"The great island-continent of Australia, together with the South-eastern Austro-Malayan islands, is especially characterized by being the home of the great majority of that group of lowly mammals commonly designated marsupials, or pouched-mammals. Indeed, with the exception of the still more remarkable monotremes [q.v.], or egg-laying mammals, nearly the whole of the mammalian fauna of Australia consists of these marsupials, the only other indigenous mammals being certain rodents and bats, together with the native dog, or dingo, which may or may not have been introduced by man."
1896. F. G. Aflalo, `Natural History of Australia," p. 30:
"The presence of a predominating marsupial order in Australia has, besides practically establishing the long isolation of that continent from the rest of the globe, also given rise to a number of ingenious theories professing to account for its survival to this last stronghold."
Marsupial Mole, n. the only species of the genus Notoryctes (q.v.), N. typhlops [from the Greek notos, `south" (literally `south wind"), and rhunchos, a `snout"]; first described by Dr. Stirling of Adelaide (in the `Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia," 1891, p. 154). Aboriginal name, Urquamata.
It burrows with such extraordinary rapidity in the desert-sands of Central Australia, to which it is confined, that, according to Mr. Lydekker, it may be said to swim in the sand as a porpoise does in the water.
Marsupial Wolf, n. See Thylacine and Tasmanian Tiger.
Martin, <>>n. a bird common in England.
The species in Australia are--
Tree, Petrochelidon nigricans, Vieill.;
Fairy, Lagenoplastes ariel, Gould; called also Bottle-Swallow (q.v.).
1896. F. G. Aflalo, `Natural History of Australia," p. 128:
"... the elegant little Fairy Martins (Lagenoplastes ariel), which construct a remarkable mud nest in shape not unlike a retort."
Mary, n. used in Queensland of the aborigines, as equivalent to girl or woman. "A black Mary." Compare "Benjamin," used for husband.
Matagory, n. a p.r.i.c.kly shrub of New Zealand, Discaria toumatou, Raoul.; also called Wild Irishman (q.v.). The Maori name is Tumatahuru, of which Matagory, with various spellings, is a corruption, much used by rabbiters and swagmen. The termination gory evidently arises by the law of Hobson-Jobson from the fact that the spikes draw blood.
1859. J. T. Thomson, in `Otago Gazette," Sept. 22, p. 264:
"Much over-run with the scrub called `tomata-guru.""
Alex. Garvie, ibid. p. 280:
"Much of it is enc.u.mbered with matakura scrub."
1892. W. McHutcheson, `Camp Life in Fiordland," p. 8:
"Trudging moodily along in Indian file through the matagouri scrub and tussock."
1896. `Otago Witness," 7th May, p. 48:
"The tea generally tastes of birch or Matagouri."
Matai, often abridged to Mai, n.
Maori name for a New Zealand tree, Podocarpus spicata, R. Br., N.O. Coniferae. Black-pine of Otago.
1883. J. Hector, `Handbook of New Zealand," p. 124:
"Mr. Buchanan has described a log of matai that he found had been exposed for at least 200 years in a dense damp bush in North-East Valley, Dunedin, as proved by its being enfolded by the roots of three large trees of Griselinia littoralis."
Match-box Bean, n. another name for the ripe hard seed of the Queensland Bean, Entada scandens, Benth., N.O. Leguminosae. A tall climbing plant. The seeds are used for match-boxes. See under Bean.
Matipo, n. another Maori name for the New Zealand trees called Mapau (q.v.).
1866. Lady Barker, `Station Life in New Zealand" (ed. 1886), p. 94:
"The varieties of matapo, a beautiful shrub, each leaf a study, with its delicate tracery of black veins on a yellow-green ground."
1879. J. B. Armstrong, `Transactions of the New Zealand Inst.i.tute," vol. xxi. art. xlix. p. 329:
"The tipau, or matipo (pittosporum tenuifolium), makes the best ornamental hedge I know of."
1879. `Tourist," `New Zealand Country Journal," vol. iii.
p. 93:
"An undergrowth of beautiful shrubs, conspicuous amongst these were the Pittosporum or Matipo, which are, however, local in their distribution, unlike the veronicas, which abound everywhere."
Meadow Rice-gra.s.s, n. See Gra.s.s.
Mealy-back, n. a local name for the Locust (q.v.).
Medicine-tree, i.q. Horse-radish Tree (q.v.).
Megapode, n. scientific name for a genus of Australian birds with large feet--the Mound-birds (q.v.). From Greek megas, large, and pous, podos, a foot. They are also called Scrub fowls.
Melitose, n. the name given by Berthelot to the sugar obtained from the manna of Eucalyptus mannifera.
Chemically identical with the raffinose extracted from mola.s.ses and the gossypose extracted from cotton-seeds.
1894. `The Australasian," April 28, p. 732, col. 1:
[Statement as to origin of melitose by the Baron von Mueller.]
"Sir Frederick M"Coy has traced the production of mellitose also to a smaller cicade."
Melon, n. Besides its botanical use, the word is applied in Australia to a small kangaroo, the Paddy-melon (q.v.).
Melon-hole, n. a kind of honey-combing of the surface in the interior plains, dangerous to hors.e.m.e.n, ascribed to the work of the Paddy-melon. See preceding word, and compare the English Rabbit-hole. The name is often given to any similar series of holes, such as are sometimes produced by the growing of certain plants.
1847. L. Leichhardt, `Overland Expedition," p. 9:
"The soil of the Bricklow scrub is a stiff clay, washed out by the rains into shallow holes, well known by the squatters under the name of melon-holes."
Ibid. p: 77:
"A stiff, wiry, leafless, polyganaceous plant grows in the shallow depressions of the surface of the ground, which are significantly termed by the squatters `Melon-holes," and abound in the open Box-tree flats."
1881. A. C. Grant, `Bush Life in Queensland," p. 220:
"The plain is full of deep melon-holes, and the ground is rotten and undermined with rats."
Menindie Clover, n. See Clover.