悠闲英语(四十八)
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In Groups――物以类聚
Yesterday, I took my mountain bike1 to the trails2. When I was passing by a pond, I saw a few Canada geese3 cruising on the water. Spring has come, and the geese are back from south and will soon be on their way farther north.The sight of the geese reminded me of a story our kindergarten teacher told us when we were very little. She said that men hunted wild geese for food and the geese didn’t like them. So, the leader goose taught other geese to fly in the formation of “人” to remind everyone to keep away from men because they were the worst enemy of geese. Many years later, when I came to the United States, I saw geese fly in the same formation as they fly in the skies of China, and I was puzzled: these geese must have come from China―otherwise how could they know how to fly in a “人” formation? Then I learned that geese don’t fly in the “人” formation but in the “V” formation in English speaking countries.
OK, so much about wild geese. Up to now, we have talked about what to call in English the babies of some popular domestic and wild animals and also how to say whether they are male or female. Today, let’s finish this “animal series” by talking about what to call these animals when they are in groups.
When a dog or a cat gives birth to a group of puppies and kittens, the little ones are called a litter of puppies or a litter of kittens; but when a few dogs running together, they are in a pack, and when cats get together, they are in a clutter.
Both chickens and ducks can be called a flock when they are in group; after all, they both belong to the bird family―“birds of a feather flock4 together.” A group of ducks can also be called a paddling, giving a vivid image of their feet paddling5 under the water to move them forward.
Groups of cows, horses, donkeys, pigs, goats, and sheep are all called herds, but a herd of cows or a herd of sheep are also known as a mob. The word “mob” is mostly used to describe a large unorganized group of people; when cows and sheep are scattered6 around grazing on the range7, they don’t look organized at all. A bunch of little piglets is, of course, a litter. And, get ready for this, a group of rabbits is a colony.
It’s more complicated when wild animals gather in groups. A group of tigers is an ambush, since they always wait in the bush for their preys8. When lions get together, they are a pride; indeed, they are the king of the jungle. A group of leopards is called a leap―that’s how they run, right? And a group of bears is known as a sloth because bears usually wander9 around looking for food. While a group of elephants is a herd, it is also called a parade― imagine what a grand sight that is. As for our most valuable panda, there is no particular name for a group of them since pandas mostly live alone.
Interestingly, in the zoo, when you see a group of alligators lay quietly and motionlessly, they are a congregation. A congregation usually describes a group of people who have gathered for a religious service10―aren’t these alligators just like a congregation of worshipers11? I hope you’ll never see a congregation of alligators in the wild though. For ostriches, when they group together, they are a flock; as we said before, ostriches are nothing but big birds, even though they don’t know how to fly. A group of dinosaurs is either a herd or pack. It’s hard to imagine what the sight was like when a herd of dinosaurs moved across the land.
And as for our remote relatives, the chimpanzee and monkey, they are both in troops when they live in groups. A large troop of chimpanzees is also a community just like one we humans live in.
I hope you have enjoyed the “animal series.” Till next time, send me an email to if you have a question or would like to share a thought. Take good care and keep in touch.
解释
1. mountain bike
登山自行车
2. trail
树林中的小路
3. Canada goose
加拿大大雁, 栖于北美的候鸟; 大雁可叫 wild goose
4. flock
一群 (名词); 聚集 (动词)
5. paddle
浆 (名词); 用桨划水 (动词)
6. scatter
散开, 四散 (动词)
7. range
牧场
8. prey
猎物
9. wander
无目的地游荡, 徘徊
10. religious service
宗教仪式
11. worshiper
作礼拜者; 朝拜者
Animal Baby Male/Female Group
Dog (狗) pup dog/bitch pack/litter of pups
Cat (猫) kitten tomcat/queen clutter/litter of kittens
Chicken (鸡) chick rooster/hen flock
Duck (鸭) duckling drake/duck flock/paddling
Horse (马) foal stallion/mare herd
Donkey (驴) foal jackass/jenny herd
Cow (牛) Calf bull/cow herd/mob
Pig (猪) piglet boar/sow herd/litter of piglets
Sheep (绵羊) lamb ram/ewe herd/mob
Goat (山羊) kid billy/nanny herd
Rabbit (兔子) bunny bull/doe colony
Tiger (老虎) cub tiger/tigress ambush
Lion (狮子) cub lion/lioness pride
Leopard (豹子) cub leopard/leopardess leap
Bear (狗熊) cub boar/sow sloth
Panda (大熊猫) cub boar/sow --
Elephant (大象) calf bull/cow herd/parade
Alligator (鳄鱼) hatchling bull/cow congregation
Dinosaur (恐龙) hatchling bull/cow herd/pack
Ostrich (鸵鸟) hatchling cock/hen flock
Chimpanzee (猩猩) baby male/female troop/community
Monkey (猴子) infant male/female troop