Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A large Australian kingfisher, Dacelo gigas: so named on account of its calling at sunrise and sunset. The bird is more commonly known as the laughing jackass.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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In the morning you do not hear the long, low, mellow whistle of the plantain-eaters calling up the dawn, nor in the evening the clock-bird nor the Handel-Festival-sized choruses of frogs, or the crickets, that carry on their vesper controversy of
Travels in West Africa Mary H. Kingsley 1881
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The 'clock-bird,' supposed to toll every hour, has a voice which unites the bark of a dog, the caw of a crow, and the croak of a frog: he is rarely seen and even cleverer than 'hair grown.'
To The Gold Coast for Gold, Vol. II A Personal Narrative Richard Francis Burton 1855
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In the morning you do not hear the long, low, mellow whistle of the plantain-eaters calling up the dawn, nor in the evening the clock-bird nor the Handel – Festival-sized choruses of frogs, or the crickets, that carry on their vesper controversy of “she did” — “she didn’t” so fiercely on hard land.
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