Swamp-H. [See Harrier.]_Austral English

White Gos-H.--

Astur novae-hollandiae, Gm.

See also Nankeen-Hawk, and Night-Hawk.

In New Zealand, the varieties appear in the quotation,

1889.

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 206:

[A complete description.]

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

p. 117:

"Of the three species recognized, two, the quail-hawk (Harpa

Novae Zealandiae) and the bush-hawk (H. ferox) [or

sparrow-hawk], belong to a genus peculiar to New Zealand."

[The third is the New Zealand harrier, Circus Gouldi,

also found in Australia.]

<hw>Hazel</hw>, n. name applied in Victoria to the tree

Pomaderris apetala, Labill., N.O. Rhamnaceae.

1889. J. H. Maiden. `Useful Native Plants,' p. 590:

"Called `hazel' in `Victoria. A tall shrub, or small tree.

The wood is excellent, of a beautiful satiny texture, and

adapted for carvers' and turners' work. [Grows in] all the

colonies except Western Australia and Queensland."

<hw>Head</hw>, n. the rammer for crushing quartz in

gold-mining.

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p.7:

"Forty additional heads will be shortly added to the crushing

power, bringing the battery up to sixty heads."

<hw>Head-Station</hw>, n. the principal buildings,

including the owner's or manager's house, the hut, store, etc.,

of a sheep or cattle run.

1885. Mrs. Campbell Praed [Title]:

"The Head Station."

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

<hw>Heartsease</hw>, n. i.q. Brooklime, (q.v.).

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

<hw>Heartwood</hw>. n. See Ironwood.

<hw>Heath</hw>, n. In Tasmania, where the Epacris is of

very beautiful colour, this name is popularly used for

Epacris impressa, Labill., N.O. Epacrideae. See

Epacris.

<hw>Hedgehog-Fruit</hw>, n. Popular name applied to the

fruit of Echinocarpus australis, Benth.,

N.O. Tiliaceae. The tree is also called Maiden's

Blush (q.v.).

<hw>Hedge-Laurel</hw>, n. a name given to the tree

Mapau (q.v.), an evergreen shrub of New Zealand, of the

genus Pittosporum (q.v.). It has dark glossy foliage

and handsome flowers, and is planted and cultivated in the form

of tall garden hedges. See also Laurel.

<hw>Hei-tiki</hw>, n. Maori name for a neck ornament

made of greenstone (q.v.).

1835. W. Yate, `Account of New Zealand,' p. 151:

"The latter idea [that they are representatives of gods] was

conceived from the hei-tiki being taken off the neck, laid down

. . . and then wept and sung over."

1889. Dr. Hocken, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,'

p. 81:

"Hei means ornament for the neck. Tiki was the creator of man,

and these are the representations of him. By a sort of

license, they are occasionally taken to represent some renowned

ancestor of the possessor; but wooden Tikis, some of immense

size, usually represented the ancestors, and were supposed to

be visited by their spirits. These might be erected in various

parts of a pa, or to mark boundaries, etc. The Maories cling to

them as sacred heirlooms of past generations, and with some

superstitious reverence."

<hw>Helmet-Orchis</hw>, n. This English name is applied

in Australia to the orchid Pterostylis cucullata, R. Br.

1852. Mrs. Meredith, `My Home in Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 168:

"I also found three varieties of a singular green orchis,

of a helmet shape, growing singly, on rather tall slender

footstalks."

<hw>Hemp, Queensland</hw>, n. name given to the common

tropical weed Sida rhombifolia, Linn.,

N.O. Malvaceae. Called also Paddy Lucerne, and

in other colonies Native Lucerne, and Jelly Leaf.

It is not endemic in Australia.

<hw>Hemp-bush, n.</hw> the plant Plagianthus

pulchellus, A. Gray, N.O. Halvaceae, native of Australia

and New Zealand. Though not true hemp (cannabis), it

yields a fibre commercially resembling it.

<hw>He-Oak</hw>, n. See Oak and She-Oak.

Heron, n. common English bird-name. The species present

in Australia are--

Ashy Reef H.--

Demiegretta asha, Sykes.

Great-billed H.--

Ardea sumatrana, Rafll.

Grey H.--

A. cinerea, Linn.

Night H.--

Nycticorax caledonicus, Lath.

Reef H.--

Demiegretta sacra, Gmel.

White-fronted H.--

Ardea novae-hollandiae, Lath.

White-necked H.--

A. pacifica, Lath.

The Cranes and the Herons are often popularly confused.

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' p. 11:

"There did I shoot . . . a blue crane--the Australian heron."

<hw>Herring</hw>, n. Various species of

Clupeidae, to which the European Herring belongs, are

known by this name in Australasia, and the word is also applied

to an entirely different fish, Prototroctes maraena,

Gunth., the Yarra Herring, Freshwater Herring,

Grayling (q.v.), or Cucumber-Mullet, found in the

rivers of Victoria or Tasmania. The Clupeidae are

Clupea sagax (called also Maray, q.v., and

Pilchard), C. sundaica, C. hypselosoma

Bleek., C. novae-hollandiae, Cuv, and Val.,

C. vittata, Castln, (called the Smelt, q.v.), and

others. In Western Australia Chatoessus erebi,

Richards., is called the Perth Herring. See also

Picton Herring, Aua, and Sardine.

<hw>Herring-cale</hw>, n. name given in New South Wales

to the fish Olistherops brunneus, Macl., family Labridae, or

Wrasses.

<hw>Hickory</hw>, n. The name Hickory is

originally American, and is derived from the North-American

Indian; its earliest form was Pohickery. The tree

belongs to the genus Carya. The wood is excellent for

gig-shafts, carriage-poles, fishing-rods, etc. The name is

applied in Australia to various trees whose wood is suitable

for similar purposes. In Tasmania, the name Hickory is

given to Eriostemon squameus, Labill.,

N.O. Rutacea. Native Hickory, or Hickory-Acacia,

is Acacia leprosa, Sieb., N.O. Leguminosae, and

in the southern part of New South Wales, Acacia

melanoxylon. (Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 358.)

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. v. p. 35:

"The beautiful umbrageous blackwood, or native hickory, one of

the handsomest trees in Australia."

<hw>Hickory-Eucalypt</hw>, n. one of the names for the

tree Eucalyptus punctata, DeC., N.O. Myrtaceae.

Called also Leather-jacket (q.v.).

<hw>Hickory-Wattle</hw>, n. a Queensland name for

Acacia aulacocarpa, Cunn., N.O. Leguminosae;

called Hickory about Brisbane.

<hw>Hielaman</hw>, n. a word of Sydney and

neighbourhood. The initial h, now frequently used by

the natives, is not found in the earliest forms. The

termination man is also English. Elimang (Hunter),

e-lee-mong (Collins), hilaman (Ridley). A narrow shield of an

aboriginal, made of bark or wood. Notice Mr. Grant's

remarkable plural (1881 quotation).

1798. D. Collins, `Account of English Colony in New South

Wales,' p. 612:

"E-lee-mong-shield made of bark."

1834. L. E. Threlkeld, `Australian Grammar,' p. 5:

"As an initial, h occurs in only a few words,

such as hilaman, a `shield.'"

Ibid. p. 10:

"As a barbarism, `hillimung-a shield.'"

[A barbarism means with Mr. Threlkeld little more than "not

belonging to the Hunter district."]

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions into the Interior

of Eastern Australia,' vol. ii. p. 349:

"There is much originality in the shield or hieleman of these

people. It is merely a piece of wood, of little thickness, and

two feet, eight inches long, tapering to each end, cut to an

edge outwards, and having a handle or hole in the middle,

behind the thickest part."

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (edition 1355), p. 102:

"The hieleman or shield is a piece of wood, about two and a

half feet long, tapering to the ends, with a bevelled face not

more than four inches wide at the broadest part, behind which

the left hand passing through a hole is perfectly guarded."

1865. S. Bennett, `Australian Discovery,' p. 251:

"Hieleman, a shield. Saxon, heilan; English, helm or helmet

(a little shield for the head)."

[This is a remarkable contribution to philological lore. In no

dictionary is the Saxon "heilan" to be found, and a misprint

may charitably be suspected. There is no doubt that the

h is an English Cockney addition to the aboriginal word.

It would need an ingenious fancy to connect "e-leemong" with

"helm."]

1873. J. B. Stephens, `Black Gin, etc.,' p. 26:

"No faint far hearing of the waddies banging

Of club and heelaman together clanging,

War shouts and universal boomeranging."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 66:

"Nullah-nullahs, paddy-melon sticks, boomerangs, tomahawks,

and heelimen or shields lay about in every direction."

<hw>Hielaman-tree</hw>, n. another name for the

Bats-wing Coral (q.v.), Erythrina vespertilio,

Benth., N.O. Leguminosae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 426:

"`Heilaman [sic] tree.' The wood is soft, and used by

the aborigines for making their `heilamans' or shields."

<hw>Hinau</hw>, n. Maori name for the New Zealand tree,

Elaeocarpus dentatus, Vahl., N.O. Tiliaceae.

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,'

vol. ii. p. 317:

"Another export was much talked of. This was the bark of the

hinau, a large forest tree which abounds all over the country

near Cook's Strait. The natives extract from this bark the

black dye for their mats."

1873. `Catalogue of Vienna Exhibition':

"Hinau--a white wood used for turner's work."

Ibid.:

"The natives produce the black dye for their flax-work, for

which purpose the bark is first bruised and boiled for a short

time. When cold the flax is put into the mixture . . . it is

then steeped thoroughly for two days in red swamp mud, rich in

peroxide of iron."

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 130:

"Hinau, a small tree about fifty feet high and eighteen inches

thick in stem, with brown bark which yields a permanent

blue-black dye, used for tanning . . . used by Maoris for

colouring mats and baskets. Wood a yellowish brown colour and

close-grained; very durable for fencing and piles."

<hw>Hoki</hw>, n. a New Zealand fish, Coryphaenoides

novae-zelandiae. Coryphaenoides belongs to the

family Macruridae, which are deep-sea Gadoids. See

Tasmanian Whip-tail.

<hw>Holly, Native</hw>, n. name given in Australia to

the tree Lomatia ilicifolia, R. Br., N.O. Proteaceae,

and in Tasmania to Coprosma hirtella, Labill., N.O.

Rubiaceae; called also Coffee Plant.

<hw>Holly, Smooth</hw>, n. name given to the tree

Hedycarya angustifolia, A. Cunn.,

N.O. Monimiaceae; called also Native Mulberry.

<hw>Hollyhock-tree</hw>, n. name given to Hibiscus

splendens, Fraser, N.O. Malvaceae.

<hw>Holy City</hw>, n. a nickname for Adelaide. See

Farinaceous City.

1875. R. and F. Hill, `What we Saw in Australia,' p. 264:

". . . including so many churches that we are at a loss to

understand why Adelaide should, in virtue of her supposed

superabundance, be nicknamed by her neighbours the Holy City."

<hw>Holy-cross Toad</hw>, n. See Catholic Frog.

<hw>Holy-Dollar</hw>, n. punning name for a dollar out

of which a Dump (q.v.) had been punched.

1822. `Hobart Town Gazette,' Aug. 10 [Proclamation by Sir

Thomas Brisbane, Governor-in-Chief of New South Wales

and its dependencies, then including Van Diemen's Land]

"Whereas in the Year of our Lord 1813, it was deemed expedient

to send a Quantity of Spanish Dollars to the Colony. . . . And

whereas His Excellency, the then Governor, thought proper to

direct, that every such Dollar, with a small circular Piece of

Silver, struck out of its Centre, should be current within this

Territory, and every part thereof, for the Sum of Five

Shillings."

[These were called holy (holey) dollars, or ring

dollars, though the name does not occur in the above

quotation.]

1857. D. Bunce, `Australasiatic Reminiscences,' p. 59:

"We were more particularly struck with the character and

various kinds of currency [in Tasmania in 1833]. Our first

change for a pound consisted of two dumps, two holy dollars,

one Spanish dollar, one French coin, one half-crown, one

shilling, and one sixpence."

<hw>Honey-Ant</hw>, n. name given to various species of Ants,

in which the body of certain individuals becomes enormously

distended by sweet food with which they are fed by the worker

ants, for whom this store of honey serves as a food supply.

When the side of the distended abdomen is tapped, the ant

passes the `honey' out of its mouth, and it is then eaten.

Three species are known in Australia, Camponotus

inflatus, Lubbock; C. cowlei, Froggatt; and C.

midas, Froggatt. The aboriginal name of the first is

`Yarumpa.'

1896. W. W. Froggatt, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,'

pt. ii. p. 386:

"Our Australian honey ants belong to the genus Camponotus,

members of which are found to all parts of the world, and are

known as `sugar-ants,' from their fondness for all kinds of

sweets."

<hw>Honey-bird</hw>, n. See next word.

<hw>Honey-eater</hw>, n. an Australian bird, with a

tongue specially adapted for being formed into a tube for the

absorption of honey from flowers. The name is applied to the

following species--

Banded Honey-eater--

Myzomela pectoralis, Gould.

Black H.--

M. nigra, Gould.

Black-chinned H.--

Melithreptus gularis, Gould.

Black-headed H.--

M. melanocephalus, Gould.

Blue-faced H.--

Entomyza cyanotis, Swain. [See Blue-eye.]

Bridled H.--

Ptilotis frenata, Ramsay.

Broadbent H.--

Stigmatops alboauricularis, Ramsay.

Brown H.--

S. ocularis, Gould.

Brown-backed H.--

Glyciphila modesta, Gray.

Brown-headed H.--

Melithreptus brevirostrus.

Cockerill H.-

Ptilotis cockerelli, Gould.

Crescent H.--

Meliornis australasiana, Shaw.

Dusky H.--

Myzomela obscura, Gould.

Fasciated H.--

Ptilotis fasciogularis, Gould.

Fuscous H.--

P. fusca, Gould.

Gay H.--

Melithreptus vinitinatus, Gould.

Golden-backed H.--

M. latior, Gould.

Helmeted H.--

Ptilotis cassidix, Jard.

Least H.--

Stigmatops subocularis,

Long-billed H.--

Meliornis longirostris, Gould.

Moustached H.--

M. mystacalis, Gould.

New Holland H.--

M. novae-hollandiae, Lath.

Painted H.--

Entomophila picta, Gould.

Pied H.--

Certhionyx leucomelas, Cuv.

Red-headed Honey-eater--

Myzomela erythrocephala, Gould.

Red-throated H.--

Entomophila rufigularis,

Rufous-breasted H.--

E. albigularis, Gould.

Sanguineous H.--

Myzomela sanguineolenta, Lath. [See Blood-bird.]

Singing H.--

Ptilotis vittata, Cuv.

Spiny-cheeked H.--

Acanthochaea rufigularis, Gould.

Streak-naped H.--

Ptilotis filigera, Gould.

Striped H.--

Plectorhyncha lanceolata, Gould.

Strong-billed H.--

Melithreptus validirostris, Gould. [See also Cherry

picker.]

Tawny-crowned H.--

Glyciphila fulvifrons, Lewin.

Varied H.--

Ptilotis versicolor, Gould.

Warty-faced H.--

Meliphaga phrygia, Lath. (Called also the Mock

Regent-bird, q.v.)

Wattle-cheeked H.--

Ptilotis cratitia, Gould.

White-breasted H.--

Glyciphila fasciata, Gould.

White-cheeked H.--

Meliornis sericea, Gould.

White-eared H.--

Ptilotis leucotis, Lath.

White-fronted H.--

Glyciphila albifrons, Gould.

White-gaped H.--

Stomiopora unicolor, Gould.

White-naped H.--

Melithreptus lunulatus, Shaw. [See also Golden-Eye.]

White-plumed H.--

Ptilotis penicillata, Gould.

White-quilled H.--

Entomyza albipennis, Gould.

White-throated H.--

Melithreptus albogularis, Gould.

Yellow H.--

Ptilotis flavescens, Gould.

Yellow-eared H.--

P. lewini, Swains.

Yellow-faced H.--

P. chrysops, Lath.

Yellow-fronted H.--

P. plumula, Gould.

Yellow-plumed H.--

P. ornata, Gould.

Yellow-spotted H.--

P. gracilis, Gould.

Yellow-streaked H.--

P. macleayana, Ramsay.

Yellow-throated H.--

P. flavicollis, Vieill.

Yellow-tinted H.--

P. flava, Gould.

Yellow-tufted H.--

P. auricomis, Lath.

Gould enumerated the species, nearly fifty years ago, in his

`Birds of Australia' (vol. iv.) as follows:--

Swamp-H. [See <i>Harrier</i>.]