Dec. 23, 19n.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
911 
colts. A "tud” of mares is still in quite common 
usage, though in a slightly different sense from 
the original collective meaning of the word. 
Again a “team” of oxen, a “drove” of kine 
and a "flock” of sheep are familiar to all, but a 
“pace” of asses, a “baren” of mules or a “sculk” 
of foxes are three terms which have quite dis¬ 
appeared. Continuing we have a “down” of 
hares, a “nest” of rabbits, a “clowder” of cats, 
a term which has a distinct sporting ring, but 
it is more correct to speak of a “kendal” of 
kittens. A “shrewdness” of apes and a “labor” 
of moles are two delightful words, so sugges¬ 
tive in their application as to need no em¬ 
phasis of mere words to add to their singular 
aptness. 
By this time the reader will be wondering 
what on earth the literal meaning of these dif¬ 
ferent terms can be and indeed how they ever 
originated. It is quite clear that while some 
few of the names are onomatopoetic—an adap¬ 
tation of sound to sense—a “lepe” of leopards 
for instance, others are undoubtedly suggestive 
or allusive, or to use the beautiful heraldic term, 
they are “canting” names, from the Latin canto 
—to sing; in exactly the same way that many a 
knight’s crest and motto are allusive one of the 
other, as for instance in the family of Sir A. 
Pease, whose crest is a dove with an. olive 
branch, while, the canting motto is “Pax et 
spes.” A “pride” of lions is distinctly allusive, 
and so is perhaps a “sloth” of bears; certainly 
a “shrewdness” of apes and a “labor” of moles. 
Again, remembering that French was the 
language of the Norman kings and indeed of the 
court until the late Henrys, it is to that language 
and to the old Saxon where we must look for 
the origin of other of the terms, especially of 
those which had directly to do with the chase. 
But it must not be supposed that these col¬ 
lective terms were applied extensively to ani¬ 
mals. We have a “state” of princes, a “skulk” 
°f friars and also of thieves, surely an unhappy 
coincidence for the former fraternity; an "ob¬ 
servance” of hermits, a “lying” of pardoners 
(licensed sellers of Papal indulgence), a “sub- 
lette” of sergeants (at law)—these two last are 
delightfully apt—an “untruth” of sompners 
(merchants), a “multiplying” of husbands, a 
“stalk” of foresters, a “draught” of butlers, a 
temperance” of crooks, a “melody” of harpers, 
a “poverty” of pipers, a “drunkenness” of cob¬ 
blers. a “wandering” of tinkers and a few others, 
including a “netful” of knaves, a “non-patience” 
of wives and a “superfluity” of nuns—a phrase 
with a distinctly Biblical flavor. 
It is well known also that the various beasts 
of the chase, when they are “at home,” have 
curious names assigned to them. A hart is 
‘‘harbored,” a roebuck “bedded” and a buck 
"lodged,” but a hare is “formed” and a rabbit 
“set,” the two latter being phrases which are 
still in use to-day. Again, a “mute” of hounds 
instead of a “pack” .would appear to be the 
older term; as also a “cowardice” of cubs, a 
“kenel” of raches (hunting dogs), a word from 
which the modern kennel has come to be de¬ 
rived, and also the well known “litter” of 
whelps. It is interesting to note that the beasts 
of the chase were divided into two classes, those 
of “sweet flight” and those of “stinking flight,” 
phrases referring to the scent left behind by the 
different animals. In the former category the 
buck, doe, bear, reindeer, elk and spytard (hun¬ 
dred-year-old hart) were included; and in the 
latter the cat, gray (barger), fox, weasel, martin, 
(foulmart, a large polecat still hunted in the 
Cumberland rocks), squirrel, while rat and 
stoat. 
Turning now to the birds of the air, especially 
those which were hunted with hawks in the 
olden days, w.e find that most of these were 
given a collective name. All are familiar with a 
“covey” of partridges, “flight” of doves, “build¬ 
ing” of rooks and a “brood” of hens, and a few 
perhaps with a “spring” of teal, a “muster” of 
peacocks, a “walk” of snipe and a “fall” of 
woodcock. But what of a “sege” of herons (or 
bitterns), a “herd” of swans, a “dopping” of 
sheldrake and a “covert” of coots? Surely this 
latter sounds strange to twentieth century 
sportsmen, accustomed to shoot their coverts 
for other game than coots. Why now speak of 
a “nye” of pheasants, a “congregation” of 
plover, a “badelynge" of duck or a “sordsute” 
of mallard? A “murmuration” of starlin, a 
"watch” of nightingales and a “charm” of gold¬ 
finches are three exquisite pictorial expressions, 
which it is the greatest pity should ever have 
become lost to the English tongue; apart from 
these a “host” of sparrows is a term which still 
remains with us, a strange tribute, indeed, to 
the cheeky flutterings of these ubiquitous 
feathered pests. 
Nor have fish escaped the sportsman’s toil; 
every one knows of a “shoal” of fish and most 
of a “school” of porpoises, but what if a “dule” 
of turtle, not that a turtle can be classed zoo¬ 
logically among the ichthydae, however. One 
more example must suffice, perhaps the quaint¬ 
est of all. Every one knows what a “noise” is, 
and the bulk of us have cured an organ grinder 
with a degree of skill dependent only on the 
knowledge of various foreign languages pos¬ 
sessed by the maddened citizen. Few are aware 
that a “noise” of musicians is the correct term 
to use instead of the modern “band.” If, how¬ 
ever, the conductor of the Purple Hungarians 
or the Ochre Austrians were to be requested to 
send his “noise of musicians” to grace some so¬ 
ciety function, it is to be feared that the answer 
which would be vouchsafed to such a communi¬ 
cation would hardly lead to an engagement.— 
Pall Mall Gazette. 
PLENTY OF EXERCISE. 
The Vicar—Do you give your dog any exer¬ 
cise, Mr. Smith 
Farmer Smith—Oh. yes, he goes for a tramp 
every day.—Fishing Gazette. 
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