syllable, but much more on the second. Settlers very early
attempted to give an English shape and sense to this name.
The attempt took two forms, "<i>More pork</i>," and
"<i>Mopehawk</i>"; both forms are more than fifty years old.
The <i>r</i> sound, however, is not present in the note of
the bird, although the form <i>More-pork</i> is perhaps even
more popular than the true form <i>Mopoke</i>. The form
<i>Mope-hawk</i> seems to have been adopted through dislike
of the perhaps coarser idea attaching to "pork." The quaint
spelling <i>Mawpawk</i> seems to have been adopted for a
similar reason.

The bird is heard far more often than seen, hence confusion
has arisen as to what is the bird that utters the note.
The earlier view was that the bird was <i>Podargus cuvieri</i>,
Vig. and Hors., which still popularly retains the name;
whereas it is really the owl, <i>Ninox boobook</i>, that
calls "morepork" or "mopoke" so loudly at night. Curiously,
Gould, having already assigned the name <i>Morepork</i> to
<i>Podargus</i>, in describing the <i>Owlet Night-jar</i>
varies the spelling and writes, "little <i>Mawepawk</i>,
Colonists of Van Diemen's Land." The New Zealand Morepork
is assuredly an owl. The <i>Podargus</i> has received the
name of <i>Frogmouth</i> and the <i>Mopoke</i> has sometimes
been called a <i>Cuckoo</i> (q.v.). See also <i>Boobook</i>,
<i>Frogsmouth</i>.

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.'"

<i>The Bird's note</i>--

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 weird
metallic call of this strange bird, the mopoke of the natives,
without hearing it give expression to the pork-shop
sentiments."

<i>Podargus</i>--

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. ii. pl. 4:

"<i>Podargus Cuvieri</i>, Vig. and Horsf, More-pork
of the Colonists."

1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 33:

"We are lulled to sleep by the melancholy, sleep-inspiring, and
not disagreeable voices of the night bird <i>Podargus</i>--
`More-pork! more-pork!'"

1890. `Victorian Statutes-Game Act, Third Schedule.':

"<i>Podargus</i> or Mopoke. [Close Season.] The whole year."

<i>Vague name of Cuckoo</i>--

1854. G.