Austral English Part 288

Whistling Dick, n. Tasmanian name for a Shrike-Thrush. Called also Duke- Willy.

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

"Colluricincla Selbii, Jard., Whistling Dick of the Colonists of Van Diemen's Land."

Whistling Duck, n. See Duck. The bird named below by Leichhardt appears to be a mistake; vide Gould's list at word Duck.

1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition,' p. 287:

"The Leptotarsis, Gould (whistling duck), which habitually crowd close together on the water."

Whitebait, n. a fish; not, as in England, the fry of the herring and sprat, but in Victoria, Engraulis antarcticus, Castln.; and in New Zealand, the young fry of Galaxias attenuatus, Jenyns (Inanga, q.v.).

The young of the New Zealand Smelt (q.v.), Retropinna richardsonii, Gill, are also called Whitebait, both in New Zealand and in Tasmania.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,'

p. 85:

"Anchovies or Engraulis have a compressed body with a very wide lateral mouth, and a projecting upper jaw. Scales large. We have two species--E. antarcticus, Casteln., and E. nasutus, Casteln. The first-named species is by many erroneously believed to be identical, or at most a variety of E. encrassicholus of Europe. Count Castelnau states that it is very common in the Melbourne market at all seasons, and goes by the name of `whitebait.'"

1883. `Royal Commission on Fisheries of Tasmania, p. iv:

"Retropinna Richardsonii, whitebait or smelt. Captured in great abundance in the river Tamar, in the prawn nets, during the months of February and March, together with a species of Atherina, and Galaxias attenuatus, and are generally termed by fishermen whitebait. Dr. Guenther had formerly supposed that this species was confined to New Zealand; it appears, however, to be common to Australia and Tasmania."

Whitebeard, n. name applied to the plant Styphelia ericoides, N.O. Epacrideae.

White-Eye, n. another name for the bird called variously Silver-Eye, Wax-Eye, Blight-Bird, etc., Zosterops (q.v.).

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 81:

"Zosterops Dorsalis, Vig. and Horsf, Grey-backed Zosterops; White-eye, Colonists of New South Wales."

1896. `The Australasian,' Nov. 14, p. 461:

"The unique migration on the part of the white-eyes has not been satisfactorily accounted for. One authority invents the ingenious theory that the original white-eyes went to New Zealand after the memorable `Black Thursday' of Australia in 1851."

White-face, n. a name applied to the Australian bird, Xerophila leucopsis, Gould. Another species is the Chestnut-breasted White face, X. pectoralis, Gould.

White Gallinule, n. one of the birds of the family called Rails. The White Gallinule was recorded from New South Wales in 1890, and also from Lord Howe Island, off the coast, and from Norfolk Island. The modern opinion is that it never existed save in these two islands, and that it is now extinct. It was a bird of limited powers of flight, akin to the New Zealand bird, Notornis mantilli which is also approaching extinction. Only two skins of the White Gallinule are known to be in existence.

1789. Governor Phillip,' Voyage to Botany Bay,' p. 273 and fig.:

"White Gallinule. This beautiful bird greatly resembles the purple Gallinule in shape and make, but is much superior in size, being as large as a dunghill fowl... . This species is pretty common on Lord Howe's Island, Norfolk Island, and other places, and is a very tame species."

1882. E. P. Ramsay, `Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales,' p. 86:

"The attention of some of our early Naturalists was drawn to this Island by finding there, the now extinct `White Gallinule,' then called (Fulica alba), but which proves to be a species of Notornis."

White-head, n. a bird of New Zealand, Clitonyx albicapilla, Buller. Found in North Island, but becoming very rare. See Clitonyx.

White-lipped Snake, n. See under Snake.

White-Pointer, n. a New South Wales name for the White-Shark. See Shark.

White-top, n. another name for Flintwood (q.v.).

White-Trevally, n. an Australian fish.

See Trevally.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish and Fisheries of New South Wales,' p. 59:

"Caranx georgianus, the `white trevally.' . . There are several other species of Caranx in Port Jackson. In Victoria it is called silver bream. Count Castelnau says it is very beautiful when freshly taken from the water, the upper part being a light celestial blue or beautiful purple, the lower parts of a silvery white with bright iridescent tinges ...

There is another fish called by this name which has already been described amongst the Teuthidae, but this is the White Trevally as generally known by New South Wales fishermen."

Whitewood, n. another name for Cattle-Bush (q.v.). A Tasmanian name for Pittosporum bicolor, Hook., N.O. Pittosporeae.

Called Cheesewood in Victoria, and variously applied, as a synonym, to other trees; it is also called Waddy-wood (q.v.).

Whiting, n. Four species of the fish of the genus Sillago are called Whiting in Australia (see quotation). The New Zealand Whiting is Pseudophycis breviusculus, Richards., and the Rock-Whiting of New South Wales is Odax semifaciatus, Cuv. and Val., and O. richardsonii, Gunth.; called also Stranger (q.v.). Pseudophycis is a Gadoid, Sillago belongs to the Trachinidae, and Odax to the family Labridae or Wrasses.

1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,'

p. 65:

"The `whitings' are not like those of Europe. There are, in all, four Australian species--the common sand-whiting (Sillago maculata), abundant on the New South Wales coast; the trumpeter-whiting (S. bassensis), also abundant here, and the most common species in Brisbane; S. punctata, the whiting of Melbourne, and rare on this coast; and S. ciliata."

Widgeon, n. the common English name for a Duck of the genus Mareca, extended generally by sportsmen to any wild duck. In Australia, it is used as another name for the Pink-eyed (or Pink-eared) Duck. It is also used, as in England, by sportsmen as a loose term for many species of Wild-Duck generally.

Wild Dog, n. i.q. Dingo (q.v.).

Wild Geranium, n. In Australia, the species is Pelargonium australe, Willd., N.O. Geraniaceae.

Wild Irishman, a spiny New Zealand shrub, Discaria toumatou, Raoul, N.O. Rhamneae. The Maori name is Tumata-Kuru (q.v.).

1867. F. Hochstetter, `New Zealand,' p. 133:

"Certain species of Acyphilla and Discaria, rendering many tracts, where they grow in larger quantities, wholly inaccessible. On account of their slender blades terminating in sharp spines the colonists have named them `spear-grass,' `wild Irishman,' and `wild Spaniard.'"

[This is a little confused. There are two distinct plants in New Zealand--

(1) Discaria toumatou, a spiny shrub or tree; called Tumatakuru Matagory, and Wild Irishman.

(2) Aciphylla colensoi, a grass, called Sword-grass, Spear grass, Spaniard, and Scotchman.

1875. Lady Barker, `Station Amusements in New Zealand,' p. 35:

"Interspersed with the Spaniards are generally clumps of `Wild Irishman'--a straggling sturdy bramble, ready to receive and scratch you well if you attempt to avoid the Spaniard's weapons."

1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand, p. 131:

"Tumata kuru, Wild Irishman. A bush or small tree with spreading branches; if properly trained would form a handsome hedge that would be stronger than whitethorn. The species were used by the Maoris for tattooing."