SPORTING TERMS AND BIG CATS 339 

 A COWARDESS OF CURS. 



In olden times they applied these sporting terms 

 in derision or fun to people and spoke of a skulk 

 of friars and a skulk of thieves, an observance of 

 hermits, a lying of partners, a substitute of ser- 

 geants and what might apply to some of our "400" 

 a multi-plying of husbands, also 



A BLAST OF HUNTERS, 



a draft of butlers, a poverty of pipers, etc. But 

 it was really mean when they spoke of a "bunch" 

 of wives as 



A GAGGLE OF WOMEN, 



gaggle being the term used for a group of geese. 



Speaking of water-fowl reminds me that it was 

 proper to call a group of herons a sedge. This also 

 applied to bitterns, but when it came to swans it 

 was a herd: it was also 



A HERD OF CRANES AND OF CURLEWS, 



and duck hunters may take notice that when a 

 flock of shelldrakes appear they must by no means 

 call it a flock, but a dropping of shelldrakes, also 

 a spring of teals, a cover of coots, a gaggle of 

 geese, and 



A BADELING OF DUCKS. 



That is, when there is a group of various or un- 

 known ducks the term badeling is used, and when 

 the mallards come, speak of them as a sord or 



