Hi Everyone, I am well-familiar with the term "Underground Mutton" for rabbits, but last night struck the term "Ration Mutton" or "Ration Sheep", as a Darling River term. Looking for another book, I pulled one of the shelf with no spine, and remembered I had this decrepit copy of C.E.W. Bean's "The Dreadnought of the Darling", which I had always been meaning to read. I THINK this was written about 1909 (the title page etc is missing), and there are lots of gems in there. In particular, he visits the Victoria Hotel between White Cliffs and Wilcannia, that my Frank and Rebecca Barraclough had from 1904 to 1909. Would love to know if they were still there when he wrote about it, but no clues. In 1909 Frank and Rebecca took over the Iduna Park hotel near Cobham Lake, north of Broken Hill. That is where they had a large herd of 40 to 50 goats. And it is C.E.W. Bean who explained to me, that on outback hotel menus, was beef (very rarely), mutton (sometimes)and "meat". Most commonly "Ration mutton". Or goat. I think I begin to understand a little more about my ancestors and their hotels! This book is apparently based on articles he wrote, and stuff he had to leave out of his previous book, "On the Wool Track". Has anyone got a copy of that handy to tell me if that is set on the Darling as well? From comment in this book, it seems he had to restrict himself to the wool matters in that one, whereas in this one he talks about people. Going back to read some more - get ready for snippets - I think C.E.W. has almost been gone long enough to be out of copyright. Must check! Cheers Linda