Austral English Part 208

"The `touchy' mare gave so sudden a `prop,' accompanied by a desperate plunge, that he was thrown."

Prospect, v. to search for gold. In the word, and in all its derivatives, the accent is thrown back on to the first syllable. This word, in such frequent use in Australia, is generally supposed to be of Australian origin, but it is in equal use in the mining districts of the United States of America.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 10:

"The forest seemed alive with scouts `prospecting.'"

1864. J. Rogers, `New Rush,' pt. i. p. 18:

"Behold him, along with his partner set out, To prospect the unexplor'd ranges about."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' p. 46:

"A promising place for prospecting. Yet nowhere did I see the shafts and heaps of rock or gravel which tell in a gold country of the hasty search for the precious metal."

1894. `The Argus,' March 10, p. 4, col. 6:

"The uses of the tin dish require explanation. It is for prospecting. That is to say, to wash the soil in which you think there is gold."

Prospect, n. the result of the first or test-dish full of wash-dirt.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' c. v. p. 54:

"The first prospect, the first pan of alluvial gold drift, was sent up to be tested."

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 17:

"I have obtained good dish prospects after crudely crushing up the quartz."

Prospecting, verbal n. and adj.

See Prospect, v.

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 16:

"Prospecting in my division is on the increase."

Ibid. p. 13:

"The Egerton Company are doing a large amount of prospecting work."

Prospecting Claim = the first claim marked in a gold-lead. See Reward Claim.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' c. v. p. 53:

"This, however, would be but half the size of the premier or prospecting claim."

Prospector, n. one who searches for gold on a new field. See Prospect, v.

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 19:

"The Government prospectors have also been very successful."

1891. W. Tilley, `Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 11:

"He incidentally mentioned his gold find to another prospector ... The last went out to the grounds and prospected, with the result that he discovered the first payable gold on the West Coast, for which he obtained a reward claim."

Pseudochirus, n. the scientific name of the genus of Ring-tailed Phalangers. (See Opossum.) They have prehensile tails, by which they hold in climbing, as with a hand. (Grk. pseudo-, false, and cheir, hand.)

Psophodes, n. scientific name of a genus of birds peculiar to Australia, and represented there by two species. See Coach-whip Bird. The name comes from the bird's peculiar note. (Grk. psophowdaes, noisy.)

Ptilonorhynchinae, n. pl. scientific name assigned to the Australian group of birds called the Bower-birds (q.v.). (Grk. ptilon, a feather, rhunchos, a beak.)

Pudding-ball, n. a fish; corruption of the aboriginal name of it, puddinba (q.v.), by the law of Hobson-Jobson.

1847. J. D. Lang, `Cooksland,' p. 96:

"The species of fish that are commonest in the Bay (Moreton) are mullet, bream, puddinba (a native word corrupted by the colonists into pudding-ball) ... The puddinba is like a mullet in shape, but larger, and very fat; it is esteemed a great delicacy."

1896. `The Australasian,' Aug. 28, p. 407 col. 4:

"`Pudding-ball' is the name of a fish. It has nothing to do with pudding, nothing with any of the various meanings of ball.

The fish is not specially round. The aboriginal name was `pudden-ba.' Voila tout."

Pukeko, n. Maori name for the bird Porphyrio melanonotus, the Swamp-Hen (q.v.).

1896. `Otago Witness,' June 11, p. 51:

"Two pukaki [sic] flew across their path."

Punga, n. the trunk of the tree-fern that is known as Cyathea medullaris, the "black fern " of the settlers. It has an edible pith.

1855. Rev. R. Taylor, `Te Ika a Maui,' p. 115:

"Some of the trees were so alarmed that they held down their heads, and have never been able to hold them up since; amongst these were the ponga (a fern-tree) and the kareao (supple-jack), whose tender shoots are always bent."

1888. J. White, `Ancient History of Maori,' vol. iv.

p. 191:

"When Tara-ao left his pa and fled from the vengeance of Karewa, he and his people were hungry and cut down ponga, and cooked and ate them."

1888. J. Adams, `Transactions of New Zealand Institute,'

vol. xxi. art. ii. p. 36:

"The size and beauty of the puriri, nikau, and ponga (Cyathea medullaris) are worthy of notice."

1892. E. S. Brookes, `Frontier Life,' p. 139:

"The Survey Department graded a zigzag track up the side to the top, fixing in punga steps, so that horses could climb up."