126 
Official Checklist of the Birds of Australia. 
'Both words from Latin phasianus (pheasant) for Phasianus (avis), 
the Phasian (bird), that is, the bird from the river Phasis in 
phasianella ^ Colchis on the Black Sea, whence came the Argonauts of old 
phasianinus : anc | (it is said) introduced the bird into Europe, and so the 
English pheasant is named Phasic nus colchicus. 
PHILEMON : Vieillot’s name for a bird of the Moluccas known there as “ Polo- 
chion ” from its cry which Commerson said meant “ liaisons-nous,” let us kiss. 
Vieillot therefore called it “ Philemon” loving. (G. phileo , I love). The 
name “Friar ” for this bird was given by the early settlers. Watling note 
is “ W organ or a Friar” hence Merops monachus (Latham), monachus meaning 
friar. 
PHONYGAMMUS : Sometimes spelt with one ?/?. Probably from G. phone , 
sound, and gamos, marriage. The y scem3 strange. The bird has a loud 
voice perhaps connected with the remarkable coiled windpipe. It is a bird 
of Paradise confined to New Guinea and North Queensland. The common name 
Manucode is the English form of Manucodia , an abbreviation of Manucodiata, 
the Latinised form of Malay inanuk deivala = “ bird of the gods.” Brisson 
used the word “ Manucodiata ” as a generic name equivalent to Paradisea 
(Linn.) and Boddaert, when assigning names to the birds figured by 
baubenton, shortened it, perhaps accidentally, to Manucodia. 
phrygia : L. Phrygius — Phrygian , regal. Amongst the ancients the wealth and 
splendour of Phrygia were famous. 
PHYLIDONYRIS: A name given by the "'French ornithologist, Lesson. It is 
said to be a variation of Philedonyris from Greek- philos, loving, and hedone, 
pleasure. 
picumnus -= woodpecker from a minor Homan deity of that name who was repre¬ 
sented by a woodpecker. 
PITTA : A Telugu (Indian) name of a bird, Latinized or used as though a Latin 
word by Vieillot, 1810. 
PLECTORHYNCHA means “ twis ted -bill” (G. photos, twisted): pleclrorhyncha 
(G. plectron, a point) means “ pointed bill.” The “ r ” must have been left 
out by somo mistake, but the rules of nomenclature will not allow it to be 
restored. 
plover : See pluvialis. 
pluvialis : From L. pluvia, rain ; which, no doubt, is the root of French pluvier 
plover. Belon (11555) wrote of one of the plovers that it was called pluvier 
“ pour ce qu'on le. prend mieux en temps pluvieux qtden nulle autre saison ,” 
which, according to Professor Newton, is not in accordance with modern obser¬ 
vation, for in rainy weather plovers are wilder and harder to approach than 
in fine. Others, however, have thought that the word pluvialis was given from 
the spotted (ns though with rain drops) upper plumage of the Golden Plover 
(Charadrius pluvialis Linn.). 
PODARGUS : A Vieillot name, evidently from le podarge of Cuvier, which might 
be formed from G. pous (podos) foot and argos, slow. The word has, strangely, 
the opposite meaning in the Iliad of Homer, where Podargus is the name of a 
swift-footed horse ; there being another Greek adjective argos which moans 
swift. Frogmouth is the translation by Jerdon (“ Birds of India ”) of Gould’s 
genus Batrachostomus. 
PODICEPS : A deceptive-looking word as to its origin. It is an abbreviation of 
Podicipes (Podicipes cristatus Linn.). L. podex podicis , rump, and pes, foot, 
from the position of the bird’s feet. One would bo inclined to connect the 
-ceps with capio, as in princeps, or with caput , as in ruficeps, biceps . The 
Grebes are sometimes placed in Ordor Pygopodes, wliich is the equivalent in 
Greek of L. podiceps , being from G. pyge, rump, and pous podos , foot. 
PORPHYRIO : Seems to be same as Porphyrion , the name of a waterbird used 
by the Athenian dramatist Aristophanes in his comedy “ The Birds.” 
PORZANA : New Latin or Latinised from Italian porzana , a crake. 
PRIOCELLA : Compounded from the names of two other genera, Prion and 
rrorellaria . Other compounds from two names are: — Anseranas , Butastur, 
Cor cor ax. 
