OTHER ANIMALS

The Elephant is by no means unusual in heraldry, appearing as a crest, as a charge, and also as a supporter. Nor, strange to say, is its appearance exclusively modern. The elephant's head, however, is much more frequently met with than the entire animal. Heraldry generally finds some way of stereotyping one of its creations as peculiarly its own, and in regard to the elephant, the curious "elephant and castle" (Fig. 404) is an example, this latter object being, of course, simply a derivative of the howdah of Indian life. Few early examples of the elephant omit the castle. The elephant and castle is seen in the arms of Dumb art on and in the crest of Corbet. A curious practice, the result of pure ignorance, has manifested itself in British armory. As will be explained in the chapter upon crests, a large proportion of German crests are derivatives of the stock basis of two bull's horns, which formed a recognised ornament for a helmet in Viking and other pre-heraldic days. As heraldry found its footing it did not in Germany displace those horns, which in many cases continued alone as the crest or remained as a part of it in the form of additions to other objects. The craze for decoration at an early period seized upon the horns, which carried repetitions of the arms or their tinctures. As time went on the 214 decoration was carried further, and the horns were made with bell-shaped open ends to receive other objects, usually bunches of feathers or flowers. So universal did this custom become that even when nothing was inserted the horns came to be always depicted with these open mouths at their points. But German heraldry now, as has always been the case, simply terms the figures "horns." In course of time German immigrants made application for grants of arms in this country, which, doubtle , were based upon other German arms previously in use, but which, evidence of right not being forthcoming, could not be recorded as borne of right, and needed to be granted with alteration as a new coat. The curious result has been that these horns have been incorporated in some number of English grants, but they have universally been described as elephants' proboscides, and are now always so represented in this country. A case in point is the crest of Verelst, and another is the crest of Allhusen. | Fig. 404. —Elephant and castle. | Fig. 405. —Hare salient. | Fig. 406. —Coney. | Fig. 407. —Squirrel. | Elephants' tusks have also been introduced into grants, as in the arms of Liebreich (borne in pretence by Cock) and Randles ["Or, a chevron wavy azure between three pairs of elephants' tusks in saltire proper"]. The Hare (Fig. 405) is but rarely met with in British armory. It appears in the arms of Cleland, and also in the crest of Shakerley, Bart. ["A hare proper resting her forefeet on a grab or"]. A very curious coat ["Argent, three hares playing bagpipes gules"] belongs to an ancient Derby shire family FitzErcald, now represented (through the Sacheverell family) by Coke of Tru ley, who quarter the FitzErcald shield. The Rabbit (Fig. 406), or, as it is more frequently termed heraldically, the Coney, appears more frequently in heraldry than the hare, being the canting charge on the arms of Coningsby, Cunliffe ["Sable, three conies courant argent"], and figuring also as the supporters of Montgomery Cunning ham ["Two conies proper"]. The Squirrel (Fig. 407) occurs in many English coats of arms. It is always sejant, and very frequently cracking a nut. 215 The Ape is not often met with, except in the cases of the different families of the great Fitz Gerald clan. It is usually the crest, though the Duke of Leinster also has apes as supporters. One family of Fitzgerald, however, bear it as a charge upon the shield ["Gules, a saltire invected per pale argent and or, between four monkeys statant of the second, environed with a plain collar and chained of the second. Mantling gules and argent. Crest: on a wreath of the colours, a monkey as in the arms, charged on the body with two roses, and resting the dexter fore-leg on a saltire gules. Motto: 'Crom-a-boo'"], and the family of Yorke bear an ape's head for a crest. The ape is usually met with "collared and chained" (Fig. 408), though, unlike any other animal, the collar of an ape environs its loins and not its neck. A winged ape is included in Elvin's "Dictionary of Heraldry" as a heraldic animal, but I am not aware to whom it is a igned. | Fig. 408. —Ape collared and chained. | Fig. 409. —Brock. | Fig. 410. —Otter. | The Brock or Badger (Fig. 409) figures in some number of English arms. It is most frequently met with as the crest of Brooke, but will be also found in the arms or crests of Brocklebank and Motion. The Otter (Fig. 410) is not often met with except in Scottish coats, but an English example is that of Sir George Newnes, and a dem i-otter i uant from a fe wavy will be found quartered by Seton of Mounie. An otter's head, sometimes called a seal's head, for it is impo ible to distinguish the heraldic representations of the one or the other, appears in many coats of arms of different families of the name of Balfour, and two otters are the supporters belonging to the head of the Scottish house of Balfour. The Ermine , the Stoat , and the Weasel , ., are not very often met with, but the ermine appears as the crest of Crawford and the marten as the crest of a family of that name. 216 IMG:855465476085164071_fig411.png:Fig. 411. Fig. 411. —Urcheon. The Hedgehog , or, as it is usually heraldically termed, the Urcheon (Fig. 411), occurs in some number of coats. For example, in the arms of Maxwell ["Argent, an eagle with two heads displayed sable, beaked and membered gules, on the breast an escutcheon of the first, charged with a saltire of the second, surcharged in the centre with a hurcheon (hedgehog) or, all within a bordure gules"], Harris, and as the crest of Money-Kyrle. The Beaver has been introduced into many coats of late years for those connected in any way with Canada. It figures in the arms of Lord Strath con a and Mount Royal, and in the arms of Christopher. The beaver is one of the supporters of the city of Oxford, and is the sole charge in the arms of the town of Biberach (Fig. 412). Originally the arms were: "Argent, a beaver azure, crowned and armed gules," but the arms authorised by the Emperor Frederick IV., 18th July 1848, were: "Azure, a beaver or." IMG:855465476085164071_fig412.png:Fig. 412. Fig. 412. —Arms of the town of Biberach. (From Ulrich Reichenthal's Con cilium von Constanz , Augsburg, 1483.) It is quite impo ible, or at any rate very unnece ary, to turn a work on armory into an Illustrated Guide to Natural History, which would be the result if under the description of heraldic charges the attempt were made to deal with all the various animals which have by now been brought to the armorial fold, owing to the inclusion of each for special and sufficient reasons in one or two isolated grants. Far be it from me, however, to make any remark which should seem to indicate the raising of any objection to such use. In my opinion it is highly admirable, providing there is some definite reason in each case for the introduction of these strange animals other than mere caprice. They add to the interest of heraldry, and they give to modern arms and armory a definite status and meaning, which is a relief from the endle monotony of meaningle lions, bends, chevrons, mullets, and martlets. But at the same time the isolated use in a modern grant of such an animal as the kangaroo does not make it one of the peculiarly heraldic menagerie, and consequently such instances must be dismi ed herein with brief mention, particularly as many of these creatures heraldically exist only as supporters, in which chapter some are more fully 217 discu ed. Save as a supporter, the only instances I know of the Kangaroo are in the coat of Moore and in the arms of Arthur, Bart. The Zebra will be found as the crest of Kemsley. The Camel , which will be dealt with later as a supporter, in which form it appears in the arms of Viscount Kitchener, the town of Inverne (Fig. 251), and some of the Livery Companies, also figures in the reputed but unrecorded arms of Camel ford, and in the arms of Cammell of Sheffield and various other families of a similar name. The fretful Porcupine was borne ["Gules, a porcupine erect argent, tusked, collared, and chained or"] by Simon Eyre, Lord Mayor of London in 1445: and the creature also figures as one of the supporters and the crest of Sidney, Lord De Lisle and Dudley. IMG:855465476085164071_fig413.png:Fig. 413. Fig. 413. —Bat. The Bat (Fig. 413) will be found in the arms of Hey worth and as the crest of a Dublin family named Wake field. The Tortoise occurs in the arms of a Norfolk family named Gandy, and is also stated by Papworth to occur in the arms of a Scottish family named Goldie. This coat, however, is not matriculated. It also occurs in the crests of Deane and Hayne. The Springbok , which is one of the supporters of Cape Colony, and two of which are the supporters of Viscount Milner, is also the crest of Randles ["On a wreath of the colours, a springbok or South African antelope statant in front of an a egai erect all proper"]. The Rhinoceros occurs as one of the supporters of Viscount Colville of Culro , and also of the crest of Wade, and the Hippopotamus is one of the supporters of Speke. The Crocodile , which is the crest and one of the supporters of Speke, is also the crest of West car ["A crocodile proper, collared and chained or"]. The Alpaca , and also two Angora Goats' heads figure in the arms of Benn. The Rat occurs in the arms of Ratton, [18] which is a peculiarly good example of a canting coat. The Mole , sometimes termed a moldiwarp, occurs in the arms of Mitford ["Argent, a fe sable between three moles displayed sable"]. 218