bull-dog ant

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

n.


(frequently shortened to Bull-dog or Bull-ant)

an ant of large size witha fierce bite. The name is applied to various species of thegenus Myrmecia, which is common throughout Australia andTasmania.

1878. Mrs. H. Jones, `Long Years in Australia,' p. 93:

«Busy colonies of ants (which everywhere infest thecountry). . . One kind is very warlike – – the `bull-dog':sentinels stand on the watch, outside the nest, and in case ofattack disappear for a moment and return with a whole army ofthe red-headed monsters, and should they nip you, will give youa remembrance of their sting never to be forgotten.»

1888. Alleged `Prize Poem,' Jubilee Exhibition:

«The aborigine is now nearly extinct,

But the bull-dog-ant and the kangaroo rat

Are a little too thick – – I think.»

1896. A. B. Paterson, `Man from Snowy River,' p. 142:

«Where the wily free-selector walks in armour-plated pants,

And defies the stings of scorpion and the bites of bull-dog ants.»

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