RICHMOND -- You call a clump of cows a herd, whether they are
Jerseys, Herefords or Angus. You call a gathering of fish a
school, educated or not, bass or pickerel, perch or whiskered
catfish.  It can be quite different with birds. Sure, there's
flock. But there's more. Perhaps it's the ability to fly that
has gathered them so many unique group names -- a murder of
crows, for instance, or a gaggle of geese.  Some of these
special names for bird groups date back centuries. Others are
more recent, and the practice of such groupings is neatly
summarized and expanded in a book called "An Exaltation of
Larks" by James Lipton. It was first published in 1968 and has
been on our shelves for a long time, a volume of intriguing
phrases to delight people who like words.  Lipton, by the way,
is not even satisfied with the word herd for a bunch of cows. "A
rumination of cows" is one of the inventions in his book,
bringing an instant picture of satisfied bovines chewing their
cuds after dining.  Birds may have more fun wit