THE ENGLISH VERNACULAR.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1312, 24 February 1883, Page 4

THE ENGLISH VERNACULAR.

A foreigner who has evidently never learned Chinese, nor sought at'the bottom of a page or the end of a chapter """Of'a German tale for the verb which gives a meaning to all that has gone before, writes to bowail the difficulties of our vernacular. He says that when he exclaimed, looking at a number of vessels, •' See what a flock of ships," he was told thai a flock of ships was called a fleet, and that a fleet of sheep was called a flock, and it was added for his guidance in mastering the intricacies of our language, that "a flock of girls or quails is called a bevy, and a bevy of wolves is called a pack, and a pack of thieves is called a gang, and a gang of angels is called a host, and a host of porpoises is called a shoal, and a shoal of buit'aloes is called a herd, and a herd of children is called a troop, and a

troop of partridges is called a covej and a covey of beauties is called galaxy, and a galaxy of ruffians is calle a horde, and a horde of rubbish i called a heap, and a heap of oxen i called a drove, and a drove of blacl

guards is called a mob, and a mob' oi whales is called a school, and a school of worshippers is called a congregation, and a congregation of engineers iscalled a corps, and a corps of robbers it called a band, and a band of locusts it called a swarm, and a swarm of people is called a crowd; and a crowd of grapes is called a cluster, and a cluster of stars is called a constellation,"