NAMES THAT PUZZLE COCKNEYS 65 



When the gamekeeper speaks of " pairs " of birds 

 he is referring to birds that have paired ; but a 

 cock and a hen pheasant remain a cock and a hen. 

 Some confusion arises from the terms applied to 

 gatherings of birds or beasts. Young families of 

 birds are usually " broods," and families of animals 

 " litters." One speaks of a brood (or pack) of grouse, 

 a covey (or pack) of partridges, a bevy of quail, a 

 nid of pheasants (meaning a young family), a wing 

 of plover, a wisp of snipe, a team of duck, a com- 

 pany of widgeon, a flock of sparrows, rooks, or pigeons, 

 a skein or gaggle of geese, a herd of swans or deer, 

 and a sounder of wild pigs. The gamekeeper knows 

 better than any one else just what is meant by a litter 

 of cubs. There is a distinction between a big " rise " 

 of pheasants and a good " flush." If a thousand 

 pheasants fly up at the same time it is a big rise, 

 but not a good one, because few can be shot. A good 

 flush does not mean necessarily that there are many 

 birds, but that they rose, or were flushed, so that most 

 of them offered shots a few at a time. 



A wet, cold spring means death to the majority 

 of early leverets. They are given a good chance of 

 life, coming into the world as perfect little hares, 

 with complete fur coat and open eyes ; and, like 

 partridge chicks, they can run on the day they are 

 born. But they are not always strong enough to 



