64 KEBt-K, Aboriginal Plant Names. [v^"^xxxiv. 



work out a group meaning. The tendency of the roots is to 

 group themselves in various shades about a common meaning, 

 which, I presume, is the primitive one. Working with such 

 reliable identifications as those provided by Baron von Mueller, 

 the native words so analyzed seldom fail to explain a morpho- 

 logical characteristic, habit, habitat, or use to which the plant, 

 shrub, or tree has been put by the natives. It will be observed 

 that in the first j^lace the native name is akin to the scientific, 

 and some striking coincidences occur where the same meaning 

 is expressed by both. " Bin in tir ba twe bin " (ter ba touit 

 bin). Narrow-leaved Peppermint, Eitcalyptus amygdalina, 

 Labill., might be just as well expressed by the Latin fissilis, 

 that which is cleft, split, or cloven. It is relevant that Baron 

 von Mueller recognized for a long time this eucalypt as E. 

 fissilis. " Boe boe," the Twiggy Aster, Olcaria ramulosa, 

 Benth., means very small (note the repetition to express 

 intensity), and may be a reference to the small twigs, expressed 

 by the Latin adjective ramulosus (full of small twigs). " Errie 

 nellam," ensnaring hairs, is indirectly expressed by the Greek 

 droseros, dewy, in Drosera anricnlata. Backhouse, the Tall 

 Sundew, sometimes also called the " Catchfly," on account 

 of the sticky fluid exuded from the bases of the hairs — a snare 

 for insects. " Ngaring," Snake Orchid, Diuris pedunculata, 

 R. Brown, has a synonym — " karn," a snake. " Burny burny " 

 means " side by side," and is equivalent to Diuris (two-tailed), 

 the generic name of the Leopard Orchid. 



The majority of the names have, however, a reference to a 

 portion of the plant that satisfied the native appetite or con- 

 tributed to the efficiency of his offensive or defensive weapons. 

 Others imply that the ])lants they represent had a fibre value, or 

 were medicinal. Those referred to as seasonal are full of interest 

 as showing that the great event of the year was when the 

 countryside burst into flower. There are, too, plants for 

 ornamentation, playthings, drinking utensils, fish spears, fire 

 sticks, &c., &c. They fall under one of the following headings : — 



Edible Plants, in which the root, tuber, })ith, fruit, tender shoots,, 

 or some other part was eaten. — 

 Kom ba dik, bur um ])eet, koo d rung, terr at, eej) a eep, 

 gag ga war, wye bo gag ga war, po eet, nareen gnan, kaa 

 nung, mud rurt, kool in, burny burny, ngaring, naring 

 arnik, tal lak tal lak, da lurj), tooli merin, bal lang in, 

 m\il lang, i)ike, yar ra nil lam, morr, mer wan. 



Fibre or Basket Making. — 



Min am ber ang, kur ran img an, tabe rup, tool im, 

 ner ing ner it, kar ra wang, i)im pat. 



Fire Stick. — 



Co ran derrk, nan gert. 



