JF Ptak Science Books LLC Post 690 Blog Bookstore
Names given the collectives or gatherings or units of animals are useful and
informative, and occasionally fabulous and bizarre. It seems to me that such characterizations could
be made with people as well, Why should
humans have such a uniform label for collective employment members (a “group”
of lawyers, a “gathering” of architects, and so on) when animals have such a
rich vocabulary to draw from? Admitedly,
animals don’t go out and get lawyers when they feel maligned by a broadly
advanced descriptor, so there’s little chance that more appropriate upfittings
could be applied to different job classifications. Unless of course you consider the “managed
corporate associate monetary inventorialist” (cashier) as an example—but that
is not what I’m talking about.
In the animal world, for example, a group of gorillas is a simple “band”,
chicks a “clutch”, and quail a “covey”, which is simple enough. The names get more adventurous as things
progress in the food chain: hippos are a
“bloat”, a word which seems to identify a characteristic of the animal,
especially when they’re half-submerged, watching the sun move across the sky
with their eyes just above the waterline..
Ferrets are a “business”, semi-inscrutable in their nervous activity. Hyenas
are a “cackle”, hawks are a “boil” and finches are a “charm”.
A group of rhinos are beautifully referred to as a “crash”, and squirrels
are poetically announced as a “scurry”
Perhaps the second greatest of all of these names is that for a gathering of
crows, called a “murder”. It is probably
the crow which, among all animals, may be the only one “smart” enough to commit
the crime—it is an undoubtedly intelligent animal, with a brain-to-body mass
ratio third to that of humans (behind apes) and have been shown to work in
concert with one another toward a common end, and have also used tools in the
pursuit of food. They have also been
depicted for thousands of years in mythology and story as intelligent, crafty
creatures. My choice for the most
fabulously-named: an “unkindness” of
ravens. These birds enjoy a similar
heritage to the crow, but have a greater literary heritage. Unkindness and Poe seem to go together quite
nicely.
A leap of leopards, a gulp of cormorants, a romp of otters, a parliament of
owls. An ostentation of peacocks, a
prickle of porcupines, a stand of flamingoes, a pride of lions, a wake of buzzards,
a tower of giraffes: all seem to fit quite nicely.
What would the human equivalent be? A “grotesque” or a “provident” of attorneys, a “shushing” or “shepherding” of librarians, a “scribble” or “release” of writers, an “envy” or “relief” of actors? I think it needs to be Latin and deep for the politicians. Very deep.
(A directory of names follows in the continued reading section)