Synopses & Reviews
What should we call the wild animals we spot from our windows? A surfeit of skunks? A dray of squirrels? A patient watch of wildlife enthusiasts might even catch sight of a skulk of foxes or a scavenging sloth of bears. The practice of inventing collective nouns for animals is an ancient pastime which derives from medieval hunts, but the list has been augmented in every ageandmdash;and it remains an entertaining pastime today.
A Barrel of Monkeys brings together more than one hundred collective nouns for animals, from a bloat of hippopotamuses to a caravan of camels, a tower of giraffes, and a leap of leopards. The rivalry between male rhinoceroses becomes especially apt when the rowdy ungulates are characterized as a crash of rhinos. and#160;An ambush of tigers is an apt characterization of the skillful hunters that silently stalk their prey. A blend of wordplay, puns, and alliteration, some of the terms collected here are now commonplace, like a pride of lions. Others arenandrsquo;t heard much these days, but manyandmdash;like a dazzle of zebras or a prickle of porcupinesandmdash;richly deserve a comeback.
With charming illustrations by the eighteenth-century artist and naturalist Thomas Bewick, A Barrel of Monkeys is the perfect follow-up to A Conspiracy of Ravens, the Bodleian Libraryandrsquo;s book of bird words. Not even a crash of rhinos can stop readers from smiling at this second collection.
About the Author
Samuel Fanous is head of publishing at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford.