Austral English Part 72

Musk D. (q.v.)-- Biziura lobata, Shaw.

Pink-eared D., or Widgeon (q.v.)-- Malacorhynchus membranaceus, Lath.

Plumed Whistling D.-- Dendrocygna eytoni, Gould.

Whistling D.-- D. vagans, Eyton. [Each species of the Dendrocygna called also by sportsmen Tree-duck.]

White-eyed D., or Hard-head (q.v.)-- Nyroca australis, Gould.

Wild D.-- Anas superciliosa, Gmel.

Wood D. (the Maned Goose; see Goose).

The following is a table of the ducks as compiled by Gould nearly fifty years ago.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. vii:

Plate

Anas superciliosa, Gmel.

Australian Wild Duck ... 9

Anas naevosa, Gould, Freckled Duck ... 10

Anas punctata, Cuv.

Chestnut-breasted Duck ... 11

Spatula Rhyncotis, Australian Shoveller ... 12

Malacorhynchus membranaceus, ... 13 Membranaceous Duck

Dendrocygna arcuata, Whistling Duck (q.v.) ... 14

Leptolarsis Eytoni, Gould, Eyton's Duck ... 15

Nyroca Australis, Gould, White-eyed Duck ... 16

Erismatura Australis, Blue-billed Duck ... 17

Biziura lobata, Musk Duck ... 18

The following is Professor Parker's statement of the New Zealand Ducks.

1889. Prof. Parker, `Catalogue of New Zealand Exhibition,'

p. 117:

"There are eleven species of Native Ducks belonging to nine genera, all found elsewhere, except two--the little Flightless Duck of the Auckland Islands (genus Nesonetta) and the Blue Mountain Duck (Hymenolaemus). Among the most interesting of the non-endemic forms, are the Paradise Duck or Sheldrake (Casarca variegata), the Brown Duck (Anas chlorotis), the Shoveller or Spoonbill Duck (Rhynchaspis variegata), and the Scaup or Black Teal (Fuligula Novae-Zealandiae)."

Duckbill, n. See Platypus. Sometimes also called Duckmole.

Duckmole, n. See Platypus.

1825. Barron Field, `First Fruits of Australian Poetry,'

in `Geographical Memoirs of New South Wales,' p. 496:

"When sooty swans are once more rare, And duck-moles the museum's care."

[Appendix : "Water or duck-mole."]

1875. Schmidt, `Descent and Darwinism,' p. 237:

"The Ornithorhyncus or duck-mole of Tasmania."

Duck-shoving, and Duckshover, n.

a cabman's phrase.

In Melbourne, before the days of trams, the wagonette-cabs used to run by a time-table from fixed stations at so much (generally 3d.) a pa.s.senger. A cabman who did not wait his turn on the station rank, but touted for pa.s.sengers up and down the street in the neighbourhood of the rank, was termed a Duck-shover.

1870. D. Blair, `Notes and Queries,' Aug. 6, p. 111:

"Duck-shoving is the term used by our Melbourne cabmen to express the unprofessional trick of breaking the rank, in order to push past the cabman on the stand for the purpose of picking up a stray pa.s.senger or so."

1896. `Otago Daily Times,' Jan. 25, p. 3, col. 6:

"The case was one of a series of cases of what was technically known as `duck shoving,' a process of getting pa.s.sengers which operated unfairly against the cabmen who stayed on the licensed stand and obeyed the by-law."

Dudu, n. aboriginal name for a pigeon, fat-breasted, and very good eating.

1852. G. C. Mundy, `Our Antipodes' (3rd ed. 1855), c. vii.

p. 170:

"In the gra.s.sland, a sort of ground pigeon, called the dudu, a very handsome little bird, got up and went off like a partridge, strong and swift, re-alighting on the ground, and returning to cover."

Duff, v. to steal cattle by altering the brands.

1869. E. Carton Booth, `Another England,' p. 138:

"He said there was a `duffing paddock' somewhere on the Broken River, into which n.o.body but the owner had ever found an entrance, and out of which no cattle had ever found their way--at any rate, not to come into their owner's possession... . The man who owned the `duffing paddock'

was said to have a knack of altering cattle brands ..."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. xiv. p. 162:

"I knew Redcap when he'd think more of duffing a red heifer than all the money in the country."

1891. Rolf Boldrewood, `A Sydneyside Saxon,' p. 95:

"As to the calves I'm a few short myself, as I think that half-caste chap of yours must have `duffed.'"