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A Conspiracy of Ravens


Chris Merkord
  • A Compendium of Collective Nouns for Birds Samuel Fanous Thomas Bewick Bodleian Library 2014 Oxford United Kingdom http://www.bodleianshop.co.uk/a-conspiracy-of-ravens.html

    Format: 144 pages, 170 x 110 mm, 110 black and white illustrations

    News release: http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/news/2014/aug-22

    English No value 09/12/2014 1851244093 9781851244096 No value

A murder of crows', 'a charm of goldfinches', 'an ostentation of peacocks': collective nouns for British birds have existed since at least the mid fifteenth century. They are thought to originate in texts about hunting, but have since evolved into evocative, witty and literary expressions, each striving to capture the very essence of the animal they describe.

 

Some are portentous - 'a conspiracy of ravens' perfectly evokes this sinister bird - others convey sound, such as 'a murmuration of starlings' or 'a chattering of choughs'. Yet more reflect with a flourish the beauty of the bird itself: what could be more celebratory than 'a crown of kingfishers', or 'an exaltation of larks'?

 

The best of these imaginative expressions are collected here, illustrated with charming woodcuts by Thomas Bewick, the renowned naturalist engraver of the eighteenth century.

 

Featuring songbirds, aquatic birds, birds of prey and garden favourites, this beautifully presented book will delight both bird-lovers and word-lovers in equal measure.




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