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Show CnOCPIfOOt BEASTS AND BIRDS It Is a very curious fact that the English language has a separate word to designate nearly everj kind of beast or bird in groups. -To be sure, some of these distinctive terms are used by few except sportsmen sports-men or naturalises, but the majority of them are more or Ies familiar in common speech, especially where groups of the dilTerent animals are found We suppose that the use of one of tbee different words was originally founded on some rjason, etymological, zoological, zoolog-ical, or ornithological, but it would take much rxtenrch to asceitain these reasons, and this we have not time to (rive the sul Ject. But we offer a table which slnws In brief space the mot of the diflerent terms given to various classes of aulmals ; perhaps some of our readers on add to if A. covey of patrldges, A nlde of pheasants, A wipof snipe, A 1 y of quail, A flight of dove or swallows, A muster of peacock, A siege of herons, A building o- rooks, A brood of grouse. Alrfump of wild (owl, A stand of plover', A watch of nightingales, A clattering of choughr, A, flock of geese, A cast of hawks, Atripofdottrill, A swarm of bee, A school of whale", A shoal of herring', A herd of swjne, A skulk of foxes, A pack of wolves, A drove or oxen, Asounderot hogs,- A troop of monkeys, A pride of lions, A sleuth of bear. Al-o at the rwk of repealing some of the above oddities of language, we quote the following nwspsper parakraph, which further illustrates the sulject. "A number of sheep together Is called a flock. But a flock of pretty girls is called a bevy, and a bevy of wolves is a pack, a rack of thieves a gang, a gang of angels a host, a bot of porpoises 1 hoal, a thoal of tuffalcs a herd, a herd dJL children a troop, a troop or beautlts a galaxy, s galaxy of ruffl-ana ruffl-ana a Lord, a horde of mules a drove adroteof rowdies a mob, a mob of whales a school, a school or worshipers a congregation, a con-eregntionof con-eregntionof trnginerrs a corps, a corps cf robbers a bind, a band of Itcuils a swarm, and a swarm of people a crow Winter-Ocean. |
