Austral English Part 273

"One evening a smart, handsome lad came to tell me his tupuna was dying ... The tribe were ke poto or a.s.sembled to the last man about the dying chief."

Turbot, n. The name is given to a New Zealand fish, called also Lemon-Sole (q.v.) or Yellow-belly (q.v.), Ammotretis guntheri.

1876. `Transactions of New Zealand Inst.i.tute,' vol. viii.

p. 215:

"Turbot--a fish not uncommon in the Dunedin market, where it goes by the name of `lemon-sole.'"

Turkey, n. This common English bird-name is applied in Australia to three birds, viz.--

(1) To the bird Eupodotis australis, Gray, which is a true Bustard, but which is variously called the Native Turkey, Plain Turkey (from its frequenting the plains), and Wild Turkey.

(2) To the bird Talegalla lathami, Gould, called the Brush Turkey (from its frequenting the brushes), Wattled Turkey and Wattled Talegalla (from its fleshy wattles), and sometimes, simply, Talegalla.

By Latham it was mistaken for a Vulture, and cla.s.sed by him as the New Holland Vulture. (`General History of Birds,'

1821, vol. i. p. 32.)

(3) To the bird Leipoa ocellata, Gould, called the Scrub-Turkey (from its frequenting the Scrubs, the Lowan (its aboriginal name), the Native Pheasant (of South Australia); in the Mallee district it is called Mallee-bird, Mallee-fowl, Mallee-hen.

In the following quotations the number of the bird referred to is placed in square brackets at the end.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 14:

"We pa.s.sed several nests of the Brush-Turkey (Talegalla Lathami, Gould)." [2.]

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 260:

"Several native bustards (Otis Novae Hollandiae, Gould) were shot." [1.]

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

"Otis Australasia.n.u.s, Gould, Australian Bustard; Turkey, Colonists of New South Wales; Native Turkey, Swan River." [1.]

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. v. pl. 77:

"Talegalla Lathami, Wattled Talegalla; Brush-Turkey of the Colonists." [2.]

1872. C. H. Eden, `My wife and I in Queensland,' p. 122:

"The bird that repaid the sportsman best was the plain turkey or bustard (Otis Australasia.n.u.s), a n.o.ble fellow, the male weighing from eighteen to twenty pounds. They differ from the European birds in being good flyers... . The length of the wings is very great, and they look like monsters in the air." [1.]

1872. Ibid. p. 124:

"The scrub-turkey (Talegalla Lathami) is a most curious bird; its habitat is in the thickest scrubs. In appearance it much resembles the English hen turkey, though but little larger than a fowl." [2.]

1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland,' vol. i. p. 214:

"Look at this immense mound. It is a scrub-turkey's nest.

Thirty or forty lay their eggs in it. One could hardly imagine they could gather such a huge pile of sticks and earth and leaves. They bury their eggs, and heap up the nest until the laying time ceases. The moist heap heats and incubates the eggs. The young turkeys spring out of the sh.e.l.l, covered with a thick warm coat, and scratch their way into daylight, strong and able to provide food for themselves." [3.]

1891. `Guide to Zoological Gardens, Melbourne':

"The bustard (Eupodotis Australis) is known by the colonists as the native turkey. It is excellent eating and is much sought after on that account. The hen bird lays only one egg, depositing it on the bare ground. Formerly they were numerous in the neighbourhood of Melbourne, but they have now been driven further inland; they are still abundant on the western plains and on the open Saltbush country of the Lower Murray. They are difficult to approach on foot, but it is easy to get within gunshot of them on horseback or driving. The natives used formerly to capture them in an ingenious manner by means of a snare; they approached their intended victim against the wind under cover of a large bush grasped in the left hand, while in the right was held a long slender stick, to the end of which was fastened a large fluttering moth, and immediately below a running noose. While the bird, unconscious of danger, was eyeing and pecking at the moth, the noose was dexterously slipped over its head by the cunning black, and the astonished bird at once paid the penalty of its curiosity with its life."

[1.]

1891. Ibid.:

"In the first division are several specimens of the Brush-Turkey (Talegalla Lathami) of Australia. These birds have excited world-wide interest in scientific circles, by their ingenious mode of incubating. They construct a large mound of vegetable mould and sand; mixed in such proportions that a gentle heat will be maintained, which hatches the buried eggs. The young chicks can look after themselves shortly after bursting the egg-sh.e.l.l." [2.]

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

"The brush-turkeys, which are not really turkeys but birds of that size, build big mounds of decaying vegetable matter, lay their eggs on the top, cover them over with leaves, and leave the whole to rot, when the heat of the sun above and of the fermentation below, hatches the eggs, and the young creep out to forage for themselves without ever knowing their parents."

[2.]

1893. Professor H. A. Strong, in `Liverpool Mercury,' Feb.

13:

"The well-known `wild turkey' of Australian colonists is a bustard, and he has the good sense to give a wide berth to the two-legged immigrants indeed the most common method of endeavouring to secure an approach to him is to drive up to him in a buggy, and then to let fly. The approach is generally made by a series of concentric circles, of which the victim is the centre. His flesh is excellent, the meat being of a rich dark colour, with a flavour resembling that of no other game bird with which I am acquainted." [1.]

1893. `The Argus,' March 25, p. 3, col. 5:

"The brush-turkey (Talegalla), another of the sand-builders, lays a white egg very much like that of a swan, while the third of that wonderful family, the scrub-hen or Megapode, has an egg very long in proportion to its width." [2.]

Turmeric, i.q. Stinkwood (q.v.); also applied occasionally to Hakea dactyloides, Cav., N.O. Proteaceae. See Hakea.

Turnip-wood, n. the timbers of the trees Akania hillii, J. Hook., N.O. Sapindaceae, and Dysoxylon Muelleri, Benth., N.O. Meliaceae, from their white and red colours respectively.

Turpentine, Brush, name given to two trees-- Metrosideros leptopetala, F. v. M., also called Myrtle; and Rhod.a.m.nia trinervia, Blume, both N.O. Myrtaceae.

Turpentine-Tree, n. The name is applied to many trees in Australia yielding a resin, but especially to the tree called Tallow-Wood (q.v.), Eucalyptus microcorys, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae; to Eucalyptus punctata, De C., N.O. Myrtaceae, called also Leather- Jacket, Hickory, Red-, and Yellow-Gun, and b.a.s.t.a.r.d-Box; and to E. stuartiana, F. v. M., N.O. Myrtaceae. In New Zealand, it is also applied to the Tarata. See Mapau.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 523:

"[E. Stuartiana is] frequently called Turpentine Tree, or Peppermint Tree. In Victoria it is known as Apple Tree, Apple-scented Gum, White Gum, and Mountain Ash. It is the Woolly b.u.t.t of the county of Camden (New South Wales).

Occasionally it is known as Stringybark. It is called Box about Stanthorpe (Queensland), Tea Tree at Frazer's Island (Queensland), and Red Gum in Tasmania."

Turquoise-Berry, n. i.q. Solomon's Seal (q.v.).

Tussock-gra.s.s, n. Tussock is an English word for a tuft of gra.s.s. From this a plant of the lily family, Lomandra longifolia, R. Br., N.O. Lilaceae, is named Tussock-gra.s.s; it is "considered the best native subst.i.tute for esparto." (`Century.')

1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' c. v. p. 38:

"The roof was neatly thatched with the tall, strong tussock-gra.s.s."

Tussocker, n. a New Zealand name for a Sundowner (q.v.).

1889. Vincent Pyke, `Wild Will Enderby':

"Now, a `sun-downer,' or `tussocker'--for the terms are synonymous--is a pastoral loafer; one who loiters about till dusk, and then makes for the nearest station or hut, to beg for shelter and food."