A collective noun (or collective name) is a name which denotes or represents a number of individual items. For example, a number of sheep together is known as a 'flock'. The word 'flock' is the collective noun for a number of sheep. Some items have multiple collective nouns, for example a collection of goats can be known as a 'herd', a 'tribe' or a 'trip'.
Ambush is the collective noun for a group of tigers.
Army is the collective noun for a group of frogs, ants,
Array is the collective noun for a group of hedgehogs.
Badelynge is the collective noun for a group of ducks on the ground.
Bale is the collective noun for a group of turtles.
Barren is the collective noun for a group of mules.
Basket is the collective noun for a group of plums.
Battery is the collective noun for a group of barracuda.
Bazaar is the collective noun for a group of guillemots.
Bed is the collective noun for a group of clams.
Bench is the collective noun for a group of bishops, magistrates.
Bevy is the collective noun for a group of quail, roes, swans, pheasants, ladies.
Brace is the collective noun for a group of bucks.
Brood is the collective noun for a group of chickens.
Building is the collective noun for a group of rooks.
Bunch is the collective noun for a group of grapes, flowers.
Bundle is the collective noun for a group of asparagus.
Business is the collective noun for a group of ferrets.
Caravan is the collective noun for a group of camels.
Cast is the collective noun for a group of hawks, falcons.
Cete is the collective noun for a group of badgers.
Charm is the collective noun for a group of goldfinches.
Chatter is the collective noun for a group of budgerigars.
Chattering is the collective noun for a group of choughs.
Chine is the collective noun for a group of polecats.
Clamour is the collective noun for a group of rooks.
Clous is the collective noun for a group of gnats.
Clowder is the collective noun for a group of cats.
Clump is the collective noun for a group of trees.
Cluster is the collective noun for a group of grapes, spiders.
Clutch is the collective noun for a group of eggs.
Clutter is the collective noun for a group of spiders.
Colony is the collective noun for a group of gulls, frogs, penguins, ants, beavers.
Company is the collective noun for a group of widgeon, parrots.
Congregation is the collective noun for a group of plovers.
Convocation is the collective noun for a group of eagles.
Covert is the collective noun for a group of coots.
Covey is the collective noun for a group of partridges, grouse.
Crash is the collective noun for a group of rhinoceros.
Horn is a general term applied to all hard and pointed appendages of the head, as in deer, cattle, etc, but as a term denoting a particular kind of substance nothing should be called horn which is not derived from the epidermis or outer, layer of the integument, whether on the trunk, hoofs, or head.
Horn is a tough, flexible, semi-transparent substance, most liberally developed in the horns of bovine animals, but also found in connection with the 'shell' of the tortoise, the nails, claws, and hoofs of animals, the beak of bird and turtle, etc
Horn is softened very completely by heat, so as to become readily flexible, and to adhere to other pieces similarly softened. True horn consists principally of an albuminoid principle, keratin, with a small portion of gelatine and a little phosphate of lime. In some species of animals the males only have horns, as for instance the stag. In cattle both male and female have horns, though there are also hornless cattle.
Horns differ widely in the case of different animals. Thus the horns of deer consist of bone, and are deciduous; those of the giraffe are independent bones, with a covering of hairy skin; those of oxen, sheep, and antelopes consist of a bony core covered by a horny sheath. The horns of the rhinoceros alone consist exclusively of horny matter. The horns of oxen, sheep, goats, and antelopes are never shed, except in the case of the prong-horned antelope. The number never normally exceeds four, and in the case of deer the horns are branched.
The various kinds of horns were formerly employed for many purposes. The principal formerly used in the arts are those of the ox, buffalo, sheep, and goat. Deer horns were almost exclusively employed for the handles of knives and of sticks and umbrellas. Those which furnish true horn can be softened by heat (usually in boiling water), cut into sheets of various thickness, which sheets may be soldered or welded together at the edges so as to form plates of large dimensions, and were formerly polished and dyed so as to imitate the much more expensive tortoise-shell. The clippings of horn may be welded together in the same manner, and were formerly made into snuff-boxes, powder horns, handles for umbrellas, knives, forks, etc. As horn has the valuable property of taking on and retaining a sharp impression from a die, many highly ornamental articles were also turned out. Combs for the hair were made from the flattened sheets, and out of the solid parts of buffalo horns beautiful carvings were made. Research Horn
An antelope is any of several cloven hoofed ruminates, members of a large family, closely resembling the Deer in general appearance, but essentially different in nature from the latter animals. They are included with the Sheep and Oxen in the family of the Cavicornia or 'Hollow-horned' Ruminants. Their horns, unlike those of the Deer, are not deciduous, but are permanent; are never branched, but are often twisted spirally, and may be borne by both sexes. They are found in greatest number and variety in Africa. Well-known species are the chamois (European), the gazelle, the addax, the eland, the kudu, the gnu, the springbok, the sasin or Indian antelope, and the prongbuck of America. Research Antelope
The Black buck (Antilope cervicapra), also known as the sasin or Indian antelope, is an Indian antelope. The adult male stands about 80 centimetres at the shoulder and weighs about 38 kg. Its ringed horns have a moderate spiral twist of three to four turns and are up to 70 centimetres long. The body's upper parts are black; the under parts and a ring around the eyes are white. The light-brown female is usually hornless. Black bucks frequent the open plains in herds. When the rut reaches a peak, one male establishes dominance. After six months the mated females each bear one fawn, which joins the herd with its mother about two weeks later and remains with her for more than a year. The fastest of the Indian antelopes, black bucks have been over hunted and are in danger of becoming extinct. The name black buck has also been applied to the sableantelope of Africa. Research Black Buck
The blesbok (Alcelaphus albifrons) is an antelope found in South Africa. It has a white marked face, a general chocolate colouring and a 'saddle' of a bluish colour. It was heavily hunted during the 19th century. Research Blesbok
The bongo (Boocercus eurycerus) is a Central African antelope, living in dense humid forests, feeding upon shoots, leaves and fruits. Up to 1.4 m at the shoulder, the Bongo is the largest forestantelope. The body is a rich chestnut colour broken by eleven or twelve vertical white stripes down each side, a large white crescent on the chest and an erect mane running from the shoulders to the rump and along a tufted tail. Both sexes have spiral horns which may be 80 centimetres or more in length and spiral in one complete twist. Many myths surround the Bongo in Africa, the natives describing it as a magical animal. It is said that the Bongo can hang from the branches of a tree by its horns ready to fall on an unsuspecting hunter, another myth is that when a Bongo is pursued the animal can dive into a river, shed its coat and remain submerged in the river feeding on fish until the dry season. Despite the awe and respect the Bongo has from natives, in 2000 it was in danger of extinction from excessive hunting and the destruction of the forests. Research Bongo
The bubaline antelope (Bubalis mauretanica) is an ox-like antelope found in the deserts of north Africa. It is yellow-brown in colour and has horns which start forward and outward, and then turn backwards. Research Bubaline Antelope
Bushbuck is a popular name for African antelopes of the genus Tragelaphus. They have hairy tails and a spiral twist in the horns. The male is dark sepia brown and the female reddish brown above; both are white below. The white-backed bush-buck is the Cephalophus sylvicultrix, a white-backed antelope of Sierra Leone, with black shining, pointed, and nearly straight horns, short slender limbs, sleek, glossy, deep-brown hair. Research Bushbuck
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Collective Noun
