My reference yesterday to the White-rumped Swallow did not
lead to the half-expected queries. Perhaps the list is exhausted from the
Acronym Wars. It was a reference to the famous biscuit tin of
Messrs Swallow & Ariell, which for many years showed a trio of Welcome
Swallows with inexplicably clear white rumps. One possibility is that the
artist got a bit confused while watching a mixed flock. Another arises
from the fact that the firm was indeed founded by a Mr Swallow and Mr
Ariell, and the choice of an emblem suggesting Mr Swallow was balanced by
creating a hybrid with the Fairy Martin, the specific name of which was, and
is, ariel. The
fascination of the Australian consuming public with bird emblems was underlined
when the Melbourne S&A was taken over by Arnott’s, a Sydney firm that has as
its own emblem a kind of hybrid macaw. This defies identification as
far as I’m concerned although Joe Forshaw might be able to have a go at
it.
That biscuit on the tin I showed, the dear old Marie, may
still be purchased at your supermarket in a cellophane packet that bears the
smug macaw on its wrapper.
