aboriginal name for an Australianbird, from its note «Mopoke.» There is emphasis on the firstsyllable, but much more on the second. Settlers very earlyattempted to give an English shape and sense to this name.The attempt took two forms, « More pork,» and « Mopehawk» ; both forms are more than fifty years old.The r sound, however, is not present in the note ofthe bird, although the form More-pork is perhaps evenmore popular than the true form Mopoke. The form Mope-hawk seems to have been adopted through dislikeof the perhaps coarser idea attaching to «pork.» The quaintspelling Mawpawk seems to have been adopted for asimilar reason.
The bird is heard far more often than seen, hence confusionhas arisen as to what is the bird that utters the note.The earlier view was that the bird was Podargus cuvieri,Vig. and Hors., which still popularly retains the name;whereas it is really the owl, Ninox boobook, thatcalls «morepork» or «mopoke» so loudly at night. Curiously,Gould, having already assigned the name Morepork to Podargus, in describing the Owlet Night-jarvaries the spelling and writes, «little Mawepawk,Colonists of Van Diemen's Land.» The New Zealand Moreporkis assuredly an owl. The Podargus has received thename of Frogmouth and the Mopoke has sometimesbeen called a Cuckoo (q.v.). See also Boobook, Frogsmouth.
The earliest ascertained use of the word is – – 1827. Hellyer (in 1832), `Bischoff, Van Diemen's Land,'p. 177:
«One of the men shot a `more pork.'»
The Bird's note – – 1868. Carleton, `Australian Nights,' p. 19:
«The Austral cuckoo spoke
His melancholy note – – `Mo-poke.'»
1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs and Wattle Bloom,' p. 236:
«Many a still night in the bush I have listened to the weirdmetallic call of this strange bird, the mopoke of the natives,without hearing it give expression to the pork-shopsentiments.»
Podargus – – 1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 4:
« Podargus Cuvieri, Vig. and Horsf, More-porkof the Colonists.»
1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 33:
«We are lulled to sleep by the melancholy, sleep-inspiring, andnot disagreeable voices of the night bird Podargus – – `More-pork! more-pork!'»
1890. `Victorian Statutes-Game Act, Third Schedule.':
« Podargus or Mopoke. [Close Season.] The whole year.»
Vague name of Cuckoo – – 1854. G. H. Haydon, `The Australian Emigrant,' p. 110:
«The note of the More-pork, not unlike that of a cuckoo with acold.»
1857. W. Howitt, `Tallangetta,' vol. i. p. 98:
«The distant monotone of the more-pork – – the nocturnal cuckooof the Australian wilds.»
Incorrect – – 1858. W. H. Hall, `Practical Experiences at the Diggings inVictoria,' p. 22:
«The low, melancholy, but pleasing cry of the Mope-hawk.»
1877. William Sharp, `Earth's Voices':
«On yonder gum a mopoke's throat
Out-gurgles laughter grim,
And far within the fern-tree scrub
A lyre-bird sings his hymn.»
[This is confusion worse confounded. It would seem as if thepoet confused the Laughing Jackass with the Mopoke, q.v.]
1878. Mrs. H. Jones, `Long Years in Australia,' p. 145:
«How the mope-hawk is screeching.»
Owl – – 1846. G. H. Haydon, `Five Years in Australia Felix,' p. 71:
«A bird of the owl species, called by the colonists morepork,and by the natives whuck-whuck, derives both its names from thepeculiarity of its note. At some distance it reminds one ofthe song of the cuckoo; when nearer it sounds hoarse anddiscordant.»
1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 1:
« AEgotheles Novae-Hollandiae, Vig. and Horsf, OwletNightjar; Little Mawepawk, Colonists of Van Diemen's Land.»
1852. Mrs. Meredith, `My Home in Tasmania,' vol. ii.p. 253:
«The Mawpawk, More Pork, or Mope Hawk, is common in most partsof the colony, and utters its peculiar two-syllable cry atnight very constantly. Its habits are those of the owl, andits rather hawkish appearance partakes also of thepeculiarities of the goat-sucker tribe. . . . The sounddoes not really resemble the words `more pork,' any more than`cuckoo,' and it is more like the `tu-whoo' of the owl thaneither.»
1859. D. Bunce, `Australasiatic Reminiscences,' p. 14:
«Just as our sportsman, fresh from the legal precincts ofGray's Inn Square, was taking a probably deadly aim, thesolitary and melancholy note of `More-pork! more-pork!' fromthe Cyclopean, or Australian owl, interfered most opportunelyin warding off the shot.»
1864. `Once a Week,' Dec. 31, p. 45. `The Bulla BullaBunyip':
«The locusts were silent, but now and then might be heardthe greedy cry of the `morepork,' chasing the huge night-mothsthrough the dim dewy air.»
1892. A. Sutherland, `Elementary Geography of BritishColonies,' p. 274:
«Owls are also numerous, the Mopoke's note being a familiarsound in the midnight darkness of the forest.»
By transference to a man. – – 1845. R. Howitt, `Australia,' p. 233:
«`A more-pork kind of a fellow' is a man of cut-and-dryphrases, a person remarkable for nothing new in commonconversation. This by some is thought very expressive,the more-pork being a kind of Australian owl, notoriousfor its wearying nightly iteration, `More pork, more pork'»
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Colonial Reformer,' c. xiii. p. 125:
«What a regular more-pork I was to be sure to go and run myneck agin' a roping-pole.»