Todays bird puzzle

["martin butterfield" <>]

Thanks to all respondents!

 

Many people got J = Jackass.  That was the one I rated as "easy".

 

Although I rated it as "less than easy" I was a little surprised that it took a fair while for N = Native Companion to get picked up.  Well done Mark Clayton!

 

The one that we couldn't get near was 'Q'.  My initial thought was along the lines of the suggestion of 'Quassowary" but I haven't been able to come up with any evidence for this invented word.  I like the idea of Queensland Cassowary suggested by Alastair and Geoffrey since it sems to touch all bases.   However, on looking at the vegetation in the top of the frame, I wonder about Beth Mantle's suggestion for Quandong.  Referring to  more or less background item  doesn't fit with the general layout of the rest of the  images, but my knowledge of such vegetation is non-existent, so does anyone else have a view?

 

Martin

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 7:13 PM, Geoffrey Dabb <> wrote:

That's OK  -   many Australians, mainly in Queensland, still don't think Queensland is part of Australia.   Indeed, it is believed by some experts that cassowaries don't know they're in Australia.  Moreover, if Eirene Mort was so dinky-di she would have had at her  fingertips less contentious candidates for the Q-spot eg quarrion, quitchup and quook-quook.  The quitchup migration, I might add, passes right over Bowral, so no excuse.

 

A nice little puzzle thank you Martin.  Excited some interest too.   g   

 

From: martin butterfield [
Sent: Friday, 28 March 2008 6:37 PM
To: Geoffrey Dabb
Cc: canberra birds

Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Todays bird puzzle

 

 

Geoffrey. 

 

The second (after Alastair) suggestion for "Queensland Cassowary" and this was the letter that had us stumped.  The slight difficulty with your reasoning is that the designer of the frieze Eirene Mort, while living in the UK for a short while,  was as dinky-di as they come, being born in Woolhara and dying many years later in Bowral.  vide http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100581b.htm

 

Martin

On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 6:25 PM, Geoffrey Dabb <> wrote:

I take it to be a "Q"  = 'Queensland Cassowary', my reasoning being that in 1902 the chooms (or those of them that illustrate alphabets) would hardly have caught up with federation.