of horses in a waggonette.
I expected to see a first cousin to a kangaroo, when the
coachdriver told us, instead of a young gentleman learning
squatting."

1894. `Sydney Morning Herald' (date lost):

"`Jack-a-roo' is of the same class of slang; but the unlucky
fellow--often gentle and soft-handed--who does the oddwork of a
sheep or cattle station, if he finds time and heart for letters
to any who love him, probably writes his rue with a
difference."

<hw>Jackaroo</hw>, <i>v</i>. to lead the life of a Jackaroo.

1890. Tasma, `In her Earliest Youth,' p. 152:

"I've seen such a lot of those new chums, one way and another.
They knock down all their money at the first go-off, and then
there's nothing for them to do but to go and jackaroo up in
Queensland."

1890. Rolf Boldrewood, `Squatter's Dream,' c. xix. p. 239:

"A year or two more Jackerooing would only mean the consumption
of so many more figs of negro-head, in my case."

<hw>Jackass-fish</hw>, <i>n</i>. another Sydney name for the
<i>Morwong</i> (q.v.).

<hw>Jackass, Laughing</hw>, <i>n</i>. (1) The popular name of
an Australian bird, <i>Dacelo gigas</i>, Bodd, the Great Brown
Kingfisher of Australia; see <i>Dacelo</i>. To an Australian
who has heard the ludicrous note of the bird and seen its
comical, half-stupid appearance, the origin of the name seems
obvious. It utters a prolonged rollicking laugh, often
preceded by an introductory stave resembling the opening
passage of a donkey's bray.

But the name has been erroneously derived from the French
<i>jacasse</i>, as to which Littre gives "<i>terme populaire.
Femme, fille qui parle beaucoup</i>." He adds, that the word
<i>jacasse</i> appears to come from <i>jacquot</i>, a name
popularly given to parrots and magpies, our "Poll." The verb
<i>jacasser</i> means to chatter, said of a magpie. The
quotation from Collins (1798) seems to dispose of this
suggested French origin, by proving the early use of the name
<i>Laughing Jackass</i>. As a matter of fact, the French name
had already in 1776 been assigned to the bird, viz. <i>Grand
Martin-pecheur de la Nouvelle Guinee</i>. [See Pierre
Sonnerat, <i>`Voyage a la Nouvelle Guinee</i>' (Paris, 1776),
p. 171.] The only possibility of French origin would be from
the sailors of La Perouse. But La Perouse arrived in Botany
Bay on January 26, 1788, and found Captain Phillip's ships
leaving for Sydney Cove. The intercourse between them was very
slight