There's a story in the school-books of a pair of angry boys
Who banged each other quite a deal and raised a lot of noise,
And the reason of the ruction and a badly-broken head
Was a point concerning colour - was a lobster black or red?
The one said black, the other red; they started clawing hair,
Till a bulging-browed philosopher by chance espied the pair.
He went between the pugilists and said with manner mild:
"A lobster's black when in the sea, but reddish when he's 'biled.'"
I say the plains are splendid, and the plains are grand and green,
Or yellow, dry and dreadful - it depends on when they're seen.
And so the bards who bless the bush, or damn it in a song --
They both are right, but each of them decidedly is wrong.

"E. D."
The Bulletin, 10 June 1892, p5