Chapter XX: Part 20

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1857. C. Hursthouse, `New Zealand the Britain of the South,' vol. i. p. 121:

"The young titi (mutton-bird), a species of puffin, is caught by the natives in great quantities, potted in its own fat, and sent as a sort of `pa^te de foie gras' to inland friends."

1863. B. A. Heywood, `Vacation Tour at the Antipodes,' p. 232:

"The natives in the South [of Stewart's Island] trade largely with their brethren in the North, in supplies of the mutton- bird, which they boil down, and pack in its own fat in the large air-bags of sea-weed."

1879. H. n. Moselep `Notes by Naturalist on Challenger, p. 207:

"Besides the prion, there is the `mutton-bird' of the whalers (AEstrelata lessoni), a large Procellanid, as big as a pigeon, white and brown and grey in colour."

1880. Garnet Walch, `Victoria in 1880,' p. 49:

"The crest of the Cape [Wollomai] is a favourite haunt of those elegant but prosaically-named sea-fowl, the `mutton-birds.'. . One of the sports of the neighbourhood is `mutton-birding.'

1888. A. Reischek, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xxi. art. xlix. p. 378:

"Passing through Foveaux Strait, clothed with romantic little islands, we disturbed numerous flocks of mutton-birds (Puffinus tristis), which were playing, feeding, or sleeping on the water."

1891. `The Australasian,' Nov. 14, p. 963, col. 1 (`A Lady in the Kermadecs'):

"The mutton-birds and burrowers come to the island in millions in the breeding season, and the nesting-place of the burrowers is very like a rabbit-warren; while the mutton-bird is content with a few twigs to do duty for a nest."

1891. Rev. J. Stack, `Report of Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science,' vol. iii. p. 379:

"Wild pigeons, koko, tui, wekas, and mutton-birds were cooked and preserved in their own fat."

<hw>Mutton-bird Tree</hw>, n. a tree, Senecio rotundifolius, Hook.: so called because the mutton-birds, especially in Foveaux Straits, New Zealand, are fond of sitting under it.

<hw>Mutton-fish</hw>, n. a marine univalve mollusc, Haliotis naevosa, Martyn: so called from its flavour when cooked. The empty earshell of Haliotis, especially in New Zealand, Haliotis iris, Martyn, is known as Venus' Ear; Maori name, Paua (q.v.). A species of the same genus is known and eaten at the Cape and in the Channel Islands. (French name Ormer, sc. Oreille de mer.)

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish and Fisheries of New South Wales,' p. 92:

"Then mutton fish were speared. This is the ear-shell fish (Haliotis naevosa), which was eagerly bought by the Chinese merchants. Only the large muscular sucking disc on foot is used. Before being packed it is boiled and dried. About 9d. per lb. was given."

Myall, n. and adj. aboriginal word with two different meanings; whether there is any connection between them is uncertain.

(1) n. An acacia tree, Acacia pendula, A. Cunn., and its timber. Various species have special epithets: Bastard, Dalby, True, Weeping, etc.

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

"The myall-tree (Acacia pendula) is the most picturesque tree of New South Wales. The leaves have the appearance of being frosted, and the branches droop like the weeping willow. . . . Its perfume is as delightful, and nearly as strong, as sandal-wood."

(p. 10): "They poison the fish by means of a sheet of bark stripped from the Myall-tree (Acacia pendula)."

1846. T. L. Mitchell, Report quoted by J. D. Lang, `Cooksland,' p. 495:

"The myall-tree and salt-bush, Acacia pendula and salsolae [sic], so essential to a good run, are also there."

1864. J. S. Moore, `Spring Life Lyrics,' p. 170:

"The guerdon's won! What may it be? A grave beneath a myall-tree."

1865. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `History of the Discovery and Exploration of Australia,' vol. i. p. 193 [Note]:

"This acacia, which has much the habit of the weeping willow, is found very extensively on the wet, alluvial flats of the west rivers. It sometimes forms scrubs and thickets, which give a characteristic appearance to the interior of this part of Australia, so that, once seen, it can never be again mistaken for scenery of any other country in the world. The myall scrubs are nearly all of Acacia pendula."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 280:

"The myall-wood weapons made at Liverpool Plains were exchanged with the coast natives for others."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 46:

"Lignum-vitae and bastard-myall bushes were very common."

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 115:

"Weeping or true Myall. . . . Stock are very fond of the leaves of this tree [Acacia pendula], especially in seasons of drought, and for this reason, and because they eat down the seedlings, it has almost become exterminated in parts of the colonies."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' p. 27:

"A strip of the swaying, streaming myall, of a colour more resembling blue than black."

1890. `The Argus,' June 7, p. 4, col. 2:

"The soft and silvery grace of the myalls."

1890. E. D. Cleland, `The White Kangaroo,' p. 50:

"Miall, a wood having a scent similar to raspberry jam, and very hard and well-grained."

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 130:

"Stock-whips with myall handles (the native wood that smells like violets)."

(2) adj. and n. wild, wild natives, used especially in Queensland. The explanation given by Lumholtz (1890) is not generally accepted. The word mail, or myall, is the aboriginal term for "men," on the Bogan, Dumaresque, and Macintyre Rivers in New South Wales. It is the local equivalent of the more common form murrai.

1830. R. Dawson, `Present State of Australia,' p. 41:

"On my arrival I learnt from the natives that one party was still at work a considerable distance up the country, at the source of one of the rivers, called by the natives `Myall,' meaning, in their language, Stranger, or a place which they seldom or never frequent."

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 192:

"This tribe gloried in the name of `Myall,' which the natives nearer to the colony apply in terror and abhorrence to the `wild blackfellows,' to whom they usually attribute the most savage propensities."

1844. `Port Phillip Patriot,' Aug. i, p. 4, col. 4:

"Even the wildest of the Myall black fellows--as cannibals usually are--learned to appreciate him."

1847. J. D. Lang, `Cooksland,' p. 447:

"Words quite as unintelligible to the natives as the corresponding words in the vernacular language of the white men would have been, were learned by the natives, and are now commonly used by them in conversing with Europeans, as English words. Thus corrobbory, the Sydney word for a general assembly of natives, is now commonly used in that sense at Moreton Bay; but the original word there is yanerwille. Cabon, great; narang little; boodgeree, good; myall, wild native, etc. etc., are all words of this description, supposed by the natives to be English words, and by the Europeans to be aboriginal words of the language of that district."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. ii. p. 171:

"A more intimate acquaintance with the ways and customs of the whites had produced a certain amount of contempt for them among the myalls."

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 209:

"I had many conversations with native police officers on the subject of the amelioration of the wild myalls."

1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia,' p. 150:

"Suddenly he became aware that half-a-dozen of these `myalls,' as they are called, were creeping towards him through the long grass. Armed with spears and boomerangs . . ."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 76:

"These so-called civilized blacks look upon their savage brethren with more or less contempt, and call them myall."

[Footnote]: "A tree (Acacia pendula) which grows extensively in the less civilized districts is called by the Europeans myall. This word was soon applied by the whites as a term for the wild blacks who frequented these large remote myall woods. Strange to say, the blacks soon adopted this term themselves, and used it as an epithet of abuse, and hence it soon came to mean a person of no culture."

1893. M. Gaunt, `English Illustrated,' March, p. 367:

"He himself had no faith in the myall blacks; they were treacherous, they were cruel."

(3) By transference, wild cattle.

1893. `The Argus,' April 29, p. 4, col. 4, `Getting in the Scrubbers':

"To secure these myalls we took down sixty or seventy head of quiet cows, as dead homers as carrier pigeons, some of them milking cows, with their calves penned up in the stockyard."

<hw>Myrmecobius</hw>, n. scientific name of the Australian genus with only one species, called the Banded Ant-eater (q.v.). (Grk. murmaex, an ant, and bios life.)

<hw>Myrtle</hw>, n. The true Myrtle, Myrtus communis, is a native of Asia, but has long been naturalised in Europe, especially on the shores of the Mediterranean. The name is applied to many genera of the family, N.O. Myrtaceae, and has been transferred to many other trees not related to that order. In Australia the name, with various epithets, is applied to the following trees--

Backhousia citriodora, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae, called the Scrub Myrtle and Native Myrtle.

Backhousia myrtifolia, Hook. and Herv., N.O. Myrtaceae, called Scrub Myrtle, or Native Myrtle, or Grey Myrtle, and also Lancewood.

Diospyrus pentamera, F. v. M., N.O. Ebenaceae, the Black Myrtle and Grey Plum of Northern New South Wales.

Eugenia myrtifolia, Sims, N.O. Myrtaceae, known as Native Myrtle, Red Myrtle and Brush Cherry.

Eugenia ventenatii, Benth., N.O. Myrtaceae, the Drooping Myrtle or Large-leaved Water-gum.

Melaleuca decussata, R. Br., N.O. Myrtaceae.

Melaleuca genistifolia, Smith, N.O. Myrtaceae, which is called Ridge Myrtle, and in Queensland Ironwood.

Myoporum serratum, R. Br., N.O. Myoporineae, which is called Native Myrtle; and also called Blue-berry Tree, Native Currant, Native Juniper, Cockatoo-Bush, and by the aborigines Palberry.

Myrtus acmenioides, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae, which is the White Myrtle of the Richmond and Clarence Rivers (New South Wales), and is also called Lignum-vitae.

Rhodamnia argentea, Benth., N.O. Myrtaceae, called White Myrtle, the Muggle-muggle of the aboriginals of Northern New South Wales.

Syncarpia leptopetala, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae, which is called Myrtle and also Brush-Turpentine.

Tristania neriifolia, R. Br., N.O. Myrtaceae, called Water Myrtle, and also Water Gum.

Trochocarpa laurina, R. Br., N.O. Epacrideae, called Brush-Myrtle, Beech and Brush Cherry.

In Tasmania, all the Beeches are called Myrtles, and there are extensive forests of the Beech Fagus cunninghamii, Hook., which is invariably called "Myrtle" by the colonists of Tasmania.

1875. T. Laslett, `Timber and Timber Trees,' p. 206:

Table of Tasmanian Woods.

Hgt. Dia. Where found. Use.
ft. in.

Scented Myrtle 15 6 Low, marshy Seldom used

Red " 40 12 Swampy As pine

White " 20 9 Low, marshy House-carpentry

Yellow " 20 9 " " do.

Brown " 20 30 " " do. and
joiners' planes

<hw>Nailrod</hw>, n. a coarse dark tobacco smoked by bushmen. The name alludes to the shape of the plug, which looks like a thin flat stick of liquorice. It is properly applied to the imported brand of "Two Seas," but is indiscriminately used by up-country folk for any coarse stick of tobacco.

1896. H. Lawson, `While the Billy boils,' p. 118:

"`You can give me half-a-pound of nailrod,' he said, in a quiet tone.'"

<hw>Nail-tailed Wallaby</hw>, n. See Onychogale.

<hw>Namma hole</hw>, n. a native well. Namma is an aboriginal word for a woman's breast.

1893. `The Australasian,' August 5, p. 252, col. 4:

"The route all the way from York to Coolgardie is amply watered, either `namma holes' native wells) or Government wells being plentiful on the road."

1896. `The Australasian,' March 28, p. 605, col. 1:

"The blacks about here [far west of N.S.W.] use a word nearly resembling `namma' in naming waterholes, viz., `numma,' pronounced by them `ngumma,' which means a woman's breast. It is used in conjunction with other words in the native names of some waterholes in this district, e.g., `Tirrangumma' = Gum-tree breast; and ngumma-tunka' = breast-milk, the water in such case being always milky in appearance. In almost all native words beginning with n about here the first n has the ng sound as above."

<hw>Nancy</hw>, n. a Tasmanian name for the flower Anguillaria (q.v.).

<hw>Nankeen Crane</hw>, or <hw>Nankeen Bird</hw>, or <hw>Nankeen Night Heron</hw>, n. the Australian bird Nycticorax caledonicus, Gmel. Both the Nankeen Bird and the Nankeen Hawk are so called from their colour. Nankeen is "a Chinese fabric, usually buff, from the natural colour of a cotton grown in the Nanking district" of China. (`Century.')

1838. James, `Six Months in South Australia, p. 202:

"After shooting one or two beautiful nankeen birds."

1872. C. H. Eden, `My Wife and I in Queensland,' p. 121:

"The nankeen crane (Nycticorax caledonicus), a very handsome bright nankeen-coloured bird with three long white feathers at the back of the neck, very good eating."

<hw>Nankeen Gum</hw>. See Gum.

<hw>Nankeen Hawk</hw>, n. an Australian bird, Tinnunculus cenchroides, Vig. and Hors., which is otherwise called Kestrel (q.v.).

1827. Vigors and Horsfield, `Transactions of the Linnaean Society,' vol. xv. p. 184:

"`This bird,' as we are informed by Mr. Caley, `is called Nankeen Hawk by the settlers. It is a migratory species.'"

<hw>Nannygai</hw>, n. aboriginal name for an Australian fish, Beryx affinis, Gunth.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 52:

"Amongst the early colonists it used also to be called `mother nan a di,' probably a corruption of the native name, mura ngin a gai."

1884. E. P. Ramsay, `Fisheries Exhibition Literature,' vol. v. p. 308:

"Known among the fishermen of Port Jackson as the `nannagai,' or as it is sometimes spelt `nannygy.' It is a most delicious fish, always brings a high price, but is seldom found in sufficient numbers."

<hw>Nardoo</hw>, or <hw>Nardu</hw>, n. aboriginal word for the sporocarp of a plant, Marsilea quadrifolia, Linn., used as food by the aboriginals, and sometimes popularly called Clover-fern. The explorers Burke and Wills vainly sought the means of sustaining life by eating flour made from the spore-cases of nardoo. "Properly Ngardu in the Cooper's Creek language (Yantruwunta)." (A. W. Howitt.) Cooper's Creek was the district where Burke and Wills perished. In South Australia Ardoo is said to be the correct form.

1861. `Diary of H. J. Wills, the Explorer,' quoted in Brough Smyth's `Aborigines of Victoria,' p. 216:

"I cannot understand this nardoo at all; it certainly will not agree with me in any form. We are now reduced to it alone, and we manage to get from four to five pounds a day between us. . . . It seems to give us no nutriment. . . . Starvation on nardoo is by no means very unpleasant, but for the weakness one feels and the utter inability to move oneself, for, as far as appetite is concerned, it gives me the greatest satisfaction."

1862. Andrew Jackson, `Burke and the Australian Exploring Expedition of 1860,' p. 186:

"The [wheaten] flour, fifty pounds of which I gave them, they at once called `whitefellow nardoo,' and they explained that they understood that these things were given to them for having fed King."

1865. W. Howitt, `Discovery in Australia,' vol. ii. p. 247:

"They now began to inquire of the blacks after the nardoo seed, imagining it the produce of a tree; and received from the natives some of their dried narcotic herbs, which they chew, called pitchery. They soon found the nardoo seed in abundance, on a flat, and congratulated themselves in the idea that on this they could subsist in the wilderness, if all other food failed, a hope in which they were doomed to a great disappointment."

1877. F. von Mueller, `Botanic Teachings,' p. 130:

"Of Marsiliaceae we have well known examples in the nardoo (Marsilea quadrifolia, with many varieties), the foliage resembling that of a clover with four leaflets."

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

"They seem to have been unacquainted generally with the use, as a food, of the clover-fern, Nardoo, though the natives of the North Western parts of Victoria must have had intercourse with the tribes who use it, and could have obtained it, sparingly, from the lagoons in their own neighbourhood."

1879. J. D. Wood, `Native Tribes of South Australia,' p. 288:

"Ardoo, often described by writers as Nardoo. A very hard seed, a flat oval of about the size of a pea. It is crushed for food."

1879 (about). `Queensland Bush Song':

"Hurrah for the Roma Railway!
Hurrah for Cobb and Co.!
Hurrah, hurrah for a good fat horse
To carry me Westward Ho!
To carry me Westward Ho! my boys;
That's where the cattle pay,
On the far Barcoo, where they eat nardoo,
A thousand miles away."

1879. S. Gason, in `The Native Tribes of South Australia,' p. 288:

"Ardoo. Often described in news papers and by writers as Nardoo. A very hard seed, a flat oval of about the size of a split pea; it is crushed or pounded, and the husk winnowed. In bad seasons this is the mainstay of the native sustenance, but it is the worst food possible, possessing very little nourishment, and being difficult to digest."

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Proceedings of the of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales,' p. 82 [Botanical Notes on Queensland]:

"Sesbania aculeata. The seeds of this plant are eaten by the natives. It grows in all warm or marshy places in Queensland. By many it is thought that this was the Nardoo which Burke and Wills thought came from the spores of a Marsilea. It is hard to suppose that any nourishment would be obtained from the spore cases of the latter plant, or that the natives would use it. Besides this the spore-cases are so few in number."

1890. E. D. Cleland, `White Kangaroo,' p. 113:

"The great thing with the blacks was nardoo. This is a plant which sends up slender stems several inches high; at the tip is a flower-like leaf, divided into four nearly equal parts. It bears a fruit, or seed, and this is the part used for food. It is pounded into meal between two stones, and is made up in the form of cakes, and baked in the ashes. It is said to be nourishing when eaten with animal food, but taken alone to afford no support."

<hw>Native</hw>, n. This word, originally applied, as elsewhere, to the aboriginal inhabitants of Australia, is now used exclusively to designate white people born in Australia. The members of the "Australian Natives' Association" (A.N.A.), founded April 27, 1871, pride themselves on being Australian-born and not immigrants. Mr. Rudyard Kipling, in the `Times' of Nov. 1895, published a poem called " The Native-Born," sc. born in the British Empire, but outside Great Britain. As applied to Plants, Animals, Names, etc., the word Native bears its original sense, as in "Native Cabbage," "Native Bear," "Native name for," etc., though in the last case it is now considered more correct to say in Australia "Aboriginal name for," and in New Zealand "Maori name for."

1861. Mrs. Meredith, `Over the Straits,' c. v. p. 161:

"Three Sydney natives (`currency' not aboriginal) were in the coach, bound for Melbourne."

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 43:

"They were long and wiry natives from the rugged mountain side."

<hw>Native</hw>, or <hw>Rock-Native</hw>, n. a name given to the fish called Schnapper, after it has ceased to "school." See Schnapper.

<hw>Native Arbutus</hw>, n. See Wax-cluster.

<hw>Native Banana</hw>, n. another name for Lilly-pilly (q.v.).

<hw>Native Banyan</hw>, n. another name for Ficus rubiginosa. See Fig.

<hw>Native Bear</hw>, n. See Bear.

<hw>Native Beech</hw>, n. See Beech.

<hw>Native Blackberry</hw>, n. See Blackberry.

<hw>Native Borage</hw>, n. See Borage.

<hw>Native Box</hw>, n. See Box.

<hw>Native Bread</hw>, n. See Bread.

<hw>Native Broom</hw>, n. See Broom.

<hw>Native Burnet</hw>, n. See Burnet.

<hw>Native Cabbage</hw>, n. The Nasturtium palustre, De C., N.O. Cruciferae, is so called, but in spite of its name it is not endemic in Australia. In New Zealand, the name is sometimes applied to the Maori Cabbage (q.v.).

<hw>Native Carrot</hw>, n. See Carrot.

<hw>Native Cascarilla</hw>, n. See Cascarilla.

<hw>Native Cat</hw>, n. See Cat.

<hw>Native Celery</hw>, or <hw>Australian Celery</hw>, n. See Celery.

<hw>Native Centaury</hw>, n. See Centaury.

<hw>Native Cherry</hw>, n. See Cherry.

<hw>Native-Companion</hw>, n. an Australian bird-name, Grus australasianus, Gould. See also Crane.

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 125:

"Here we saw the native-companion, a large bird of the crane genus . . . five feet high, colour of the body grey, the wings darker, blue or black."

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 38:

"With native-companions (Ardea antigone) strutting round."

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vi. pl. 48:

"Grus Australasianus, Gould, Australian Crane; Native-Companion of the Colonists."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 146:

"A handsome tame `native-companion,' which had been stalking about picking up insects, drew near. Opening his large slate-coloured wings, and dancing grotesquely, the interesting bird approached his young mistress, bowing gracefully from side to side as he hopped lightly along; then running up, he laid his heron-like head lovingly against her breast."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 21:

"The most extraordinary of Riverina birds is the native-companion."

1890. Tasma, `In her Earliest Youth,' p. 145:

"A row of native-companions, of course, standing on one leg-- as is their wont--like recruits going to drill."

[Query, did the writer mean going "through" drill.]

1891. `Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne,' p. 23:

"In this paddock are some specimens of the Native Companion, whose curious habit of assembling in groups on the plains and fantastically dancing, has attracted much attention. This peculiarity is not confined to them alone, however, as some of the other large cranes (notably the crowned cranes of Africa) display the same trait."

<hw>Native Cranberry</hw>, n. See Cranberry.

<hw>Native Currant</hw>, n. See under Currant.

<hw>Native Daisy</hw>, n. See Daisy.

<hw>Native Damson</hw>, n. See Damson.

<hw>Native Dandelion</hw>, n. See Dandelion.

<hw>Native Daphne</hw>, n. See Daphne.

<hw>Native Date</hw>, n. See Date.

<hw>Native Deal</hw>, n. See Deal.

<hw>Native Dog</hw>, n. Another name for the Dingo (q.v.).

<hw>Native Elderberry</hw>, n. See Elderberry.

<hw>Native Flag</hw>, n. See under Flax, Native, and New Zealand.

<hw>Native Fuchsia</hw>, n. See Fuchsia.

<hw>Native Furze</hw>, n. See Hakea.

<hw>Native Ginger</hw>, n. See Ginger.

<hw>Native Grape</hw>, n. See Grape, Gippsland.

<hw>Native-hen</hw>, n. name applied to various species of the genus Tribonyx (q.v.). The Australian species are--

Tribonyx mortieri, Du Bus., called by Gould the Native Hen of the Colonists;

Black-tailed N.-h., T. ventralis, Gould;

and in Tasmania, Tribonyx gouldi, Sclater. See Tribonyx.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vi. pl. 71:

"Tribonyx Mortierii, Du Bus., native-hen of the colonists."

<hw>Native Hickory</hw>, n. See Hickory.

<hw>Native Holly</hw>, n. See Holly.

<hw>Native Hops</hw>, n. See Hops.

<hw>Native Hyacinth</hw>, n. See Hyacinth.

<hw>Native Indigo</hw>. n. See Indigo.

<hw>Native Ivy</hw>, n. See Ivy, and Grape, Macquarie Harbour.

<hw>Native Jasmine</hw>, n. See Jasmine.

<hw>Native Juniper</hw>, n. Same as Native Currant. See under Currant.

<hw>Native Kumquat</hw>, n. Same as Desert Lemon (q.v.).

<hw>Native Laburnum</hw>, n. See Laburnum.

<hw>Native Laurel</hw>, n. See Laurel.

<hw>Native Lavender</hw>, n. See Lavender.

<hw>Native Leek</hw>, n. See Leek.

<hw>Native Lilac</hw>, n. a Tasmanian plant. See Lilac.

<hw>Native Lime</hw>, n. See Lime.

<hw>Native Lucerne</hw>, n. i.q. Queensland Hemp. See under Hemp.

<hw>Native Mangrove</hw>, n. Tasmanian name for the Boobialla (q.v.).

<hw>Native Mignonette</hw>, n. See Mignonette.

<hw>Native Millet</hw>, n. See Millet.

<hw>Native Mint</hw>, n. See Mint.

<hw>Native Mistletoe</hw>, n. See Mistletoe.

<hw>Native Mulberry</hw>, n. See Mulberry.

<hw>Native Myrtle</hw>, n. See Myrtle.

<hw>Native Nectarine</hw>, n. another name for the Emu-Apple. See under Apple.

<hw>Native Oak</hw>, n. See Oak.

<hw>Native Olive</hw>, n. See under Olive and Marblewood.

<hw>Native Onion</hw>, n. Same as Native Leek. See Leek.

<hw>Native Orange</hw>, n. See under Orange.

<hw>Native Passion-flower</hw>, n. See Passion-flower.

<hw>Native Peach</hw>, n. i.q. Quandong (q.v.).

<hw>Native Pear</hw>, n. See Hakea and Pear.

<hw>Native Pennyroyal</hw>, n. See Pennyroyal.

<hw>Native Pepper</hw>, n. See Pepper.

<hw>Native Plantain</hw>, n. See Plantain.

<hw>Native Plum</hw>, n. See Plum, Wild.

<hw>Native Pomegranate</hw>, n. See Orange, Native.

<hw>Native Potato</hw>, n. See Potato.

<hw>Native Quince</hw>, n. Another name for Emu-Apple. See Apple.

<hw>Native Raspberry</hw>, n. See Raspberry.

<hw>Native Rocket</hw>, n. See Rocket.

<hw>Native Sandalwood</hw>, n. See Sandalwood and Raspberry-Jam Tree.

<hw>Native Sarsaparilla</hw>, n. See Sarsaparilla.

<hw>Native Sassafras</hw>, n. See Sassafras.

<hw>Native Scarlet-runner</hw>, n. See Kennedya.

<hw>Native Shamrock</hw>. n. See Shamrock.

<hw>Native Sloth</hw>, n. i.q. Native Bear. See Bear.

<hw>Native Speedwell</hw>, n. See Speedwell.

<hw>Native Tamarind</hw>, n. See Tamarind-tree.

<hw>Native Tiger</hw>, n. See Tasmanian Tiger.

<hw>Native Tobacco</hw>, n. See Tobacco.

<hw>Native Tulip</hw>, n. See Waratah.

<hw>Native Turkey</hw>, n. Same as Wild Turkey. A vernacular name given to Eupodotis australis, Gray, which is not a turkey at all, but a true Bustard. See Turkey.

<hw>Native Vetch</hw>, n. See Vetch.

<hw>Native Willow</hw>, n. See Boobialla and Poison-berry Tree.

<hw>Native Yam</hw>, n. See Yam.

<hw>Necho</hw>, and <hw>Neko</hw>. See Nikau.

<hw>Nectarine, Native</hw>, n. another name for Emu-Apple. See Apple.

<hw>Needle-bush</hw>, n. name applied to two Australian trees, Hakea leucoptera, R. Br., N.O. Proteaceae; called also Pin-bush and Water-tree (q.v.) and Beefwood; Acacia rigens, Cunn., N.O. Leguminosae (called also Nealie). Both trees have fine sharp spines.

<hw>Negro-head</hw> Beech, n. See Beech.

<hw>Neinei</hw>, n. Maori name for New Zealand shrub, Dracophyllum longifolium, R. Br., also D. traversii, N.O. Epacrideae.

1865. J. Von Haast, `A Journey to the West Coast, 1865' (see `Geology of Westland,' p. 78):

"An undescribed superb tree like Dracophyllum, not unlike the D. latifolium of the North Island, began to appear here. The natives call it nene. (Named afterwards D. traversii by Dr. Hooker.) It has leaves a foot long running out into a slender point, of a reddish brown colour at the upper part, between which the elegant flower- panicle comes forth."

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand,' p. 128:

"Neinei, an ornamental shrub-tree, with long grassy leaves. Wood white, marked with satin-like specks, and adapted for cabinet-work."

1888. J. Adams, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xxi. art. ii. p. 40:

"On the flat and rounded top the tallest plants are stunted neinei."

<hw>Nephrite</hw>, n. See Greenstone.

<hw>Nestor</hw>, n. scientific name for a genus of New Zealand Parrots. See Kaka and Kea.

1863. S. Butler, `First Year in Canterbury Settlement,' p. 58:

"There was a kind of dusky, brownish-green parrot too, which the scientific call a Nestor. What they mean by this name I know not. To the unscientific it is a rather dirty-looking bird, with some bright red feathers under its wings. It is very tame, sits still to be petted, and screams like a parrot."

<hw>Nettle-tree</hw>, n. Two species of Laportea, N.O. Urticaceae, large scrub-trees, are called by this name--Giant Nettle, L. gigas, Wedd., and Small-leaved Nettle, L. photiniphylla, Wedd.; they have rigid stinging hairs. These are both species of such magnitude as to form timber-trees. A third, L. moroides, Wedd., is a small tree, with the stinging hairs extremely virulent. See also preceding words. /??/

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

"In the scrubs is found a tree, commonly called the nettle- tree (Urtica gigas). It is often thirty feet in height, and has a large, broad, green leaf. It is appropriately named; and the pain caused by touching the leaf is, I think, worse than that occasioned by the sting of a wasp."

<hw>Never, Never Country</hw>, or <hw>Never, Never Land</hw>. See quotations. Mr. Cooper's explanation (1857 quotation) is not generally accepted.

1857. F. de Brebant Cooper, `Wild Adventures in Australia,' p. 68:

"With the aid of three stock-keepers, soon after my arrival at Illarrawarra, I had the cattle mustered, and the draft destined for the Nievah vahs ready for for the road."

[Footnote]: "Nievah vahs, sometimes incorrectly pronounced never nevers, a Comderoi term signifying unoccupied land."

1884. A. W. Stirling, `The Never Never Land: a Ride in North Queensland,' p. 5:

"The `Never Never Land,' as the colonists call all that portion of it [Queensland] which lies north or west of Cape Capricorn."

1887. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. i. p. 279:

"In very sparsely populated country, such as the district of Queensland, known as the Never Never Country--presumably because a person, who has once been there, invariably asseverates that he will never, never, on any consideration, go back."

1890. J. S. O'Halloran, Secretary Royal Colonial Institute, apud Barrere and Leland:

"The Never, Never Country means in Queensland the occupied pastoral country which is furthest removed from the more settled districts."

1890. A. J. Vogan, `The Black Police,' p. 85:

"The weird `Never, Never Land,' so called by the earliest pioneers from the small chance they anticipated, on reaching it, of ever being able to return to southern civilization."

<hw>Newberyite</hw>, n. [Named after J. Cosmo Newbery of Melbourne.] "A hydrous phosphate of magnesium occurring in orthorhombic crystals in the bat-guano of the Skipton Caves, Victoria." (`Century.')

<hw>New Chum</hw>, n. a new arrival, especially from the old country: generally used with more or less contempt; what in the United States is called a `tenderfoot.'

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 99:

"He was also what they termed a `new chum,' or one newly arrived."

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 366:

"`New Chum,' in opposition to `Old Chum.' The former `cognomen' peculiarizing [sic] the newly-arrived Emigrant; the latter as a mark of respect attached to the more experienced Colonist."

1855. `How to Settle in Victoria,' p. 15:

"They appear to suffer from an apprehension of being under- sold, or in some other way implicated by the inexperience of, as they call him, the `new chum.'"

1865. `Once a Week,' `The Bulla Bulla Bunyip':

"I was, however, comparatively speaking, a `new chum,' and therefore my explanation of the mystery met with scant respect."

1874. W. M. B., `Narrative of Edward Crewe,' p. 17:

"To be a new chum is not agreeable--it is something like being a new boy at school--you are bored with questions for some time after your arrival as to how you like the place, and what you are going to do; and people speak to you in a pitying and patronizing manner, smiling at your real or inferred simplicity in colonial life, and altogether `sitting upon' you with much frequency and persistence."

1885. R. M. Praed, `Head Station,' p. 32:

"A new chum is no longer a new chum when he can plait a stock-whip."

1886. P. Clarke [Title]:

"The New Chum in Australia."

1887. W. S. S. Tyrwhitt [Title]:

"The New Chum in the Queensland Bush."

1890. Tasma, `In her Earliest Youth,' p. 152:

"I've seen such a lot of those new chums, one way and another. They knock down all their money at the first go-off, and then there's nothing for them to do but to go and jackaroo up in Queensland."

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydney-side Saxon,' p. 4:

"The buggy horse made a bolt of it when a new-chum Englishman was driving her."

1892. Mrs. H. E. Russell, `Too Easily jealous,' p. 155:

"One man coolly told me it was because I was a new chum, just as though it were necessary for a fellow to rusticate for untold ages in these barbarous solitudes, before he is allowed to give an opinion on any subject connected with the colonies."

<hw>New Chumhood</hw>, n. the period and state of being a New Chum.

1883. W. Jardine Smith, in `Nineteenth Century,' November, p. 849:

"The `bumptiousness' observable in the early days of `new chumhood.'"

<hw>New Holland</hw>, n. the name, now extinct, first given to Australia by Dutch explorers.

1703. Capt. William Dampier,' Voyages,' vol. iii. [Title]:

"A Voyage to New Holland, &c., in the Year 1699."

1814. M. Flinders, `Voyage to Terra Australis,' Intro. p. ii:

"The vast regions to which this voyage was principally directed, comprehend, in the western part, the early discoveries of the Dutch, under the name of New Holland; and in the east, the coasts explored by British navigators, and named New South Wales."

1845. J. O. Balfour, `Sketch of New South Wales,' p. 2:

"The Spaniards at the commencement of the seventeenth century were the discoverers of New Holland; and from them it received the name of Australia. It subsequently, however, obtained its present name of New Holland from the Dutch navigators, who visited it a few years afterwards."

[The Spaniards did not call New Holland Australia (q.v.). The Spaniard Quiros gave the name of Australia del Espiritu Santo to one of the New Hebrides (still known as Espiritu Santo), thinking it to be part of the `Great South Land.' See Captain Cook's remarks on this subject in `Hawkesworth's Voyages,' vol. iii. p. 602.]

1850. J. Bonwick, `Geography for Australian Youth,' p. 6:

"Australasia, or Australia, consists of the continent of New Holland, or Australia, the island of Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land, and the islands of New Zealand."

[In the map accompanying the above work `Australia' is printed across the whole continent, and in smaller type `New Holland' stretches along the Western half, and `New South Wales' along the whole of the Eastern.]

<hw>New South Wales</hw>, n. the name of the oldest and most important colony in Australia. The name "New Wales" was first given by Captain Cook in 1770, from the supposed resemblance of the coast to that of the southern coast of Wales; but before his arrival in England he changed the name to "New South Wales." It then applied to all the east of the continent. Victoria and Queensland have been taken out of the parent colony. It is sometimes called by the slang name of Eastralia, as opposed to Westralia (q.v).

<hw>New Zealand</hw>, n. This name was given to the colony by Abel Jansz Tasman, the Dutch navigator, who visited it in 1642. He first called it Staaten-land. It is now frequently called Maoriland (q.v.).

<hw>New Zealand Spinach</hw>, n. See Spinach.

<hw>Ngaio, <i</hw>>n. Maori name for a New Zealand tree, Myoporum laetum, Forst.; generally corrupted into Kaio, in South Island.

1873. `Catalogue of Vienna Exhibition':

"Ngaio: wood light, white and tough, used for gun-stocks."

1876. J. C. Crawford, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. ix. art. xiv. p. 206:

"A common New Zealand shrub, or tree, which may be made useful for shelter, viz. the Ngaio."

1880. W. Colenso, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,' vol. xiii. art. i. p. 33:

"The fruits of several species of Rubus, and of the Ngaio (Myoporum laetum), were also eaten, especially by children."

1892. `Otago Witness,' Nov. 3, `Native Trees':

"Myoporum Laetum (Ngaio). This is generally called kio by colonists. It is a very rapid-growing tree for the first five or six years after it has been planted. They are very hardy, and like the sea air. I saw these trees growing at St. Kilda, near Melbourne, thirty years ago."

<hw>Nicker Nuts</hw>, n. i.q. Bonduc Nuts (q.v.).

<hw>Nigger</hw>, n. an Australian black or aboriginal. [Of course an incorrect use. He is not a negro, any more than the Hindoo is.]

1874. M. C., `Explorers,' p. 25:

"I quite thought the niggers had made an attack."

1891. `The Argus,' Nov. 7, p. 13, col. 5:

"The natives of Queensland are nearly always spoken of as `niggers' by those who are brought most directly in contact with them."

<hw>Nigger-head</hw>, n. (1) Name given in New Zealand to hard blackstones found at the Blue Spur and other mining districts. They are prized for their effectiveness in aiding cement-washing. The name is applied in America to a round piece of basic igneous rock.

(2) Name used in Queensland for blocks of coral above water.

1876. Capt. J. Moresby, R. N., `Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea,' pp. 2-3:

"The gigantic Barrier Reef is submerged in parts, generally to a shallow depth, and traceable only by the surf that breaks on it, out of which a crowd of `nigger heads,' black points of coral rock, peep up in places . . ."

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 111:

"Abundantly on the Queensland coast, especially on the coral reefs, where all the outstanding blocks of coral (nigger-heads) are covered with them."

<hw>Nightjar</hw>, n. English bird-name, applied in Australia to the following species--

Large-tailed Nightjar-- Caprimulgus macrurus, Hors.

Little N.-- AEgotheles novae-hollandiae, Gould.

Spotted N.-- Eurostopodus guttatus, Vig. and Hors.

White-throated N.-- E. albogularis, Vig. and Hors.

<hw>Nikau</hw>, n. Maori name for a New Zealand palm-tree, Areca sapida, N.O. Palmeae. Spelt also Necho and Neko.

1843. `An Ordinance for imposing a tax on Raupo Houses, Session II. No. xvii. of the former legislative Council of New Zealand':

[From A. Domett's collection of Ordinances, 1850.]

"Section 2. . . . there shall be levied in respect of every building constructed wholly or in part of raupo, nikau, toitoi, wiwi, kakaho, straw or thatch of any description [ . . . L20]."

1845. E. J. Wakefield, `Adventures in New Zealand,' c. i. p. 270:

[The house was] "covered with thick coating of the leaves of the nikau (a kind of palm) and tufts of grass."

1854. W. Golder, `Pigeons' Parliament,' [Note] p. 75:

"The necho or neko is a large tree-like plant known elsewhere as the mountain cabbage."

1862. `All the Year Round,' `From the Black Rocks on Friday,' May 17, No. 160:

"I found growing, as I expected, amongst the trees abundance of the wild palm or nikau. The heart of one or two of these I cut out with my knife. The heart of this palm is about the thickness of a man's wrist, is about a foot long, and tastes not unlike an English hazel-nut, when roasted on the ashes of a fire. It is very nutritious."

1882. T. H. Potts, `Out in the Open,' p. 86:

"The pale green pinnate-leaved nikau."

1888. Cassell's `Picturesque Australasia,' vol. iii. p. 210:

"With the exception of the kauri and the nekau-palm nearly every tree which belongs to the colony grows in the `seventy-mile bush' of Wellington."

<hw>Nipper</hw>, n. local name in Sydney for Alphaeus socialis, Heller, a species of prawn.

<hw>Nobbler</hw>, n. a glass of spirits; lit. that which nobbles or gets hold of you. Nobble is the frequentative form of nab. No doubt there is an allusion to the bad spirits frequently sold at bush public-houses, but if a teetotaler had invented the word he could not have invented one involving stronger condemnation.

1852. G. F. P., `Gold Pen and Pencil Sketches,' canto xiv.:

"The summit gained, he pulls up at the Valley, To drain a farewell `nobbler' to his Sally."

1859. Frank Fowler, `Southern Lights and Shadows,' p. 52:

"To pay for liquor for another is to `stand,' or to `shout,' or to `sacrifice.' The measure is called a `nobbler,' or a `break-down.'"

1873. A. Trollope, `Australia and New Zealand,' vol. ii. p. 201:

"A nobbler is the proper colonial phrase for a drink at a public-house."

1876. J. Brenchley, `May Bloom,' p. 80:

"And faster yet the torrents flow Of nobblers bolted rapidly."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 249:

"When cruising about . . . with a crew of Kurnai . . . I heard two of my men discussing where we could camp, and one, on mentioning a place, said, speaking his own language, that there was `le-en (good) nobler.' I said, `there is no nobler there.' He then said in English, `Oh! I meant water.' On inquiry I learned that a man named Yan (water) had died shortly, before, and that not liking to use that word, they had to invent a new one."

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 36:

"Only to pull up again at the nearest public-house, to the veranda of which his horse's bridle was hung until he had imbibed a nobbler or two."

<hw>Nobblerise</hw>, v. to drink frequent nobblers (q.v.).

1864. J. Rogers, `The New Rush,' p. 51:

"And oft a duffer-dealing digger there Will nobblerize in jerks of small despair . ."

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 268:

"The institution of `nobblerising' is carried out in far different places."

<hw>Noddy</hw>, n. common English name for the sea-bird. The species observed in Australia are--

The Noddy-- Anous stolidus, Linn.

Black-cheeked N.-- A. melanogenys, Gray.

Grey N.-- A. cinereus, Gould.

Lesser N.-- A. tenuirostris, Temm.

White-capped N.-- A. leucocapillus, Gould.

<hw>Nonda</hw>, n. aboriginal name for a tree, Parinarium Nonda, F. v. M., N.O. Rosaceae, of Queensland. It has an edible, mealy fruit, rather like a plum.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 315:

"We called this tree the `Nonda,' from its resemblance to a tree so called by the natives in the Moreton Bay district."

<hw>Noogoora Bur</hw>, n. a Queensland plant, Xanthium strumarium, Linn., N.O. Compositae.

<hw>Noon-flower</hw>, n. a rare name for the Mesembryanthemum. See Pig-face.

1891. `The Argus,' Dec. 19, p. 4, col. 2:

"The thick-leaved noon-flower that swings from chalk cliffs and creek banks in the auriferous country is a delectable salad."

<hw>Norfolk Island Pine</hw>, n. See Pine.

<hw>Note</hw>, n. short for Bank-note, and always used for a one-pound note, the common currency. A note = L1.

1864. J. Rogers, `New Rush,' pt. ii. p. 28:

"A note's so very trifling, it's no sooner chang'd than gone; For it is but twenty shillings."

1875. Wood and Lapham, `Waiting for Mail,' p. 39:

"And even at half fifty notes a week You ought to have made a pile."

1884. Marcus Clarke, `Memorial Volume,' p. 92:

"I lent poor Dick Snaffle a trotting pony I had, and he sold him for forty notes."

<hw>Notornis</hw>, n. a bird of New Zealand allied to the Porphyrio (q.v.), first described from a fossil skull by Professor Owen (1848), and then thought to be extinct, like the Moa. Professor Owen called the bird Notornis mantelli, and, curiously enough, Mr. Walter Mantell, in whose honour the bird was named, two years afterwards captured a live specimen; a third specimen was captured in 1879. The word is from the Greek notos, south, and 'ornis, bird. The Maori names were Moho and Takahe (q.v.).

<hw>Notoryctes</hw>, n. the scientific name of the genus to which belongs the Marsupial Mole (q.v.).

<hw>Nugget</hw>, n. a lump of gold. The noun nugget is not Australian, though often so supposed. Skeat (`Etymological Dictionary,' s.v.) gives a quotation from North's `Plutarch' with the word in a slightly different shape, viz., niggot. "The word nugget was in use in Australia many years before the goldfields were heard of. A thick-set young beast was called `a good nugget.' A bit of a fig of tobacco was called `a nugget of tobacco.'" (G. W. Rusden.)

1852. Sir W. T. Denison, `Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen s Land,' vol. ii. p. 203:

`In many instances it is brought to market in lumps, or `nuggets' as they are called, which contain, besides the gold alloyed with some metal, portions of quartz or other extraneous material, forming the matrix in which the gold was originally deposited, or with which it had become combined accidentally."

1869. Marcus Clarke, `Peripatetic Philosopher' (reprint), p. 51:

"They lead a peaceful, happy, pastoral life--dig in a hole all day, and get drunk religiously at night. They are respected, admired, and esteemed. Suddenly they find a nugget, and lo! the whole tenor of their life changes."

<hw>Nugget</hw>, v. Queensland slang. See quotation.

1887. R. M. Praed, `Longleat of Kooralbyn,' c. iii. p. 25:

"To nugget: in Australian slang, to appropriate your neighbours' unbranded calves."

Ibid. c. xviii. p. 182:

"If he does steal a calf now and then, I know several squatters who are given to nuggeting."

<hw>Nuggety</hw>, adj. applied to a horse or a man. Short, thick-set and strong. See G. W. Rusden's note under Nugget.

1896. Private Letter, March 2:

"Nuggety is used in the same sense as Bullocky (q.v.), but with a slight difference of meaning, what we should say `compact.' Bullocky has rather a sense of over-strength inducing an awkwardness of movement. Nuggety does not include the last suggestion."

<hw>Nulla-nulla</hw>, n. (spellings various) aboriginal name. A battle club of the aborigines in Australia.

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia,' vol. i. p. 71:

"He then threw a club, or nulla-nulla, to the foot of the tree."

1853. C. Harpur, `Creek of the Four Graves':

"Under the crushing stroke
Of huge clubbed nulla-nullas."

1873. J. B. Stephens, `Black Gin,' p. 61:

"Lay aside thy nullah-nullahs Is there war betwixt us two?"

1885. R. M. Praed, `Australian Life,' p. 9:

"The blacks . . . battered in his skull with a nulla-nulla."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 11:

"They would find fit weapons for ghastly warriors in the long white shank-bones gleaming through the grass--appropriate gnulla-gnullas and boomerangs."

1889. P. Beveridge, `Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina,' p. 67:

"The nulla-nulla is another bludgeon which bears a distinctive character . . . merely a round piece of wood, three feet long and two and a half inches thick, brought to a blunt point at the end. The mallee is the wood from which it is generally made."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 72:

"I frequently saw another weapon, the `nolla-nolla' or club, the warlike weapon of the Australian native most commonly in use. It is a piece of hard and heavy wood sharpened to a point at both ends. One end is thick and tapers gradually to the other end, which is made rough in order to give the hand a more secure hold; in using he weapon the heavy end is thrown back before it is hurled."

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

"One of the simplest of Australian clubs, the `nulla-nulla' resembles the root of a grass-tree in the shape of its head . . . in shape something like a child's wicker-rattle."

<hw>Nut</hw>, n. (1) Slang. Explained in quotation.

1882. A. J. Boyd, `Old Colonials,' p. 60:

"The peculiar type of the Australian native (I do not mean the aboriginal blackfellow, but the Australian white), which has received the significant sobriquet of `The Nut,' may be met with to all parts of Australia, but more particularly . . . in far-off inland bush townships. . . . What is a Nut? . . . Imagine a long, lank, lantern jawed, whiskerless, colonial youth . . . generally nineteen years of age, with a smooth face, destitute of all semblance of a crop of `grass,' as he calls it in his vernacular."

(2) Dare-devil, etc. "Tommy the Nut" was the alias of the prisoner who, according to the story, was first described as "a-larrikin," by Sergeant Dalton. See Larrikin.

<hw>Nut, Bonduc</hw>, n. See Bonduc Nut.

<hw>Nut, Burrawang</hw>, n. See Burrawang.

<hw>Nut, Candle</hw>, n. See Candle-nut.

<hw>Nut, Nicker</hw>, n. See Bonduc Nut.

<hw>Nut, Queensland</hw>, n. See Queensland Nut.

<hw>Nut, Union</hw>, n. See Union Nut.

<hw>Nut-Grass</hw>, n. an Australian plant, Cyperus rotundus, Linn., N.O. Cyperaceae. The specific and the vernacular name both refer to the round tubers of the plant; it is also called Erriakura (q.v.).

<hw>Nutmeg, Queensland</hw>, n. See Queensland Nutmeg.

<hw>Nut-Palm</hw>, n. a tree, Cycas media, R. Br., N.O. Cycadeae.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 21:

"Nut-Palm. Employed by the aborigines as food. An excellent farina is obtained from it."

Oak, n. The Oak of the Northern Hemisphere (Quercus) is not found among the indigenous trees of Australia; but the name Oak is applied there to the trees of the genus Casuarina (q.v.), and usually in the curious form of She-Oak (q.v.). The species have various appellations in various parts, such as Swamp-Oak, River-Oak, Bull-Oak, Desert-Oak; and even the word He-Oak is applied sometimes to the more imposing species of She-Oak, though it is not recognised by Maiden, whilst the word Native Oak is indiscriminately applied to them all.

The word Oak is further extended to a few trees, not Casuarinae, given below; and in New Zealand it is also applied to Matipo (q.v.) and Titoki, or Alectryon (q.v.).

The following table of the various trees receiving the name of Oak is compiled from J. H. Maiden's `Useful Native Plants'--

Bull-Oak-- Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst.; C. glauca, Sieb.

Forest-O.-- Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst.; C. suberosa; Otto and Diet.; C. torulosa, Ait.

Mountain-O.-- Queensland name for Casuarina torulosa, Ait.

River Black-O.-- Casuarina suberosa, Otto and Diet.

River-O.-- Callistemon salignus, De C., N.O. Myrtaceae; Casuarina cunninghamii, Miq.; C. distyla, Vent.; C. stricta, Ait.; C. torulosa, Ait.

Scrub Silky-O.-- Villaresia moorei, F. v. M., N.O. Olacineae. Called also Maple.

She-Oak:--

Coast S.-O.--
Casuarina stricta,

Desert S.-0.--
C. glauca, Sieb.

Erect S.-O.--
C. suberosa, Otto and Diet.

River S.-O.--
 C. glauca, Sieb.

Scrub S.-O.--
C. cunninghamii, Miq.

Stunted S.-O.--
C. distyla, Vent.

Shingle-O.-- Casuarina stricta, Ait.; C. suberosa, Otto and Diet.

Silky-O.-- Stenocarpus salignus, R. Br., N.O. Proteaceae; called also Silvery-Oak. See also Grevillea and Silky-Oak.

Swamp-O.-- Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst.; C. glauca, Sieb.; C. suberosa, Otto and Diet.; C. stricta, Ait.; called also Saltwater Swamp-Oak.

White-O.-- Lagunaria patersoni, G. Don., N.O. Malvaceae.

Botany-Bay Oak, or Botany-Oak, is the name given in the timber trade to the Casuarina .

The `Melbourne Museum Catalogue of Economic Woods' (1894) classes the She-Oak in four divisions--

Desert She-Oak-- Casuarina glauca, Sieb.

Drooping S.-O.-- C. quadrivalvis, Labill.

Shrubby S.-O.-- C. distyla, Vent.

Straight S.-O.-- C. suberosa, Otto.

1770. Captain Cook, `Journal,' Sunday, May 6 (edition Wharton, 1893, pp. 247, 248):

"The great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander found in this place occasioned my giving it the name of Botany Bay. . . . Although wood is here in great plenty, yet there is very little Variety; . . . Another sort that grows tall and Strait something like Pines--the wood of this is hard and Ponderous, and something of the Nature of America live Oak."

1770. R. Pickersgill, `Journal on the Endeavour' (in `Historical Records of New South Wales'), p. 215:

"May 5, 1770.--We saw a wood which has a grain like Oak, and would be very durable if used for building; the leaves are like a pine leaf."

1802. Jas. Flemming, `Journal of Explorations of Charles Grimes,' in `Historical Records of Port Phillip' (edition 1879, J. J. Shillinglaw), p. 22:

"The land is a light, black-sand pasture, thin of timber, consisting of gum, oak, Banksia, and thorn."

[This combination of timbers occurs several times in the `Journal.' It is impossible to decide what Mr. Flemming meant by Oak.]

1839. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 38:

"We found lofty blue-gum trees (Eucalyptus) growing on the flats near the Peel, whose immediate banks were overhung by the dense, umbrageous foliage of the casuarina, or `river-oak' of the colonists."

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

"The river-oak grows on the banks and rivers, and having thick foliage, forms a pleasant and useful shade for cattle during the heat of the day; it is very hard and will not split. The timber resembles in its grain the English oak, and is the only wood in the colony well adapted for making felloes of wheels, yokes for oxen, and staves for casks."

1846. C. Holtzapffel, `Turning,' p. 75:

"Botany-Bay Oak, sometimes called Beef-wood, is from New South Wales. . . . In general colour it resembles a full red mahogany, with darker red veins."

1860. G. Bennett, `Gatherings of a Naturalist,' p. 323:

"The Casuarina trees, with their leafless, thin, thread-like, articulated branches, have been compared to the arborescent horse-tails (Equisetaceae), but have a much greater resemblance to the Larch-firs; they have the colonial name of Oaks, which might be changed more appropriately to that of Australian firs. The dark, mournful appearance of this tree caused it to be planted in cemeteries. The flowers are unisexual; the fruit consists of hardened bracts with winged seeds. The wood of this tree is named Beef-wood by the colonists."

1862. H. C. Kendall, `Poems,' p. 56:

"The wail in the native oak."

1878. W. R. Guilfoyle, `First Book of Australian Botany,' p. 54:

"It may here be remarked that the term `oak' has been very inaptly--in fact ridiculously--applied by the early Australian settlers; notably in the case of the various species of Casuarina, which are commonly called `she-oaks."

1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 252:

"They chose a tall He-oak, lopped it to a point."

1885. J. Hood, `Land of the Fern,' p. 53:

"The sighing of the native oak, Which the light wind whispered through."

1892. A. Sutherland, `Elementary Geography of British Colonies,' p. 27:

"A peculiar class of trees, called by the scientific name of Casuarina, is popularly known as oaks, `swamp-oaks,' `forest-oaks,' `she-oaks,' and so forth, although the trees are not the least like oaks. They are melancholy looking trees, with no proper leaves, but only green rods, like those of a pine-tree, except that they are much longer, and hang like the branches of a weeping-willow."

<hw>Oak-Apple</hw>, n. the Cone of the Casuarina or She-Oak tree.

1862. G. T. Lloyd, `Thirty-three Years in Tasmania and Victoria,' p. 32:

"The small apple of this tree (she-oak) is also dark green . . . both apple and leaf are as acid as the purest vinegar.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 15:

"In cases of severe thirst, great relief may be obtained from chewing the foliage of this and other species [of Casuarina], which, being of an acid nature, produces a flow of saliva--a fact well-known to bushmen who have traversed waterless portions of the country. This acid is closely allied to citric acid, and may prove identical with it. Children chew the young cones, which they call `oak-apples.'"

<hw>Oamaru Stone</hw>, n. Oamaru is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It produces a fine building stone.

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand', p. 64:

"A white, granular limestone, called the Oamaru stone, is worked in extensive quarries in the Oamaru district. . . . A considerable quantity has been exported to Melbourne."

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Austral EnglishChapter XX: Part 20

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