he whole collection, considered as one thing: but, when
taken distributively, they have a plural signification without the form;
and, in this case, their plurality refers to the individuals that compose
the assemblage. Thus, a _council_, a _committee_, a _jury_, a _meeting_, a
_society_, a _flock_, or a _herd_, is singular; and the regular plurals are
_councils, committees, juries, meetings, societies, flocks, herds_. But
these, and many similar words, may be taken plurally without the _s_,
because a collective noun is the name of many individuals together. Hence
we may say, "The _council were_ unanimous."--"The _committee are_ in
consultation."--"The _jury were_ unable to agree."--"The _meeting have
shown their_ discretion."--"The _society have settled their_
dispute."--"The _flock are_ widely scattered."--"The whole _herd were
drowned_ in the sea." The propriety of the last example seems questionable;
because _whole_ implies unity, and _were drowned_ is plural. Where a purer
concord can be effected, it may be well to avoid such a construction,
though examples like it are not uncommon: as, "Clodius was acquitted by _a
corrupt jury_, that had palpably taken shares of money before _they gave
their_ verdict."--_Bacon_. "And the _whole multitude_ of the people _were
praying_ without, at the time of incense."--_Luke_, i, 10.

OBS. 26.--Nouns have, in some instances, a unity or plurality of meaning,
which seems to be directly at variance with their form. Thus, _cattle_, for
beasts of pasture, and _pulse_, for peas and beans, though in appearance
singulars only, are generally, if not always, plural; and _summons,
gallows, chintz, series, superficies, molasses, suds, hunks, jakes,
trapes_, and _corps_, with the appearance of plurals, are generally, if not
always, singular. Dr. Webster says that _cattle_ is of both numbers; but
wherein the oneness of cattle can consist, I know not. The Bible says, "God
made--_cattle after their kind_."--_Gen._, i, 25. Here _kind_ is indeed
singular, as if _cattle_ were a natural genus of which one must be _a
cattle_; as _sheep_ are a natural genus of which one is _a sheep_: but
whether properly expressed so or not, is questionable; perhaps it ought to
be, "and cattle after their _kinds_." Dr. Gillies says, in his History of
Greece, "_cattle was regarded_ as the most convenient _measure_ of value."
This seems to me to be more inaccurate and unintelligible, than to say,
"_Sheep was regarded_ as the