Austral English Part 278

1873. Lt.-col. St. John, `Pakeha Rambles through Maori Lands,' p. 167:

"When we see a chance of getting at waipiro, we don't stick at trifles."

1887. The Warrigal, `Picturesque New Zealand,' `Canterbury Weekly Press,' March 11:

"The priest was more than epigrammatic when he said that the Maoris' love for `waipiro' (strong waters) was stronger than their morals."

Wairepo, n. Maori name for the fish called Stingray.

Wait-a-while, n. also called Stay-a-while: a thicket tree.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 306:

"Acacia colletioides, A. Cunn., N.O. Leguminosae, `Wait-a-while' (a delicate allusion to the predicament of a traveller desirous of penetrating a belt of it)."

Waka, n. Maori word for canoe. Waka huia is a box for keeping feathers, originally the feathers of the huia (q.v.).

1874. W. M. Baynes, `Narrative of Edward Crewe,' p. 81:

"`Whaka' is the native name, or rather the native genetic term, for all canoes, of which there are many different kinds, as tete, pekatu, kopapa, and others answering in variety to our several descriptions of boats, as a `gig,' a `whaleboat,' a `skiff,' a `dingy,' etc."

1878. R. C. Barstow, `On the Maori Canoe,' `Transactions of the New Zealand Inst.i.tute,' vol. xi. art. iv. p. 72:

"Canoes may be divided into four cla.s.ses; Waka-taua or Waka-hitau were canoes, fully carved; the Waka-tetee, which, generally smaller, had a plain figure-head and stern; Waka-tiwai, an ordinary canoe of one piece, and the kopapa or small canoe, usually used for fis.h.i.+ng, travelling to cultivation, etc."

Wakiki, n. sh.e.l.l money of the South Sea Islands.

Waler, n. Anglo-Indian name for an Australian horse imported from New South Wales into India, especially for the cavalry. Afterwards used for any horse brought from Australia.

1863. B. A. Heywood, `Vacation Tour at the Antipodes,' p. 134:

"Horses are exported largely from Australia to India even.

I have heard men from Bengal talk of the `Walers,' meaning horses from New South Wales."

1866. G. 0. Trevelyan, `Dawk Bungalow,' p. 223 [Yule's `Hobson Jobson']:

"Well, young Shaver, have you seen the horses? How is the Waler's off fore-leg?"

1873. `Madras Mail,' June 25 [Yule's `Hobson Jobson']:

"For sale. A brown Waler gelding."

1888. R. Kipling, `Plain Tales from the Hills,' p. 224:

"The soul of the Regiment lives in the Drum-Horse who carries the silver kettle-drums. He is nearly always a big piebald Waler."

1896. `The Melburnian,' Aug. 28, p. 62:

"C. R. Gaunt is Senior Subaltern of the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, at present stationed at Rawul Pindi in India.

He won the Regimental Cup Steeplechase this year on an Australian mare of his own. Australian horses are called `Walers' in India, from the circ.u.mstance of their being generally imported from New South Wales."

Walking-Leaf, n. See Phasmid.

Walking-stick, n. See Phasmid.

Walking-stick Palm, n. See under Palm.

Wallaby, n. a name used for the smaller kinds of Kangaroos of the genus Macropus (q.v.), formerly cla.s.sed as Halmaturus. An aboriginal word. See Collins, 1798, below. (Wolbai, in the Kabi dialect of South Queensland, means a young creature.) Also spelt Walloby, Wallabee, and Wallobi. As in the case of Kangaroo (q.v.), the plural is a little uncertain, Wallaby or Wallabies. Some of them are sometimes called Brush-Kangaroos (q.v.). The following are the species--

Agile Wallaby-- Macropus agilis, Gould.

Aru Island W.-- M. brunnii, Schraeber.

Black-gloved W.-- M. irma, Jourd.

Black-striped W.-- M. dorsalis, Gray.

Black-tailed W.-- M. ualabatus, Less. and Garm.

Branded W.-- M. stigmaticus, Gould.

Cape York W.-- M. c.o.xeni, Gray.

Dama W.-- M. eugenii, Desm.

Pademelon-- M. thetidis, Less.

Parma W.-- M. parma , Waterh.

Parry's W.-- M. parryi, Bennett.

Red-legged W.-- M. wilc.o.xi, McCoy.

Red-necked W., Grey's W.-- M. ruficollis, Desm.

Rufous-bellied W.-- M. billardieri, Desm.

Short-tailed W.-- M. brachyurus, Quoy and Gaim.

Sombre W.-- M. brownii, Ramsay.

In addition, there are six species of Rock-Wallaby (q.v.), genus Petrogale (q.v.). See also Paddymelon.

Three species of Nail-tailed Wallabies, genus Onychogale (q.v.), are confined to Australia.

They are the Nail-tailed Wallaby, Onychogale unguifera, Gould; Bridled W., O. frenata, Gould; Crescent W., O. lunata, Gould.

Three species of Hare-Wallabies (genus Lagorchestes, q.v.), confined to Australia, are the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby, Lagorchestes conspiculatus, Gould; Common H. W., L. leporoides, Gould; Rufous H. W., L. hirsutus, Gould.

One species, called the Banded-Wallaby (genus, Lagostrophus, q.v.), confined to Western Australia, is L. fasciatus, Peron and Less.