Austral English Part 153

"Plains are scoured and every piece of timber looked."

[sc. looked-over.]

Lope, n. a slow and steady gallop. From Dutch verb loopen, to leap, to run. The word is American rather than Australian.

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 35:

"Every body gallops here, or at least goes at a canter--which they call the Australian lope."

Loquat, a Chinese word meaning "Rush-orange,"

Photinia japonica. Being highly ornamental and bearing a pleasant stony juicy fruit of the colour and size of a small orange, it has been introduced into nearly all Australian gardens. The name Native Loquat has been given to an indigenous shrub, Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa, Benth., N.O. Myrtaceae.

Lorikeet, n. a bird-name, little Lory (q.v.). The species in Australia are--

Blue-bellied Lorikeet-- Trichoglossus novae-hollandiae, Gmel.

Blue-faced L.-- Cyclopsitta macleayana, Ramsay.

Little L.-- Trichoglossus pusillus, Shaw.

Musk L.-- T. concinnus, Shaw.

Purple-crowned L.-- T. porphyrocephalus, Dietr.

Red-collared L.-- T. rubritorqus, Vig. and Hors.

Red-faced L.-- Cyclopsitta coxenii, Gould.

Scaly-breasted L.-- Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus, Kuhl.

Swift L.-- Lathamus discolor, Shaw.

Varied L.-- Trichoglossus versicolor, Vig.

The following table gives Gould's classification in 1848:--

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

Plate

Lathamus discolor, Swift Lorikeet ... ... 47 Trichoglossus Novae-Hollandiae, Jard. and Selb., Swainson's L. ... ... ... ... ... ... 48 T. rubritorquis, Vig. and Horsf., Red-collared L. 49 T. chlorolepidotus, Scaly-breasted L. ... 50 T. versicolor, Vig., Varied L. ... ... 51 T. concinnus, Musky L. ... ... ... ... 52 T. porphyrocephalus, Dict., Porphyry-crowned L. 53 T. pusillus, Little L. ... ... ... ... 54

1890. `The Argus,' June 7, p. 13, col. 4:

"On the hill-sides the converse of the lorikeets as they drain the honeycups and swing and chatter in low undertones the whole day long."

Lory, n. a bird-name. The word is Malay. (See `Encyclopaedia Britannica,' vol. xv.) It is often spelt Lowrie in Australia. The species in Australia are--

Crimson-winged Lory-- Aprosmictus coccineopterus, Gould.

King L.-- A. scapulatus, Bechst.

Red-winged Lory-- A. erythropterus, Gmel.

1848. Gould's `Birds of Australia,' vol. v.:

"Aprosmictus scapulatus, king lory; erythropturus, red-winged lory."

Lotus-bird, n. Parra gallinacea, Temm.; called also the Jacana (q.v.), and the Parra (q.v.).

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 22:

"The most striking bird on the lagoon is doubtless the beautiful Parra gallinacea, which in Australia is called the lotus-bird. It sits on the leaves that float on the water, particularly those of the water-lily."

Lowan, n. aboriginal birdname for Leipoa ocellata, Gould. The name is used for the bird in Victoria and in the south-east district of South Australia. In the Mallee district, it is called Mallee-bird, Mallee fowl, Mallee-hen (q.v.); in South Australia, Native Pheasant (q.v.); and in various parts of Australia, the Scrub-Turkey. The county called Lowan, after the bird, is in the Mallee country in the west of Victoria. See Turkey.

1888. Rolf Boldrewood, `Robbery under Arms,' p. 171:

"The Lowan (Mallee-hen, they're mostly called). The Lowan eggs--beautiful pink thin-shelled ones they are, first-rate to eat, and one of 'em a man's breakfast."

1890. A. H. S. Lucas, `Handbook of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science,' Melbourne, p. 68:

"To the dry, arid Mallee Scrub of the Western District is a radical change of scene. There the so-called Mallee hen, or Native name, Lowan (Leipoa ocellata), loves to dwell."

1896. `The Argus,' Aug. 4, p. 5, col. 2:

"The postmaster at Nhill had drawn the attention of the Deputy Postmaster-General to the large number of letters which are received there addressed to `Lowan.' It should be understood that this is the name of a county containing several postal districts, and correspondents should be more specific in their addresses."

Lowrie, n. a bird-name. An Australian variant of Lory (q.v.).

1850. J. B. Clutterbuck, `Port Phillip in 1849,' p. 40:

"A great many species of the parrot are found; and of these the King Parrot is the most beautiful, and that called the Lowrie is perhaps the most docile."

1890. Lyth, `Golden South,' p. 127:

"The birds are very beautiful--the Blue Mountain and Lowrie parrots ...'

Lubra, n. aboriginal name for a black woman.

The name comes from Tasmania, appearing first in the form loubra, in a vocabulary given in the `Voyage de Decouvertes de l'Astrolabe' (Paris, 1834), vol. vii. p. 9, and was obtained from a Tasmanian woman, belonging to Port Dalrymple on the Tamar River. It is probably a compound of the Tasmanian words loa or lowa, a woman, and proi (with variants), big. In Victoria, the use of the word began at the Hopkins River and the vicinity, having been introduced by settlers from Tasmania, but it was generally adopted south of the Murray. North of the Murray the native women were called Gins (q.v.). Both words are now used indiscriminately.

1855. W. Blandowski, `Transactions of Philosophical Society of Victoria,' vol. i. p. 73 :

"The young man who wishes to marry has first to look out for a wife amongst the girls or leubras of some neighbouring tribe."

1864. H. Simcox, `Outward Bound," p. 87:

"Many lubras so black with their load on their back."