Austral English Part 162

Menura, n. the scientific name of the genus of the Lyre-bird (q.v.), so called from the crescent-shaped form of the spots on the tail; the tail itself is shaped like a lyre. (Grk. maen, moon, crescent, and 'oura, tail.) The name was given by General Davies in 1800.

1800. T. Davies, `Description of Menura superba,' in `Transactions of the Linnaean Society' (1802), vol. vi. p. 208:

"The general colour of the under sides of these two [tail]

feathers is of a pearly hue, elegantly marked on the inner web with bright rufous-coloured crescent-shaped spots, which, from the extraordinary construction of the parts, appear wonderfully transparent."

Mere, or Meri, n. (p.r.o.nounced merry), a Maori war-club; a ca.s.se-te^te, or a war-axe, from a foot to eighteen inches in length, and made of any suitable hard material--stone, hard wood, whalebone. To many people out of New Zealand the word is only known as the name of a little trinket of greenstone (q.v.) made in imitation of the New Zealand weapon in miniature, mounted in gold or silver, and used as a brooch, locket, ear-ring, or other article of jewelry.

1830. J. D. Lang, `Poems' (edition 1873), p. 116:

"Beneath his s.h.a.ggy flaxen mat The dreadful marree hangs concealed."

1851. Mrs. Wilson, `New Zealand,' p. 48:

"The old man has broken my head with his meri."

1859. A. S. Thomson, `Story of New Zealand,' p. 140:

"Of these the greenstone meri was the most esteemed. It weighs six pounds, is thirteen inches long, and in shape resembles a soda-water bottle flattened. In its handle is a hole for a loop of flax, which is twisted round the wrist. Meris are carried occasionally in the girdle, like Malay knives. In conflicts the left hand grasped the enemy's hair, and one blow from the meri on the head produced death."

188]. J. Bonwick, `Romance of Wool Trade,' p. 229:

"A land of musket and meri-armed warriors, unprovided with a meat supply, even of kangaroo."

1889. Jessie Mackay, `The Spirit of the Rangatira,' p. 16:

"He brandished his greenstone mere high, And shouted a Maori battle-cry."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. iii. p. 33:

"`No, no, my peg; I thrust it in with this meri,'

yells Maori Jack, brandis.h.i.+ng his war-club."

Merinoes, Pure, n. a term often used, especially in New South Wales, for the `very first families,'

as the pure merino is the most valuable sheep.

1827. P. Cunningham, `Two Years in New South Wales,' vol. i.

p. 116:

"Next we have the legitimates ... such as have legal reasons for visiting this colony; and the illegitimates, or such as are free from that stigma.

The pure merinos are a variety of the latter species, who pride themselves on being of the purest blood in the colony."

Mersey Jolly-tail, n. See Jolly-tail.

Message-stick, n. The aboriginals sometimes carve little blocks of wood with various marks to convey messages. These are called by the whites, message-sticks.

Messmate, n. name given to one of the Gum-trees, Eucalyptus amygdalina, Labill., and often to other species of Eucalypts, especially E. obliqua, L'Herit. For origin of this curious name, see quotation, 1889.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 429:

"It is also known by the name of `Messmate,' because it is allied to, or a.s.sociated with, Stringy-bark. This is probably the tallest tree on the globe, individuals having been measured up to 400 ft., 410 ft., and in one case 420 ft., with the length of the stem up to the first branch 295 ft. The height of a tree at Mt. Baw Baw (Victoria) is quoted at 471 ft."

1890. `The Argus,' June 7, p. 13, col1. 4:

"Away to the north-east a wooded range of mountains rolls along the skyline, ragged rents showing here and there where the dead messmates and white gums rise like gaunt skeletons from the dusky brown-green ma.s.s into which distance tones the bracken and the underwood."

Mia-mia, n. an aboriginal hut. The word is aboriginal, and has been spelt variously. Mia-mia is the most approved spelling, mi-mi the most approved p.r.o.nunciation. See Humpy.

1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 103:

"There she stood in a perfect state of nudity, a little way from the road, by her miam, smiling, or rather grimacing."

1852. Letter from Mrs. Perry, given in Canon Goodman's Church in Victoria during Episcopate of Bishop Perry,' p. 167:

"We came upon the largest (deserted) native encampment we had ever seen. One of the mia-mias (you know what that is by this time--the a is not sounded) was as large as an ordinary sized circular summer-house, and actually had rude seats all round, which is quite unusual. It had no roof, they never have, being mere break-weathers, not so high as a man's shoulder."

1855. W. Howitt, `Two Years in Victoria,' vol. i. p. 366:

"They constructed a mimi, or bower of boughs on the other, leaving portholes amongst the boughs towards the road."

1858. T. McCombie, `History of Victoria,' c. vii. p. 96:

"Their thoughts wandered to their hunting-grounds and mia-mias on the Murray."

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 15:

[Notice varied spelling in the same author.]

"Many of the diggers resided under branches of trees made into small `miams' or `wigwams.'"

1871. C. L. Money, `Knocking About in New Zealand,' p. 42:

"The next day I began building a little `mi-mi,' to serve as a resting-place for the night in going back at any time for supplies."

1883. E. M. Curr, `Recollections of Squatting in Victoria'

(1841-1851), p. 148:

"Of the mia-mias, some were standing; others had, wholly or in part, been thrown down by their late occupants."

1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 32:

"A few branches thrown up against the prevailing wind, in rude imitation of the native mia-mia."

1889. Rev. J. H. Zillmann, `Australian Life,' p. 111:

"[The blacks] would compel [the missionaries] to carry their burdens while travelling, or build their mia-mias when halting to camp for the night; in fact, all sorts of menial offices had to be discharged by the missionaries for these n.o.ble black men while away on the wilds!"

[Footnote]: "Small huts, made of bark and leafy boughs, built so as to protect them against the side from which the wind blew."