alian origin, but it is in
equal use in the mining districts of the United States of
America.

1861. T. McCombie, `Australian Sketches,' p. 10:

"The forest seemed alive with scouts `prospecting.'"

1864. J. Rogers, `New Rush,' pt. i. p. 18:

"Behold him, along with his partner set out,
To <i>prospect</i> the unexplor'd ranges about."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' p. 46:

"A promising place for prospecting. Yet nowhere did I see the
shafts and heaps of rock or gravel which tell in a gold country
of the hasty search for the precious metal."

1894. `The Argus,' March 10, p. 4, col. 6:

"The uses of the tin dish require explanation. It is for
prospecting. That is to say, to wash the soil in which you
think there is gold."

<hw>Prospect</hw>, <i>n</i>. the result of the first or
test-dish full of wash-dirt.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' c. v. p. 54:

"The first prospect, the first pan of alluvial gold drift,
was sent up to be tested."

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 17:

"I have obtained good dish prospects after crudely crushing
up the quartz."

<hw>Prospecting</hw>, <i>verbal n</i>. and <i>adj</i>.
See <i>Prospect, v</i>.

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 16:

"Prospecting in my division is on the increase."

Ibid. p. 13:

"The Egerton Company are doing a large amount of prospecting
work."

<hw>Prospecting Claim</hw> = the first claim marked in a
gold-lead. See <i>Reward Claim</i>.

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `The Miner's Right,' c. v. p. 53:

"This, however, would be but half the size of the premier or
prospecting claim."

<hw>Prospector</hw>, <i>n</i>. one who searches for gold on a
new field. See <i>Prospect, v</i>.

1890. `Goldfields of Victoria,' p. 19:

"The Government prospectors have also been very successful."

1891. W. Tilley, `Wild West of Tasmania,' p. 11:

"He incidentally mentioned his gold find to another prospector
. . . The last went out to the grounds and prospected, with
the result that he discovered the first payable gold on the
West Coast, for which he obtained a reward claim."

<hw>Pseudochirus</hw>, <i>n</i>. the scientific name of the
genus of Ring-tailed Phalangers. (See <i>Opossum</i>.) They
have prehensile tails, by which they hold in climbing, as with
a hand. (Grk. <i>pseudo-</i>, false, and <i>cheir</i>, hand.)

<hw>Psophodes</hw>, <i>n</i>. scientific name of a genus
of birds peculiar to Australia, an