1853. C. St. Julian and E. K. Silvester, `Productions, Industry, and Resources of New South Wales,' p. 115:
"There is a species of whale called by those engaged in the south sea fishing the <i>Black-fish</i> or <i>Black-whale</i>, but known to the naturalist as the Southern Rorqual, which the whalemen usually avoid."
1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 100
"Nothing is better eating than a properly cooked black-fish.
The English trout are annihilating them, however."
<hw>Black-Line</hw>. See <i>Black-War</i>.
<hw>Black-Perch</hw>, <i>n.</i> a river fish of New South Wales. <i>Therapon niger</i>, Castln., family <i>Percidae</i>. A different fish from those to which the name is applied elsewhere. See <i>Perch</i>.
<hw>Black-and-white Ringed Snake</hw>. See under <i>Snake</i>.
<hw>Black Rock-Cod</hw>, <i>n</i>. an Australian fish, chiefly of New South Wales, <i>Serranus daemeli</i>, Gunth.; a different fish from the <i>Rock-Cod</i> of the northern hemisphere. The Serrani belong to the family <i>Percidae</i>, and are commonly called "Sea-perches."
1882. Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, `Fish of New South Wales,' p. 33:
"The genus <i>Serranus</i> comprises most of the fishes known as `rock cod.' … One only is sufficiently useful as an article of food to merit notice, and that is the `black rock cod' (<i>Serranus damelii</i>, Guenther), without exception the very best of all our fishes."
<hw>Black-Snake.</hw> See under <i>Snake</i>.
<hw>Black-Swan.</hw> See <i>Swan</i>.
<hw>Black Thursday</hw>, the day of a Victorian conflagration, which occurred on Feb. 6, 1851. The thermometer was 112 degrees in the shade. Ashes from the fire at Macedon, 46 miles away, fell in Melbourne. The scene forms the subject of the celebrated picture entitled "Black Thursday," by William Strutt, R.B.A.
1859. Rev. J. D. Mereweather, `Diary of a Working Clergyman in Australia,' p. 81:
"Feb. 21 … Dreadful details are reaching us of the great bush fires which took place at Port Phillip on the 6th of this month. … Already it would seem that the appellation of `Black Thursday' has been given to the 6th February, 1851, for it was on that day that the fires raged with the greatest fury."
1889. Rev. J. H. Zillman, `Australian Life,' p. 39:
"The old colonists still repeat the most terrible stories of Black Thursday, when the whole country seemed to be on fire. The flames leaped from tree to tree, across creeks, hills, and gullies, and swept everything away. Teams of bullocks in the yoke, mobs of cattle and horses, and even whole families of human beings, in their bush-huts, were completely destroyed, and the charred bones alone found after the wind and fire had subsided."
<hw>Black-Tracker</hw>, <i>n</i>. an aboriginal employed in tracking criminals.
1867. `Australia as it is,' pp. 88–9:
"The native police, or `black trackers,' as they are sometimes called, are a body of aborigines trained to act as policemen, serving under a white commandant—a very clever expedient for coping with the difficulty … of hunting down and discovering murderous blacks, and others guilty of spearing cattle and breaking into huts … "
1870. `The Argus,' March 26, p. 5, col. 4:
"The troopers, with the assistance of two black trackers, pursued the bushrangers … "
1870. Ibid. April 13, p. 6, col. 7:
… two members of the police force and a black tracker … called at Lima station … "
1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Miner's Right,' c. xvii. p. 165:
"Get the black-trackers on the trail."
1893. `The Argus,' April 8, p. 4, col. 3 .
"Only three weeks before he had waddied his gin to death for answering questions put to her by a blacktracker, and now he advanced to Charlie … and said, … `What for you come alonga black fella camp?'"
1896. `The Argus,' March 30, p. 6, col. 9:
"About one hundred and fifty horsemen have been out to-day in addition to the local police. The black-trackers arrived by the train last night, and commenced work this morning."
<hw>Black-Trevally</hw>. See <i>Trevally</i>.
<hw>Black-War</hw>, or <hw>Black-Line</hw>, a military operation planned in 1830 by Governor Arthur for the capture of the Tasmanian aborigines. A levy <i>en masse</i> of the colonists was ordered. About 5000 men formed the "black line," which advanced across the island from north to south-east, with the object of driving the tribes into Tasman's Peninsula. The operation proved a complete failure, two blacks only being captured at a cost to the Government of L 30,000.
1835. H. Melville, `History of Van Diemen's Land,' p. 103:
"The parties forming the `black line,' composed, as they were, of a curious melange of masters and servants, took their respective stations at the appointed time. As the several parties advanced, the individuals along the line came closer and closer together—the plan was to keep on advancing slowly towards a certain peninsula, and thus frighten the Aborigines before them, and hem them in."
1852. J. West, `History of Tasmania,' vol, ii. p. 54:
"Thus closed the Black War. This campaign of a month supplied many adventures and many an amusing tale, and, notwithstanding the gravity of his Excellency, much fun and folly. … Five thousand men had taken the field. Nearly L 30,000 had been expended, and probably not much less in time and outlay by the settlers, and two persons only were captured."
<hw>Black Wednesday</hw>, <i>n</i>. a political phrase for a day in Victoria (Jan. 9, 1878), when the Government without notice dismissed many Civil Servants, including heads of departments, County Court judges and police magistrates, on the ground that the Legislative Council had not voted the money for their salaries.
1878. `Melbourne Punch,' May 16, vol. xlvi. p. 195 [Title of Cartoon]:
"In Memoriam. Black Wednesday, 9th January 1878."
1896. `The Argus,' [Sydney telegram] Aug. 18, p. 6, col. 4:
"The times in the public service at present reminded him of Black Wednesday in Victoria, which he went through. That caused about a dozen suicides among public servants. Here it had not done so yet, but there was not a head of a department who did not now shake in his shoes."
<hw>Blackwood</hw>, <i>n</i>. an Australian timber, <i>Acacia melanoxylon</i>, R. Br.; often called <i>Lightwood</i>; it is dark in colour but light in weight.
1828. `Report of Van Diemen's Land Company,' Bischoff, `Van Diemen's Land, 1832,' p. 118
"Without a tree except a few stumps of blackwood."
1884. Rolf Boldrewood, `Melbourne Memories,' p. 21:
"Grassy slopes thickly timbered with handsome Blackwood trees."
1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 359:
"Called `Blackwood' on account of the very dark colour of the mature wood."
1894. `Melbourne Museum Catalogue, Economic Woods,' p. 4:
"Blackwood, Lightwood—rather frequent on many rich river-flats. … It is