Austral English Part 60

1848. Ibid. pl. 58:

"Herodias Immaculata, Gould [later melanopus], Spotless Egret, White Crane of the colonists."

1890. `Victorian Consolidated Statutes, Game Act,' 3rd Schedule:

"[Close Season.] All Birds known as Cranes such as Herons, Egrets, &c. From First day of August to Twentieth day of December following in each year."

Craw-fish, n. a variant of Crayfish (q.v.).

Crawler, n. that which crawls; used specially in Australia of cattle.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Colonial Reformer,' p. 217:

"Well-bred station crawlers, as the stockmen term them from their peaceable and orderly habits."

Cray-fish, n. The Australasian Cray-fish belong to the family Parastacidae, the members of which are confined to the southern hemisphere, whilst those of the family Potamobiidae are found in the northern hemisphere. The two families are distinguished from one another by, amongst other points of structure, the absence of appendages on the first abdominal segment in the Parastacidae. The Australasian cray-fishes are cla.s.sified in the following genera--Astacopsis, found in the fresh waters of Tasmania and the whole of Australia; Engaeus, a land-burrowing form, found only in Tasmania and Victoria; Paranephrops, found in the fresh waters of New Zealand; and Palinurus, found on the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. The species are as follows :--

(1) The Yabber or Yabbie Crayfish. Name given to the commonest fresh-water Australian Cray-fish, Astacopsis bicarinatus, Gray. This is found in waterholes, but not usually in running streams, over the greater part of the continent, and often makes burrows in the ground away from water, and may also do great damage by burrowing holes through the banks of dams and reservoirs and water-courses, as at Mildura. It was first described as the Port Essington Crayfish.

1845. Gray, in E. J. Eyre's `Expeditions into Central Australia,' vol. i. p. 410:

"The Port Essington Cray fish. Astacus bicarinatus."

1885. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'

Dec. 2, pl. 29:

"They are commonly known about Melbourne by the native name of Yabber or Yabbie."

(2) The Murray Lobster or the Spiny Cray-fish. Name given to the largest Australian fresh-water Cray-fish, Astacopsis serratus, Shaw, which reaches a length of over twelve inches, and is found in the rivers of the Murray system, and in the southern rivers of Victoria such as the Yarra, the latter being distinguished as a variety of the former and called locally the Yarra Spiny Cray-fish.

1890. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'

Dec. 8, pl. 160: "

Our plate 160 ill.u.s.trates a remarkable variety of the typical A. serratus of the Murray, common in the Yarra and its numerous affluents flowing southwards."

(3) The Tasmanian Cray-fish. Name given to the large fresh-water Cray-fish found in Tasmania, Astacopsis franklinii; Gray.

(4) The Land-crab. Name applied to the burrowing Cray-fish of Tasmania and Victoria, Engaeus fossor, Erich., and other species. This is the smallest of the Australian Cray-fish, and inhabits burrows on land, which it excavates for itself and in which a small store of water is retained. When the burrow, as frequently happens, falls in there is formed a Crab-hole (q.v.).

1892. G. M. Thomson, `Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania,' p. 2:

"Only four of the previously described forms are fresh-water species, namely: Astacopsis franklinii and A. tasmanicus, Engaeus fossor and E. cunicularius, all fresh-water cray fishes."

(5) New Zealand Fresh-water Cray-fish. Name applied to Paranephrops zealandicus, White, which is confined to the fresh water of New Zealand.

1889. T. J. Parker, `Studies in Biology' (Colonial Museum and Geological Survey Department, New Zealand), p. 5:

"Paranephrops which is small and has to be specially collected in rivers, creeks or lakes."

(6) Sydney Cray-fish. Name given to the large salt-water Cray-fish, rarely called Craw-fish, or Spiny Lobster, found along the Sydney coast, Palinurus huegeli, h.e.l.ler.

1890. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'

Dec. 16, pl. 159:

"This species, which is the common Sydney Craw-fish, is easily distinguished from the southern one, the P. Lalandi, which is the common Melbourne Craw-fish."

(7) Southern Rock-Lobster or Melbourne Crayfish. Name given to the large salt-water Cray-fish, sometimes called Craw-fish, found along the southern coast and common in the Melbourne market, Palinurus lalandi, Lam.

1890. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'

Dec. 15, pl. 150:

"I suggest the trivial name of Southern Rock Lobster for this species, which abounds in Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand, as well as the Cape of Good Hope ... does not appear to have been noticed as far north as Sydney."

The name Craw-fish is merely an ancient variant of Cray-fish, though it is said by Gasc, in his French Dictionary, that the term was invented by the London fishmongers to distinguish the small Spiny Lobster, which has no claws, from the common Lobster, which has claws. The term Lobster, in Australia, is often applied to the Sydney Cray-fish (see 7, above).

Creadion, n. scientific name given by Vieillot in 1816 to a genus of birds peculiar to New Zealand, from Greek kreadion, a morsel of flesh, dim. of kreas, flesh. Buller says, "from the angle of the mouth on each side there hangs a fleshy wattle, or caruncle, shaped like a cuc.u.mber seed and of a changeable bright yellow colour."

('Birds of New Zealand,' 1886, vol. i. p. 18.) The Jack-bird (q.v.) and Saddle-back (q.v.) are the two species.

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 404:

"Family Sturnidae--Tieki (Creadion Carunculatus).

This is a beautiful black bird with a chestnut band across the back and wings; it has also a fleshy lappet on either side of the head. The tieki is considered a bird of omen: if one flies on the right side it is a good sign; if on the left, a bad one."

Cream of Tartar tree, n. i.q. Baobab (q.v.).

Creek, n. a small river, a brook, a branch of a river. "An application of the word entirely unknown in Great Britain." (`O.E.D.') The `Standard Dictionary' gives, as a use in the United States, "a tidal or valley stream, between a brook and a river in size." In Australia, the name brook is not used. Often p.r.o.nounced crick, as in the United States.

Dr. J. A.H. Murray kindly sends the following note:--"Creek goes back to the early days of exploration. Men sailing up the Mississippi or other navigable river saw the mouths of tributary streams, but could not tell with out investigation whether they were confluences or mere inlets, creeks. They called them creeks, but many of them turned out to be running streams, many miles long--tributary rivers or rivulets. The name creek stuck to them, however, and thus became synonymous with tributary stream, brook."

1793. Governor Hunter, `Voyage,' p. 516:

"In the afternoon a creek obliged them to leave the banks of the river, and go round its head, as it was too deep to cross: having rounded the head of this creek..."

1802. G. Barrington, `History of New South Wales,' p. 228:

"They met with some narrow rivers or creeks."

1809. Aug. 6, `History of New South Wales' (1818), p. 327:

"Through Rickerby's grounds upon the riverside and those of the Rev. Mr. Marsden on the creek."

1826. Goldie, in Bischoff's `Van Diemen's Land' (1832), p. 162:

"There is a very small creek which I understand is never dry."

1848. W. Westgarth, `Australia Felix,' p. 17:

"The creeks and rivers of Australia have in general a transitory existence, now swollen by the casual shower, and again rapidly subsiding under the general dryness and heat of the climate."