A huge variety of collective nouns, particularly for groupings of animals, are a characteristic of the English language. These nouns are fascinating and can be very poetic, and some of the versions can be traced back to 15th century Britain, to the Book of St Albans of 1486 by Dame Juliana Barnes, prioress of the nunnery of Sopwell near St Albans. Little is known about the prioress, but it is certain that the book, one of the earliest to be printed, became hugely popular for many years. Today, we are more familiar with some of these collective nouns than others, for example a ‘murder of crows’ is fairly common, but a ‘murmuration of starlings’ less so. An aviary, flight, flock or menagerie of birds makes sense, but a crossing, a raft, a pull or a bench of birds does not seem to. Some of the nouns have an obvious basis in animal behaviour but many do not. Language evolves and changes, and words and meanings change or are forgotten over time.