"The other genus (Chilodactylus) _Austral English

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 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.

"The other genus (<i>Chilodactylus</i>) is also largely