsages

End of Project Gutenberg's A Dictionary of Austral English, by Edward Morris

Back to IndexNext