very
highly of it."

<hw>Botany-Bay Oak</hw>, or <hw>Botany-Bay Wood</hw>,
<i>n</i>. a trade name in England for the timber of
<i>Casuarina</i>. See <i>Beef-wood</i>.

<hw>Bottle-brush</hw>, <i>n</i>. name given to various species
of <i>Callistemon</i> and <i>Melaleuca</i>,
<i>N.O. Myrtaceae</i>; the <i>Purple Bottle-brush</i> is
<i>Melaleuca squamea</i>, Lab. The name is also more rarely
given to species of <i>Banksia</i>, or <i>Honeysuckle</i>
(q.v.). The name <i>bottle-brush</i> is from the resemblance
of the large handsome blossoms to the brush used to clean out
wine-bottles.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 359:

"Red Bottle-brush. The flowers of some species of
<i>Callistemon</i> are like bottle-brushes in shape."

<hw>Bottle-Gourd</hw>, <i>n</i>. an Australian plant,
<i>Lagenaria vulgaris</i>, Ser., <i>N.O. Cucurbitaceae</i>.

1889. J. H. Maiden, `Useful Native Plants,' p. 192:

"Bottle Gourd. This plant, so plentiful along the tropical
coast of Queensland, is said to be a dangerous poison. It is
said that some sailors were killed by drinking beer that had
been standing for some time in a bottle formed of one of these
fruits. (F. M. Bailey.)"

<hw>Bottle-Swallow</hw>, <i>n</i>. a popular name for the bird
<i>Lagenoplastis ariel</i>, otherwise called the <i>Fairy
Martin</i>. See <i>Martin</i>. The name refers to the bird's
peculiar retort shaped nest. <i>Lagenoplashs</i> is from the
Greek <i>lagaenos</i>, a flagon, and <i>plautaes</i>, a modeller.
The nests are often constructed in clusters under rocks or the
eaves of buildings. The bird is widely distributed in
Australia, and has occurred in Tasmania.

<hw>Bottle-tree</hw>, <i>n</i>. an Australian tree, various
species of <i>Sterculia</i>, i.q. <i>Kurrajong</i> (q.v.). So
named from its appearance. See quotations.

1846. C. P. Hodgson, `Reminiscences of Australia,' p. 264:

"The sterculia, or bottle-tree, is a very singular curiosity.
It generally varies in shape between a soda-water and port-wine
bottle, narrow at the basis, gradually widening at the middle,
and tapering towards the neck."

1848. L. Leichhardt, Letter in `Cooksland, by J. D. Lang,
p. 91:

"The most interesting tree of this Rosewood Brush is the true
bottle-tree, a strange-looking unseemly tree, which swells
slightly four to five feet high, and then tapers rapidly into a
small diameter; the foliage is thin, the crown scanty and
irregular, the l