Assistant Zoologist at
the Australian Museum, Sydney, says in a letter "The Bidyan
Ruffe of Sir Thomas Mitchell is our <i>Therapon ellipticus</i>,
Richards (<i>T. richardsonii</i>, Castln.). Found in all the
rivers of the Murray system, and called <i>Kooberry</i> by the
natives." It is also called the <i>Silver Perch</i> and
sometimes <i>Bream</i>.

1838. T. L. Mitchell, `Three Expeditions,' vol. i. p. 95 [Note]:

"Bidyan is the aboriginal name."

Ibid. vol. i. p. 135:

"Abundance of that which the men commonly called bream
(<i>Cernua bidyana</i>), a very coarse but firm fish, which
makes a groaning noise when taken out of the water."

<hw>Big-head</hw>, <i>n</i>. a fish. The name is used locally
for various fishes; in Australia it is <i>Eleotris
nudiceps</i>, Castln., family <i>Gobiidae</i>, a river fish.
Of the genus <i>Eleotris</i>, Guenther says that as regards
form they repeat almost all the modifications observed among
the Gobies, from which they differ only in having the ventral
fins non-coalescent. See <i>Bull-head</i> (2).

<hw>Billabong</hw>, <i>n</i>. an effluent from a river,
returning to it, or often ending in the sand, in some cases
running only in flood time.

In the Wiradhuri dialect of the centre of New South Wales, East
coast, <i>billa</i> means a river and <i>bung</i> dead. See
<i>Bung. Billa</i> is also a river in some Queensland
dialects, and thus forms part of the name of the river
Belyando. In the Moreton Bay dialect it occurs in the form
<i>pill</i> , and in the sense of `tidal creek.' In the
`Western Australian Almanack' for 1842, quoted in J. Fraser's
`Australian Language,' 1892, Appendix, p. 50, <i>Bilo</i> is
given for <i>River</i>.

<i> Billabong</i> is often regarded as a synonym for
<i>Anabranch</i> (q.v.); but there is a distinction. From the
original idea, the <i>Anabranch</i> implies rejoining the
river; whilst the <i>Billabong</i> implies continued separation
from it; though what are called <i>Billabongs</i> often do
rejoin.

1862. W. Landsborough, `Exploration of Australia,' p. 30:

"A dried-up tributary of the Gregory, which I named the
Macadam."

[Footnote]: "In the south, such a creek as the Macadam is
termed a <i>billy-bonn</i> [sic], from the circumstance of the
water carrier returning from it with his pitcher (<i>billy</i>)
empty (<i>bong</i>, literally dead)."

1865. W. Howitt, `Discovery in Australia, vol. i. p. 298:

"What the Major calls, af