Chapter XIX: Part 19

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"Another species [of Trepang] is the `milk fish' or `cotton fish,' so called from its power of emitting a white viscid fluid from its skin, which clings to an object like shreds of cotton."

<hw>Milk-plant</hw>, n. i.q. Caustic Creeper (q.v.).

<hw>Milk-tree</hw>, n. a New Zealand tree, Epicarpurus microphyllus, Raoul.

1873. `Catalogue of Vienna Exhibition':

"Milk-tree . . . a tall slender tree exuding a milky sap: wood white and very brittle."

<hw>Milk-wood</hw>, n. a Northern Territory name for Melaleuca leucadendron, Linn.; called also Paperbark-tree (q.v.).

<hw>Miller</hw>, n. a local name for the Cicada. See Locust (quotation, 1896).

<hw>Millet</hw>, n. The name is given to several Australian grasses. The Koda Millet of India, Paspalum scrobiculatum, Linn., is called in Australia Ditch Millet; Seaside Millet is the name given to Paspalum distichum, Linn., both of the N.O. Gramineae. But the principal species is called Australian Millet, Native Millet, and Umbrella Grass; it is Panicum decompositum, R. Br., N.O. Gramineae; it is not endemic in Australia.

1896. `The Australasian,' March 14, p. 488, col. 5:

"One of the very best of the grasses found in the hot regions of Central Australia is the Australian millet, Panicum decompositum. It is extremely hardy and stands the hot dry summers of the north very well; it is nutritious, and cattle and sheep are fond of it. It seeds freely, was used by the aborigines for making a sort of cake, and was the only grain stored by them. This grass thrives in poor soil, and starts into rapid growth with the first autumn rains."

<hw>Mimosa</hw>, n. a scientific name applied to upwards of two hundred trees of various genera in the Old World. The genus Mimosa, under which the Australian trees called Wattles were originally classed, formerly included the Acacias. These now constitute a separate genus. Acacia is the scientific name for the Wattle; though even now an old colonist will call the Wattles "Mimosa."

1793. J. E. Smith, `Specimen of Botany of New Holland,' p. 52:

"This shrub is now not uncommon in our greenhouses, having been raised in plenty from seeds brought from Port Jackson. It generally bears its fragrant flowers late in the autumn, and might then at first sight be sooner taken for a Myrtus than a Mimosa."

1802. Jas. Flemming, `Journal of Explorations of Charles Grimes,' in `Historical Records of Port Phillip' (ed. 1879, J. J. Shillinglaw), p. 25:

"Timber; gum, Banksia, oak, and mimosa of sorts, but not large except the gum."

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 202:

"Gum-arabic, which exudes from the mimosa shrubs."

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' July 18, p. 4, col. 2:

"`Cashmere' shawls do not grow on the mimosa trees."

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

"The mimosa is a very graceful tree; the foliage is of a light green colour. . . . The yellow flowers with which the mimosa is decked throw out a perfume sweeter than the laburnum; and the gum . . . is said not to be dissimilar to gum-arabic."

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 175:

"But, Yarra, thou art lovelier now, With clouds of bloom on every bough; A gladsome sight it is to see, In blossom thy mimosa tree. Like golden-moonlight doth it seem, The moonlight of a heavenly dream; A sunset lustre, chaste and cold, A pearly splendour blent with gold."

"To the River Yarra."

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 255:

"The other exports of Australia Felix consist chiefly of tallow, cured beef and mutton, wheat, mimosa-bark, and gumwood."

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

"The mimosa--although it sadly chokes the country--when in flower, fills the air with fragrance. Its bark is much used for tanning purposes; and the gum that exudes from the stem is of some value as an export, and is used by the blacks as food."

1870. F. S. Wilson, `Australian Songs,' p. 29:

"I have sat, and watched the landscape, latticed by the golden
curls,
Showering, like mimosa-blooms, in scented streams about my
breast."

<hw>Minah</hw>, n. (also <hw>Myna</hw>, <hw>Mina</hw>, and <hw>Minah-bird</hw>, and the characteristic Australian change of <hw>Miner</hw>). From Hindustani maina, a starling. The word is originally applied in India to various birds of the Starling kind, especially to Graculus religiosa, a talking starling or grackle. One of these Indian grackles, Acridotheres tristis, was acclimatised in Melbourne, and is now common to the house-tops of most Australian towns. He is not Australian, but is the bird generally referred to as the Minah, or Minah- bird. There are Minahs native to Australia, of which the species are--

Bell-Mina-- Manorhina melanophrys, Lath.

Bush-M.-- Myzantha garrula, Lath.

Dusky-M.-- M. obscura, Gould.

Yellow-M.-- M. lutea, Gould.

Yellow-throated M.-- M. flavigula, Gould.

1803. Lord Valentia, `Voyages,' vol. i. p. 227 [Stanford]:

"During the whole of our stay two minahs were talking most incessantly."

1813. J. Forbes, `Oriental Memoirs,' vol. i. p. 47 [Yule]:

"The mynah is a very entertaining bird, hopping about the house, and articulating several words in the manner of the starling."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 40:

"While at other times, like the miners (genus, Myzantha), it soars from tree to tree with the most graceful and easy movement."

Ibid. vol. iv. pl. 76:

"Myzantha garrula, Vig. and Horsf, Garrulous Honey-eater; miner, Colonists of Van Diemen's Land, M. flavigula, Gould, Yellow-Throated miner."

1861. Mrs. Meredith, `Over the Straits,' vol. i. p. 33:

"His common name . . . is said to be given from his resemblance to some Indian bird called mina or miner."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 72:

"The Indian minah is as much at home, and almost as presumptuous, as the sparrow."

(p. 146): "Yellow-legged minahs, tamest of all Australian birds."

1890. Tasma, `In her Earliest Youth,' p. 265:

"The plaintive chirp of the mina."

<hw>Miner's</hw> Right, n. the licence to dig for gold. See quotation.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' p. 1:

"A miner's right, a wonderful document, printed and written on parchment, precisely as follows."

[A reduced facsimile is given.]

Ibid. p. 106:

"You produce your Miner's Right . . . The important piece of parchment, about the size of a bank-cheque, was handed to the Court."

<hw>Mingi</hw>, n. originally mingi mingi, Maori name for a New Zealand shrub or small tree, Cyathodes acerosa, R. Br., N.O. Epacrideae. In south New Zealand it is often called Micky.

<hw>Minnow</hw>, n. name sometimes given to a very small fish of New Zealand, Galaxias attenuatus, Jenyns, family Galaxidae; called also Whitebait (q.v.). The Maori name is Inanga (q.v.).

<hw>Mint, Australian</hw> or <hw>Native</hw>, n. a plant, Mentha australis, R. Br., N.O. Labiatea. This herb was largely used by the early colonists of South Australia for tea. Many of the plants of the genus Mentha in Australia yield oil of good flavour, among them the common Pennyroyal.

<hw>Mint-tree</hw>, n. In Australia, the tree is Prostanthera lasiantha, Labill., N.O. Labiateae.

<hw>Mirnyong</hw>, n. aboriginal name for a shell-mound, generally supposed to be Victorian, but, by some, Tasmanian.

1888. R. M. Johnston, `Geology of Tasmania,' p. 337:

"With the exception of their rude inconspicuous flints, and the accumulated remains of their feasts in the `mirnyongs,' or native shell-mounds, along our coasts, which only have significance to the careful observer, we have no other visible evidence of their former existence."

1893. R. Etheridge, jun., `Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,' p. 21 [Title of Paper]:

"The Mirrn-yong heaps at the North-West bank of the River Murray."

<hw>Miro</hw>, n. (1) Maori name for a Robin (q.v.), and adopted as the scientific name of a genus of New Zealand Robins. The word is shortened form of Miro-miro.

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 403:

"Miro-miro (Miro albifrons). A little black-and-white bird with a large head; it is very tame, and has a short melancholy song. The miro toi-toi (muscicapa toi-toi) is a bird not larger than the tom-tit. Its plumage is black and white, having a white breast and some of the near feathers of each wing tinged with white."

1879. W. Colenso, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xii. art. vii. p. 119:

"Proverb 28: Ma to kanohi miro-miro, [signifying] `To be found by the sharp-eyed little bird.' Lit. `For the miro-miro's eye.' Used as a stimulus to a person searching for anything lost. The miro-miro is the little petroica toi-toi, which runs up and down trees peering for minute insects in the bark."

1882. W. L. Buller, `Manual of the Birds of New Zealand,' p. 23:

"The Petroeca Iongipes is confined to the North Island, where it is very common in all the wooded parts of the country; but it is represented in the South Island by a closely allied and equally common species, the miro albifrons."

(2) Maori name for a New Zealand tree, Podocarpus ferruginea, Don., N.O. Coniferae; the Black-pine of Otago.

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 308:

"The miro-tree (Podocarpus ferruginea) is found in slightly elevated situations in many of the forests in New Zealand. Height about sixty feet. The wood varies from light to dark-brown in colour, is close in grain, moderately hard and heavy, planes up well, and takes a good polish."

1889. T. Kirk, `Forest Flora of New Zealand,' p. 163:

"The Miro is a valuable tree, common in all parts of the colony. . . . It is usually distinguished by its ordinary native name."

<hw>Mistletoe</hw>, n. The name is given to various species of trees of several genera--

(1) In Australia, generally, to various species of Loranthus, N.O. Loranthaceae. There are a great number, they are very common on the Eucalypts, and they have the same viscous qualities as the European Mistletoes.

(2) In Western Australia, to Nuytsia floribunda, R. Br., N.O. Loranthaceae, a terrestrial species attaining the dimensions of a tree--the Flame-tree (q.v.) of Western Australia--and also curiously called there a Cabbage- tree.

(3) In Tasmania, to Cassytha pubescens, R. Br., N.O. Lauraceae.

1877. F. v. Mueller, `Botanic Teachings, p. 43:

"The English mistletoe is the well-known Viscum album, whereas all the Victorian kinds belong to the genus Loranthus, of which the Mediterranean L. Europaeus is the prototype. The generic name arose in allusion to the strap-like narrowness of the petals."

[Greek lowron, from Lat. lorum, a thong, and 'anthos, a flower.]

<hw>Mitchell-Grass</hw>, n. an Australian grass, Astrebla elymoides, A. triticoides, F. v. M., N.O. Gramineae. Two other species of Astrebla are also called "Mitchell-grasses." See Grass.

1883. F. M. Bailey, `Synopsis of Queensland Flora,' p. 660:

"Used for food by the natives. The most valuable fodder-grass of the colony. True Mitchell-grass."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 78:

"Mitchell-grass. The flowering spikes resemble ears of wheat. . . . It is by no means plentiful."

<hw>Moa</hw>, n. The word is Maori, and is used by that race as the name of the gigantic struthious bird of New Zealand, scientifically called Dinornis (q.v.). It has passed into popular Australasian and English use for all species of that bird. A full history of the discovery of the Moa, of its nature and habits, and of the progress of the classification of the species by Professor Owen, from the sole evidence of the fossil remains of its bones, is given in the Introduction to W. L. Buller's `Birds of New Zealand,' Vol. i. (pp. xviii-xxxv).

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of New Zealand Language' (Church Missionary Society), p. 181:

"Moe [sic], a bird so called."

1839. `Proceedings of Zoological Society,' Nov. 12:

[Description by Owen of Dinornis without the name of Moa. It contained the words--

"So far as my skill in interpreting an osseous fragment may be credited, I am willing to risk the reputation for it, on the statement that there has existed, if there does not now exist, in New Zealand a Struthious bird, nearly, if not quite equal in size to the Ostrich."]

1844. Ibid. vol. iii. pt. iii. p. 237:

[Description of Dinornis by Owen, in which he names the Moa, and quotes letter from Rev. W. (afterwards Bishop) Williams, dated Feb. 28, 1842, "to which they gave the name of Moa."]

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 137:

"The new genus Dinornis, which includes also the celebrated moa, or gigantic bird of New Zealand, and bears some resemblance to the present Apteryx, or wingless bird of that country . . . The New Zealanders assert that this extraordinary bird was in existence in the days of their ancestors, and was finally destroyed by their grandfathers."

1867. F. Hochstetter, `New Zealand' (English translation), p. 214:

"First among them were the gigantic wingless Moas, Dinornis and Palapteryx, which seem to have been exterminated already about the middle of the seventeenth century."

[Query, eighteenth century?]

1867. Ibid. p. 181:

"By the term `Moa' the natives signify a family of birds, that we know merely from bones and skeletons, a family of real giant-birds compared with the little Apterygides."

[Footnote]: "Moa or Toa, throughout Polynesia, is the word applied to domestic fowls, originating perhaps from the Malay word mua, a kind of peasants [sic]. The Maoris have no special term for the domestic fowl."

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' Introduction, p. lvi. [Footnote]:

"I have remarked the following similarity between the names employed in the Fijian and Maori languages for the same or corresponding birds: Toa (any fowl-like kind of bird) = Moa (Dinornis)."

<hw>Mob</hw>, n. a large number, the Australian noun of multitude, and not implying anything low or noisy. It was not used very early, as the first few of the following quotations show.

1811. G. Paterson, `History of New South Wales,' p. 530:

"Besides herds of kangaroos, four large wolves were seen at Western Port."

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

[p. 110]: "Herds of kangaroos."

[p. 139]: "An immense herd of kangaroos."

[p. 196]: "Flocks of kangaroos of every size."

1835. T. B. Wilson, `Voyage round the World,' p. 243:

"We started several flocks of kangaroos."

1836. Dec. 26, Letter in `Three Years' Practical Experience of a Settler in New South Wales,' p.44:

"A man buying a flock of sheep, or a herd of cattle . . . While I watched the mop I had collected." [This, thus spelt, seems the earliest instance.]

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 6:

"Droves of kangaroos."

Of Men--

[But with the Australian and not the ordinary English signification.]

1874. W. M. B., `Narrative of Edward Crewe,' p. 223:

"A contractor in a large way having a mob of men in his employ."

1890. `The Argus,' Aug.16, p.13, Col. 2:

"It doesn't seem possible to get a mob of steady men for work of that sort now."

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

"He, tho' living fifty miles away, was one of the `Dunmore mob,' and aided generally in the symposia which were there enjoyed."

Of Blackfellows--

1822. J. West, `History of Tasmania' (1852), vol. ii. p. 12:

"The settlers of 1822 remember a number of natives, who roamed about the district, and were known as the `tame mob'; they were absconders from different tribes."

1830. Newspaper (Tasmanian), March, (cited J. West, `History of Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 42):

"A mob of natives appeared at Captain Smith's hut, at his run."

1835. H. Melville, `History of Van Diemen's Land,' p. 75:

"A mob of some score or so of natives, men, women, and children, had been discovered by their fires."

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia', p. 107:

"A whole crowd of men on horseback get together, with a mob of blacks to assist them."

1892. Rolf Boldrewood, `Robbery under Arms,' p. 134:

"At the side of the crowd was a small mob of blacks with their dogs, spears, possum rugs, and all complete."

Of Cattle--

1860. R. Donaldson, `Bush Lays,' p. 14:

"Now to the stockyard crowds the mob; 'Twill soon be milking time."

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 70:

"A number of cattle collected together is colonially termed a mob."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 105:

"A mixed mob of cattle--cows, steers, and heifers-- had to be collected."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Colonial Reformer,' p. 120:

"`Mobs' or small sub-divisions of the main herd."

Of Sheep--

1860. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 169:

"It was more horrible to see the drowning, or just drowned, huddled-up `mob' (as sheep en masse are technically called) which had made the dusky patch we noticed from the hill."

1875. `Spectator' (Melbourne), May 22, p. 34, col. 2:

"A mob of sheep has been sold at Belfast at 1s. 10d. per head."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Colonial Reformer,' p. 83

"The army of sheep--about thirty thousand in fifteen flocks-- at length reached the valley before dark, and the overseer, pointing to a flock of two thousand, more or less, said, `There's your mob.'"

Of Horses--

1865. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 27:

"All the animals to make friends with, mobs of horses to look at."

1879. W. J. Barry, `Up and Down,' p. 197:

"I purchased a mob of horses for the Dunstan market."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 111:

"The stockman came suddenly on a mob of nearly thirty horses, feeding up a pleasant valley."

Of Kangaroos--

1846. G. H. Haydon, `Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 59:

"The `old men' are always the largest and strongest in the flock, or in colonial language `mob.'"

1864. `Once a Week,' Dec. 31, p. 45, `The Bulla Bulla Bunyip':

"About a mile outside the town a four-rail fence skirted the rough track we followed. It enclosed a lucerne paddock. Over the grey rails, as we approached, came bounding a mob of kangaroos, headed by a gigantic perfectly white `old man,' which glimmered ghostly in the moonlight."

Of Ducks--

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia, p. 99:

"They [the ducks] all came in twos and threes, and small mobs."

Of Clothes--

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' July 22, p. 2, col. 6:

"They buttoned up in front; the only suit to the mob which did so."

Of Books--

1892. Gilbert Parker, `Round the Compass in Australia,' p. 72:

"If it was in your mob of books, give this copy to somebody that would appreciate it."

More generally--

1852. Mrs. Meredith, `My Home in Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 20:

"A number of cattle together is here usually termed a `mob,' and truly their riotous and unruly demeanour renders the designation far from inapt; but I was very much amused at first, to hear people gravely talking of `a mob of sheep,' or `a mob of lambs,' and it was some time ere I became accustomed to the novel use of the word. Now, the common announcements that `the cuckoo hen has brought out a rare mob of chickens,' or that `there's a great mob of quail in the big paddock,' are to me fraught with no alarming anticipations."

1853. H. Berkeley Jones, `Adventures in Australia,' p. 114:

"`There will be a great mob of things going down to-day,' said one to another, which meant that there would be a heavy cargo in number; we must remember that the Australians have a patois of their own."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xiii. p. 135:

"What a mob of houses, people, cabs, teams, men, women and children!"

<hw>Mocking-bird</hw>, n. The name is given in Australia to the Lyre-bird (q.v.), and in New Zealand to the Tui (q.v.).

<hw>Mock-Olive</hw>, n. a tree. Called also Axe-breaker (q.v.).

<hw>Mock-Orange</hw>, n. an Australian tree, i.q. Native Laurel. See Laurel.

<hw>Mogo</hw>, n. the stone hatchet of the aborigines of New South Wales.

1838. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 204:

"I heard from the summit the mogo of a native at work on some tree close by."

1868. W. Carleton, `Australian Nights,' p. 20:

"One mute memorial by his bier, His mogo, boomerang, and spear."

<hw>Moguey</hw>, n. English corruption of Mokihi (q.v.).

1871. C. L. Money, `Knocking About in New Zealand,' p. 52:

"Moguey, a Maori name for a raupo or flax-stick raft."

<hw>Moki</hw>, n. the Maori name for the Bastard Trumpeter (q.v.) of New Zealand, Latris ciliaris, Forst., family Cirrhitidae.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 182:

"Moki, s. A fish so called."

<hw>Mokihi</hw>, or <hw>Moki</hw>, n. Maori name for a raft; sometimes anglicised as Moguey.

1840. J. S. Polack, `Manners and Customs of New Zealanders,' vol. ii. p. 226:

"In the absence of canoes, a quantity of dried bulrushes are fastened together, on which the native is enabled to cross a stream by sitting astride and paddling with his hands; these humble conveyances are called moki, and resemble those made use of by the Egyptians in crossing among the islands of the Nile. They are extremely buoyant, and resist saturation for a longer period."

1858. `Appendix to Journal of House of Representatives,' c. iii. p. 18:

"We crossed the river on mokis. By means of large mokis, carrying upwards of a ton. . . . Moki navigation."

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

"For the benefit of the unlearned in such matters, let me here explain that a `Mokihi' is constructed of Koradies, Anglice, the flowering stalks of the flax,--three faggots of which lashed firmly in a point at the small ends, and expanded by a piece of wood at the stern, constitute the sides and bottom of the frail craft, which, propelled by a paddle, furnishes sufficient means of transport for a single individual."

<hw>Moko</hw>, n. the system of tattooing practised by the Maoris. See Tattoo. It is not a fact--as popularly supposed--that the "moko" was distinctive in different families; serving, as is sometimes said, the purpose of a coat-of-arms. The "moko" was in fact all made on the same pattern--that of all Maori carvings. Some were more elaborate than others. The sole difference was that some were in outline only, some were half filled in, and others were finished in elaborate detail.

1769. J. Banks, `Journal,' Nov. 22 (Sir J. D. Hooker's edition, 1896), p. 203:

"They had a much larger quantity of amoca [sic] or black stains upon their bodies and faces. They had almost universally a broad spiral on each buttock, and many had their thighs almost entirely black, small lines only being left untouched, so that they looked like striped breeches. In this particular, I mean the use of amoca, almost every tribe seems to have a different custom."

1896. `The Times' (Weekly Edition), July 17, p. 498 col. 3:

"In this handsome volume, `Moko or Maori Tattooing,' Major-General Robley treats of an interesting subject with a touch of the horrible about it which, to some readers, will make the book almost fascinating. Nowhere was the system of puncturing the flesh into patterns and devices carried out in such perfection or to such an extent as in New Zealand. Both men and women were operated upon among the Maoris."

<hw>Moko-moko</hw>, n. (1) Maori name for the Bell-bird (q.v.), Anthornis melanura, Sparrm.

1888. A. W. Bathgate, `Sladen's Australian Ballads,' p. 22:

[Title]: "To the Moko-moko, or Bell-bird."

[Footnote]: "Now rapidly dying out of our land," sc. New Zealand.

(2) Maori name for the lizard, Lygosoma ornatum, Gray, or Lygosoma moko, Durn. and Bib.

1820. `Grammar and Vocabulary of Language of New Zealand' (Church Missionary Society), p. 182:

"Moko-moko, a small lizard."

<hw>Mole, Marsupial</hw>. See Marsupial Mole.

<hw>Moloch</hw>, n. an Australian lizard, Moloch horridus, Gray; called also Mountain Devil (q.v.). There is no other species in the genus, and the adjective (Lat. horridus, bristling) seems to have suggested the noun, the name probably recalling Milton's line (`Paradise Lost,' i. 392)

"First Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood."

Moloch was the national god of the Ammonites (1 Kings xi. 7), and was the personification of fire as a destructive element.

1896. Baldwin Spencer, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' Narrative, p. 41:

"Numerous lizards such as the strange Moloch horridus, the bright yellow, orange, red and black of which render it in life very different in appearance from the bleached specimens of museum cases."

<hw>Mongan</hw>, n. aboriginal name for the animal named in the quotation.

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 173:

"Jimmy, however, had, to my great delight, found mongan (Pseudochirus herbertensis), a new and very pretty mammal, whose habitat is exclusively the highest tops of the scrubs in the Coast Mountains."

<hw>Monk</hw>, n. another name for the Friar Bird (q.v.).

<hw>Monkey-Bear</hw>, or <hw>Monkey</hw>, n. i.q. Native Bear. See Bear.

1853. C. St. Julian and E. K. Silvester, `The Productions, Industry, and Resources of New South Wales,' p. 30:

"The Kola, so called by the aborigines, but more commonly known among the settlers as the native bear or monkey, is found in brush and forest lands . . ."

1891. Mrs. Cross (Ada Cambridge), `The Three Miss Kings,' p. 9:

"A little monkey-bear came cautiously down from the only gum-tree that grew on the premises, grunting and whimpering."

<hw>Monkey-shaft</hw>, n. "A shaft rising from a lower to a higher level (as a rule perpendicularly), and differing from a blind-shaft only in that the latter is sunk from a higher to a lower level." (Brough Smyth's `Glossary.')

1880. G. Sutherland, `Tales of Goldfields,' p. 69:

"They began to think they might be already too deep for it, and a small `monkey'-shaft was therefore driven upwards from the end of the tunnel."

<hw>Monkeys</hw>, n. bush slang for sheep.

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 88:

"No one felt better pleased than he did to see the last lot of `monkeys,' as the shearers usually denominated sheep, leave the head-station."

<hw>Monotreme</hw>, n. the scientific name of an order of Australian mammals (Monotremata). "The Monotremes derive their name from the circumstance that there is, as in birds and reptiles, but a single aperture at the hinder extremity of the body from which are discharged the whole of the waste-products, together with the reproductive elements; the oviducts opening separately into the end of this passage, which is termed the cloaca. [Grk. monos, sole, and traema, a passage or hole.] Reproduction is effected by means of eggs, which are laid and hatched by the female parent; after [being hatched] the young are nourished by milk secreted by special glands situated within a temporary pouch, into which the head of the young animal is inserted and retained. . . . It was not until 1884 that it was conclusively proved that the Monotremes did actually lay eggs similar in structure to those of birds and reptiles." (R. Lydekker, `Marsupialia and Monotremata,' 1894, p. 227.)

The Monotremes are strictly confined to Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. They are the Platypus (q.v.), and the Echidna (q.v.), or Ant-eating Porcupine.

<hw>Mooley-Apple</hw>, n. i.q. Emu-Apple (q.v.)

<hw>Moor-hen</hw>, n. common English bird-name (Gallinula). The Australian species are--

the Black, Gallinula tenebrosa, Gould; Rufous-tailed, G. ruficrissa, Gould.

1860. G. Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 169:

"The Rail-like bird, the Black-tailed Tribonyx, or Moor-Hen of the colonists, which, when strutting along the bank of a river, has a grotesque appearance, with the tail quite erect like that of a domestic fowl, and rarely resorts to flight." [The Tribonyx is called Native Hen, not Moorhen.]

<hw>Moon</hw>, v. tr. a process in opossum-shooting, explained in quotations.

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 182:

"`Mooning' opossums is a speciality with country boys. The juvenile hunter utilises the moon as a cavalry patrol would his field-glass for every suspected point."

1890. E. Davenport Cleland, `The White Kangaroo,' p. 66:

"They had to go through the process known as `mooning.' Walking backwards from the tree, each one tried to get the various limbs and branches between him and the moon, and then follow them out to the uttermost bunch of leaves where the 'possum might be feeding."

<hw>Mopoke</hw>, n. aboriginal name for an Australian bird, from its note "Mopoke." There is emphasis on the first syllable, but much more on the second. Settlers very early attempted to give an English shape and sense to this name. The attempt took two forms, "More pork," and "Mopehawk"; both forms are more than fifty years old. The r sound, however, is not present in the note of the bird, although the form More-pork is perhaps even more popular than the true form Mopoke. The form Mope-hawk seems to have been adopted through dislike of the perhaps coarser idea attaching to "pork." The quaint spelling Mawpawk seems to have been adopted for a similar reason.

The bird is heard far more often than seen, hence confusion has arisen as to what is the bird that utters the note. The earlier view was that the bird was Podargus cuvieri, Vig. and Hors., which still popularly retains the name; whereas it is really the owl, Ninox boobook, that calls "morepork" or "mopoke" so loudly at night. Curiously, Gould, having already assigned the name Morepork to Podargus, in describing the Owlet Night-jar varies the spelling and writes, "little Mawepawk, Colonists of Van Diemen's Land." The New Zealand Morepork is assuredly an owl. The Podargus has received the name of Frogmouth and the Mopoke has sometimes been called a Cuckoo (q.v.). See also Boobook, Frogsmouth.

The earliest ascertained use of the word is--

1827. Hellyer (in 1832), `Bischoff, Van Diemen's Land,' p. 177:

"One of the men shot a `more pork.'"

The Bird's note--

1868. Carleton, `Australian Nights,' p. 19:

"The Austral cuckoo spoke His melancholy note--`Mo-poke.'"

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs and Wattle Bloom,' p. 236:

"Many a still night in the bush I have listened to the weird metallic call of this strange bird, the mopoke of the natives, without hearing it give expression to the pork-shop sentiments."

Podargus--

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 4:

"Podargus Cuvieri, Vig. and Horsf, More-pork of the Colonists."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 33:

"We are lulled to sleep by the melancholy, sleep-inspiring, and not disagreeable voices of the night bird Podargus-- `More-pork! more-pork!'"

1890. `Victorian Statutes-Game Act, Third Schedule.':

"Podargus or Mopoke. [Close Season.] The whole year."

Vague name of Cuckoo--

1854. G. H. Haydon, `The Australian Emigrant,' p. 110:

"The note of the More-pork, not unlike that of a cuckoo with a cold."

1857. W. Howitt, `Tallangetta,' vol. i. p. 98:

"The distant monotone of the more-pork--the nocturnal cuckoo of the Australian wilds."

Incorrect--

1858. W. H. Hall, `Practical Experiences at the Diggings in Victoria,' p. 22:

"The low, melancholy, but pleasing cry of the Mope-hawk."

1877. William Sharp, `Earth's Voices':

"On yonder gum a mopoke's throat
Out-gurgles laughter grim,
And far within the fern-tree scrub
A lyre-bird sings his hymn."

[This is confusion worse confounded. It would seem as if the poet confused the Laughing Jackass with the Mopoke, q.v.]

1878. Mrs. H. Jones, `Long Years in Australia,' p. 145:

"How the mope-hawk is screeching."

Owl--

1846. G. H. Haydon, `Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 71:

"A bird of the owl species, called by the colonists morepork, and by the natives whuck-whuck, derives both its names from the peculiarity of its note. At some distance it reminds one of the song of the cuckoo; when nearer it sounds hoarse and discordant."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 1:

"AEgotheles Novae-Hollandiae, Vig. and Horsf, Owlet Nightjar; Little Mawepawk, Colonists of Van Diemen's Land."

1852. Mrs. Meredith, `My Home in Tasmania,' vol. ii. p. 253:

"The Mawpawk, More Pork, or Mope Hawk, is common in most parts of the colony, and utters its peculiar two-syllable cry at night very constantly. Its habits are those of the owl, and its rather hawkish appearance partakes also of the peculiarities of the goat-sucker tribe. . . . The sound does not really resemble the words `more pork,' any more than `cuckoo,' and it is more like the `tu-whoo' of the owl than either."

1859. D. Bunce, `Australasiatic Reminiscences,' p. 14:

"Just as our sportsman, fresh from the legal precincts of Gray's Inn Square, was taking a probably deadly aim, the solitary and melancholy note of `More-pork! more-pork!' from the Cyclopean, or Australian owl, interfered most opportunely in warding off the shot."

1864. `Once a Week,' Dec. 31, p. 45. `The Bulla Bulla Bunyip':

"The locusts were silent, but now and then might be heard the greedy cry of the `morepork,' chasing the huge night-moths through the dim dewy air."

1892. A. Sutherland, `Elementary Geography of British Colonies,' p. 274:

"Owls are also numerous, the Mopoke's note being a familiar sound in the midnight darkness of the forest."

By transference to a man.--

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

"`A more-pork kind of a fellow' is a man of cut-and-dry phrases, a person remarkable for nothing new in common conversation. This by some is thought very expressive, the more-pork being a kind of Australian owl, notorious for its wearying nightly iteration, `More pork, more pork'"

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xiii. p. 125:

"What a regular more-pork I was to be sure to go and run my neck agin' a roping-pole."

<hw>Morepork</hw>, n. (1) The Australian bird, or birds, described under Mopoke (q.v.).

(2) The New Zealand Owl, formerly Athene novae-zelandiae, Gray; now Spiloglaux novae-zelandiae, Kaup.

1849. W. T. Power, `Sketches in New Zealand,' p. 74:

"This bird gave rise to a rather amusing incident in the Hutt Valley during the time of the fighting. . . . A strong piquet was turned out regularly about an hour before daybreak. On one occasion the men had been standing silently under arms for some time, and shivering in the cold morning air, when they were startled by a solemn request for `more pork.' The officer in command of the piquet, who had only very recently arrived in the country, ordered no talking in the ranks, which was immediately replied to by another demand, distinctly enunciated, for `more pork.' So malaprop a remark produced a titter along the ranks, which roused the irate officer to the necessity of having his commands obeyed, and he accordingly threatened to put the next person under arrest who dared make any allusion to the unclean beast. As if in defiance of the threat, and in contempt of the constituted authorities, `more pork' was distinctly demanded in two places at once, and was succeeded by an irresistible giggle from one end of the line to the other. There was no putting up with such a breach of discipline as this, and the officer, in a fury of indignation, went along the line in search of the mutinous offender, when suddenly a small chorus of `more pork' was heard on all sides, and it was explained who the real culprits were."

1866. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand,' p. 100:

"The last cry of a very pretty little owl, called from its distinctly uttered words the `more-pork.'"

1884. T. Bracken, `Lays of Maori,' p. 84:

"Sleeping alone where the more-pork's call At night is heard."

1888. W. L. Buller, `Birds of New Zealand,' vol. i. p. 192:

"Spiloglaux Novae-Zelandiae, Kaup., More-pork of the colonists. Every New Zealand colonist is familiar with this little owl, under the name of `morepork.'"

<hw>Moreton-Bay</hw>, n. the name formerly given to the district of New South Wales which is now the colony of Queensland. The Brisbane river (on which is situated Brisbane, the capital of Queensland) enters it. See below.

<hw>Moreton-Bay Ash</hw>, n. See Ash.

<hw>Moreton-Bay Chestnut</hw>, n. See Bean-tree.

<hw>Moreton-Bay Fig</hw>, n. See Fig.

<hw>Moreton-Bay Laurel</hw>, n. See Laurel.

<hw>Moreton-Bay Pine</hw>, n. See Pine.

<hw>Moriori</hw>, n. a people akin to, but not identical with, the Maoris. They occupied the Chatham Islands, and were conquered in 1832 by the Maoris. In 1873, M. Quatrefages published a monograph, `Moriori et Maori.'

<hw>Morwong</hw>, n. the New South Wales name for the fish Chilodactylus macropterus, Richards.; also called the Carp (q.v.) and Jackass-fish, and in New Zealand by the Maori name of Tarakihi. The Melbourne fishermen, according to Count Castelnau, call this fish the Bastard Trumpeter (q.v.), but this name is also applied to Latris forsteri, Castln. See also Trumpeter and Paper-fish. The Red Morwong is Chilodactylus fuscus, Castln., also called Carp (q.v.). The Banded Morwong is Chilodactylus vittatus, Garrett.

<hw>Moses, Prickly</hw>, n. a bushman's name for Mimosa (q.v.).

1887. `The Australian,' April:

"I cannot recommend . . . [for fishing rods] . . . that awful thing which our philosopher called `prickly moses.'"

<hw>Moulmein Cedar</hw>, n. See Cedar.

<hw>Mound-bird</hw>, n. the jungle-hen of Australia. The birds scratch up heaps of soil and vegetable matter, in which they bury their eggs and leave them to be hatched by the heat of decomposition. Scientifically called Megapodes (q.v.).

1893. A. R. Wallace, `Australasia,' vol. i. p. 76:

"Next to these, as a special Australian type. . . . come the bush-turkeys or mound-makers . . . all these birds have the curious reptilian character of never sitting on their eggs, which they bury under mounds of earth or decaying vegetable matter, allowing them to be hatched by the heat of the sun, or that produced by fermentation."

<hw>Mountain</hw>- (as epithet):

Mountain-Apple-tree-- Angophora lanceolata, Cav., N.O. Myrtaceae.

M.-Ash-- A name applied to various Eucalypts, and to the tree Alphitonia excelsa, Reiss.

M.-Beech-- The tree Lomatia longifolia, R. Br., N.0. Proteaceae.

M.-Bloodwood-- The tree Eucalyptus eximia, Schau.

M.-Cypress-pine-- The tree Frenela parlatori, F. v. M., N.0. Coniferae.

M.-Ebony-- See Ebony.

M.-Gentian-- The name is applied to the Tasmanian species, Gentiana saxosa, Forst., N.O. Gentianeae.

M.-Gums-- See Gum.

M.- Oak-- See Oak.

M.-Parrot-- Another name for the Kea (q.v.).

M.-Rocket-- The name is applied to the Tasmanian species Bellendena montana, R. Br., N.O. Proteaceae.

M.-Tea-tree-- See Tea-tree.

<hw>Mountain-Devil</hw>, n. name given to the strange-looking Australian lizard, Moloch horridus, Gray. See Moloch. Also called Spiny Lizard.

1853. `Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land,' vol. ii. p. 515 [November 9]:

"A spirit preparation of the Spiny Lizard (Moloch horridus) of Western Australia."

<hw>Mountain Thrush</hw>, n. an Australian thrush, Oreocincla lunulata, Gould. See Thrush.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 7:

"Oreocincla lunulatus, Mountain Thrush, Colonists of Van Diemen's Land. In all localities suitable to its habits and mode of life, this species is tolerably abundant, both in Van Diemen's Land and in New South Wales; it has also been observed in South Australia, where however it is rare."

<hw>Mountain-Trout</hw>, n. species of Galaxias, small cylindrical fishes inhabiting the colder rivers of Australasia, Southern Chili, Magellan Straits, and the Falkland Islands. On account of the distribution of these fish and of other forms of animals, it has been suggested that in a remote geological period the area of land above the level of the sea in the antarctic regions must have been sufficiently extended to admit of some kind of continuity across the whole width of the Pacific between the southern extremities of South America and Australia.

<hw>Mud-fat</hw>, adj. fat as mud, very fat.

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 142:

"There's half this fine body of veal, mud-fat and tender as a chicken, worth a shilling a pound there."

<hw>Mud-fish</hw>, n. a fish of Westland, New Zealand, Neochanna apoda, Gunth. Guenther says Neochanna is a "degraded form of Galaxias [see Mountain-Trout], from which it differs by the absence of ventral fins. This fish has hitherto been found only in burrows, which it excavates 1n clay or consolidated mud, at a distance from water."

<hw>Mud-lark</hw>, n. another name for the Magpie-lark, Grallina picata (q.v.).

<hw>Mulberry-bird</hw>, n. name given to the Australian bird Sphecotheres maxillaris, Lath.; called also Fig-bird (q.v.).

1891. A. J. North, `Records of the Australian Museum,' vol. i. no. 6, p. 113:

"Southern Sphecotheres. Mr. Grime informs me it is fairly common on the Tweed River, where it is locally known as the `Mulberry-bird,' from the decided preference it evinces for that species of fruit amongst many others attacked by this bird."

Mulberry, Native, n. name given to three Australian trees, viz.--

Hedycarya cunninghami, Tull., N.O. Monimiaceae. Called also Smooth Holly.

Piturus propinquus, Wedd., N.O. Urticeae. Called also Queensland Grasscloth Plant.

Litsaea ferruginea, Mart., N.O. Laurineae. Called also Pigeonberry-tree.

The common English garden fruit-tree is also acclimatised, and the Victorian Silk Culture Association, assisted by the Government, are planting many thousands of the White Mulberry for silk culture.

<hw>Mulga</hw>, n. an aboriginal word. (1) Name given to various species of Acacia, but especially A. aneura, F. v. M., N.0. Leguminosae. See also Red Mulga.

1864. J. McDouall Stuart, `Explorations in Australia,' p. 154:

"We arrived at the foot nearly naked, and got into open sandy rises and valleys, with mulga and plenty of grass, amongst which there is some spinifex growing."

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. ii. p. 126, Note:

"Mulga is an Acacia. It grows in thick bushes, with thin twigs and small leaves. Probably it is the most extensively distributed tree in all Australia. It extends right across the continent."

1888. Baron F. von Mueller, `Select Extra-tropical Plants' [7th ed.], p. 1:

"Acacia aneura, F. v. M. Arid desert interior of extra-tropic Australia. A tree never more than 25 feet high. The principal `Mulga' tree. . . . Cattle and sheep browse on the twigs of this and some allied species, even in the presence of plentiful grass, and are much sustained by such acacias in seasons of protracted drought."

1892. Gilbert Parker, `Round the Compass in Australia,' p. 43:

"Not a drop of rain! And for many and many a day the jackaroo will still chop down the limbs of the mulga-tree, that of its tonic leaves the sheep may eat and live."

1894. `The Argus,' Sept. 1, p. 4, col. 2:

"The dull green of the mulga-scrub at their base."

1896. H. Lawson, `When the World was Wide,' p. 85:

"Flax and tussock and fern, Gum and mulga and sand, Reef and palm--but my fancies turn Ever away from land."

(2) A weapon, made of mulgawood.

(a) A shield.

1878. `Catalogue of Ethnotypical Art in the National Gallery' (Melbourne), p. 19:

"Mulga. Victoria. Thirty-six inches in length. This specimen is 37 inches in length and 5 inches in breadth at the broadest part. The form of a section through the middle is nearly triangular. The aperture for the hand (cut in the solid wood) is less than 4 inches in length. Ornamentation :Herring-bone, the incised lines being filled in with white clay. Some figures of an irregular form are probably the distinguishing marks of the owner's tribe. This shield was obtained from Larne-Gherin in the Western District."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 349:

"Mulga is the name of a long narrow shield of wood, made by the aboriginals out of acacia-wood."

(b) In one place Sir Thomas Mitchell speaks of it as a club.

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. ii. p. 267:

"The malga [sic] . . . with which these natives were provided, somewhat resembled a pick-axe with one half broken off."

<hw>Mulga-Apple</hw>, n. a gall formed on the Mulga-tree, Acacia aneura, F. v. M. (q.v.). See also Apple.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 3:

"In Western New South Wales two kinds of galls are found on these trees. One kind is very astringent, and not used; but the other is less abundant, larger, succulent and edible. These latter galls are called `mulga-apples,' and are said to be very welcome to the thirsty traveller."

1889. E. Giles, `Australia Twice Traversed,' p. 71:

"The mulga bears a small woody fruit called the mulga apple. It somewhat resembles the taste of apples and is sweet."

<hw>Mulga-down</hw>, n. hills covered with Mulga.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xvii. p. 201:

"Fascinating territories of limitless mulga-downs."

<hw>Mulga-grass</hw>, n. an Australian grass, Danthonia penicillata, F. v. M.; also Neurachne mitchelliana, Nees. See also Grass.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 82:

"Mulga Grass. . . . Peculiar to the back country. It derives its vernacular name from being only found where the mulga-tree (Acacia aneura and other species) grows; it is a very nutritious and much esteemed grass."

<hw>Mulga-scrub</hw>, n. thickets of Mulga-trees.

1864. J. McDouall Stuart, `Explorations in Australia,' p. 190:

"For the first three miles our course was through a very thick mulga scrub, with plenty of grass, and occasionally a little spinifex."

1875. John Forrest, `Explorations in Australia,' p. 220:

"Travelled till after dark through and over spinifex plains, wooded with acacia and mulga scrub, and camped without water and only a little scrub for the horses, having travelled nearly forty miles."

1876. W. Harcus, `South Australia,' p. 127:

"The road for the next thirty miles, to Charlotte Waters Telegraph Station, is characterized by mulga-scrub, open plains, sand-hills, and stony rises poorly grassed."

1893. A. R. Wallace, `Australasia,' vol. i. p. 47:

"Still more dreaded by the explorer is the `Mulga' scrub, consisting chiefly of dwarf acacias. These grow in spreading irregular bushes armed with strong spines, and where matted with other shrubs form a mass of vegetation through which it is impossible to penetrate."

<hw>Mulga-studded</hw>, adj. with Mulga growing here and there.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xvii. p. 201:

"The frown on the face of the mulga-studded lowlands deepened."

<hw>Mullet</hw>, n. Various species of this fish are present in Australasia, all belonging to the family Mugilidae, or Grey-Mullets. They are the--

Flat-tail Mullet-- Mugil peronii, Cuv. and Val.

Hard-gut M.-- M. dobula, Gunth.

Sand-M., or Talleygalanu-- Myxus elongatus, Gunth. (called also Poddy in Victoria).

Sea-M.-- M. grandis, Castln.

In New Zealand, the Mullet is Mugil perusii, called the Silver-Mullet (Maori name, Kanae); and the Sea-Mullet, Agonostoma forsteri (Maori name, Aua, q.v.); abundant also in Tasmanian estuaries.

The Sand-Mullet in Tasmania is Mugil cephalotus, Cuv. and Val. See also Red-Mullet.

1890. `Victorian Statutes--Fisheries Act, Second Schedule':

[Close Season.] "Sand-mullet or poddies."

<hw>Mullock</hw>, n. In English, the word is obsolete; it was used by Chaucer in the sense of refuse, dirt. In Australia, it is confined to" `rubbish, dirt, stuff taken out of a mine--the refuse after the vein-stuff is taken away' (Brough Smyth's `Glossary')."

1864. J. Rogers, `New Rush,' pt. ii. p. 26:

"A man each windlass-handle working slow, Raises the mullock from his mate below."

1874. Garnet Walch, `Head over Heels, p. 77:

"But still we worked on--same old tune For nothin' but mullock come up."

<hw>Mullock over</hw>, v. Shearing slang. See quotation.

1893. `The Age,' Sept. 23, p. 14, col. 4:

"I affirm as a practical shearer, that no man could shear 321 sheep in eight hours, although I will admit he might do what we shearers call `mullock over' that number; and what is more, no manager or overseer who knows his work would allow a shearer to do that number of sheep or lambs in one day."

<hw>Munyeru</hw>, n. name given to the small black seeds of Claytonia balonnensis, F. v. M., N.O. Portulaceae, which are ground up and mixed with water so as to form a paste. It forms a staple article of diet amongst the Arunta and other tribes of Central Australia.

1896. E. C. Stirling, `Horne Expedition in Central Australia,' Anthropology, p. 56:

"In these districts `Munyeru' takes the place of the spore cases of `Nardoo' (Marsilea quadrifolia), which is so much used in the Barcoo and other districts to the south and east, these being treated in a similar way."

<hw>Murray-Carp</hw>, n. See Carp.

<hw>Murray-Cod</hw>, n. an important fresh-water food-fish, Oligorus macquariensis, Cuv. and Val., called Kookoobal by the aborigines of the Murrumbidgee, and Pundy by those of the Lower Murray. A closely allied species is called the Murray-Perch. Has been known to reach a weight of 120 lbs.

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia,' vol. i. p. 95:

"We soon found that this river contained . . . the fish we first found in the Peel, commonly called by the colonists `the cod,' although most erroneously, since it has nothing whatever to do with malacopterygious fishes."

1880. Guenther, `Introduction to Study of Fishes,' p. 392 (`O.E.D.'):

"The first (Oligorus macquariensis) is called by the colonists `Murray-cod,' being plentiful in the Murray River and other rivers of South Australia. It attains to a length of more than 3 feet and to a weight of nearly 100 lbs."

<hw>Murray-Lily</hw>, n. See Lily.

<hw>Murray-Perch</hw>, n. a freshwater fish, Oligorus mitchelli, Castln., closely allied to Oligorus macquariensis, the Murray-Cod, belonging to the family Percidae.

1880. Garnet Walch, `Victoria in 1880,' p. 124:

"Our noble old 1400-mile river, the Murray, well christened the Nile of Australia, . . . produces `snags,' and that finny monster, the Murray cod, together with his less bulky, equally flavourless congener, the Murray perch."

<hw>Murr-nong</hw>, n. a plant. The name used by the natives in Southern Australia for Microseris forsteri, Hook., N.O. Compositae.

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

"Murr-nong, or `Mirr-n'yong', a kind of yam (Microseris Forsteri) was usually very plentiful, and easily found in the spring and early summer, and was dug out of the earth by the women and children."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 45:

"Murr-nong, or `Mirr n'yong' of the aboriginals of New South Wales and Victoria. The tubers were largely used as food by the aboriginals. They are sweet and milky, and in flavour resemble the cocoa-nut."

<hw>Murrumbidgee Pine</hw>, n. See Pine.

<hw>Mushroom</hw>, n. The common English mushroom, Agaricus campestris, Linn., N.O. Fungi, abounds in Australia, and there are many other indigenous edible species.

<hw>Musk-Duck</hw>, n. the Australian bird, Biziura lobata, Shaw. See Duck.

1880. Garnet Walch, `Victoria in 1880,' p. 30:

"The ungainly musk-duck paddles clumsily away from the passing steamer, but hardly out of gunshot, for he seems to know that his fishy flesh is not esteemed by man."

1880. Mrs. Meredith, `Tasmanian Friends and Foes,' p. 159:

"That's a musk duck: the plumage is very sombre and loose looking--not so thick as most other ducks; the tail, too, is singular, little more than a small fan of short quills. The head of the male has a kind of black leathery excrescence under the bill that gives it an odd expression, and the whole bird has a strange odour of musk, rendering it quite uneatable."

<hw>Musk-Kangaroo</hw>, n. See Hypsiprymnodon and Kangaroo.

<hw>Musk-Parrakeet</hw>, n. an Australian parrakeet. See Parrakeet.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. v. pl. 5:

"Trichoglossus Concinnus, Vig. and Horsf. (Australis, Wagl.), Musky-Parrakeet; Musk-Parrakeet, Colonists of New South Wales, from the peculiar odour of the bird."

<hw>Musk-tree</hw>, n. The name is applied to Marlea vitiense, Benth., N.O. Cornaceae, with edible nuts, which is not endemic in Australia, and to two native trees of the N.O. Compositae--Aster argophyllus, Labill., called also Musk-wood, from the scent of the timber; and Aster viscosus, Labill., called also the Dwarf Musk-tree.

1848. Letter by Mrs. Perry, given in Canon Goodman's `Church in Victoria during the Episcopate of Bishop Perry,' p. 71:

"Also there is some pretty underwood, a good deal of the musk-tree--which is very different from our musk-plant, growing quite into a shrub and having a leaf like the laurel in shape."

1888. Mrs. M'Cann, `Poetical Works,' p. 143:

"The musk-tree scents the evening air Far down the leafy vale."

<hw>Musk-wood</hw>, n. See Musk-tree.

<hw>Mussel</hw>, n. Some Australasian species of this mollusc are-- Mytilus latus, Lamark., Victoria, Tasmania, and New Zealand; M. tasmanicus, Tenison Woods, Tasmania; M. rostratus, Dunker, Tasmania and Victoria; M. hirsutus, Lamark., Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, New Zealand; M. crassus, Tenison-Woods, Tasmania.

Fresh-water Mussels belong to the genus Unio.

<hw>Mutton-bird</hw>, n. The word is ordinarily applied to the Antarctic Petrel, AEstrelata lessoni. In Australasia it is applied to the Puffin or Short-tailed Petrel, Puffinus brevicaudus, Brandt. The collection of the eggs of this Petrel, the preparation of oil from it, the salting of its flesh for food, form the principal means of subsistence of the inhabitants, half-caste and other, of the islands in Bass Straits.

1839. W. Mann, `Six Years' Residence in the Australian Provinces,' p. 51:

"They are commonly called mutton birds, from their flavour and fatness; they are migratory,and arrive in Bass's Straits about the commencement of spring, in such numbers that they darken the air."

1843. J. Backhouse, `Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies' (1832), p. 73:

"Mutton birds were in such vast flocks, that, at a distance, they seemed as thick as bees when swarming."

Ibid. p. 91:

"The Mutton-birds, or Sooty Petrels, are about the size of the Wood Pigeon of England; they are of a dark colour, and are called `Yola' by the natives."

1846. J. L. Stokes, `Discoveries in Australia,' vol. i. p. 264:

"The principal occupation of these people during this month of the year is taking the Sooty Petrel, called by the Colonists the Mutton Bird, from a fancied resemblance to the taste of that meat."

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

"The mutton-bird, or sooty petrel . . . is about the size of the wood-pigeon of England, and is of a dark colour. These birds are migratory, and are to be seen ranging over the surface of the great southern ocean far from land . . . Many millions of these birds are destroyed annually for the sake of their feathers and the oil of the young, which they are made to disgorge by pressing the craws."

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 382:

"The titi, or mutton-bird, is a seabird which goes inland at night just as the light wanes. The natives light a bright fire, behind which they sit, each armed with a long stick. The titis, attracted by the light, fly by in great numbers, and are knocked down as quickly as possible; thus in one night several hundreds are often killed, which they preserve in their own fat for future use."

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Austral EnglishChapter XIX: Part 19

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