A Complete Guide to HeraldryFox-Davies, Arthur Charles
History
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles
Heraldry -- Great Britain
_The Swan_ (Fig. 467) is a very favourite charge, and will be found both as
a crest and as a charge upon a shield, and in all varieties of position. It
is usually, however, when appearing as a charge, to be found "close." A
swan couchant appears as the crest of Barttelot, a swan regardant as the
crest of Swaby, and a swan "rising" will be found as a crest of Guise and
as a charge upon the arms of Muntz. Swimming in water it occurs in the
crest of Stilwell, and a swan to which the unusual term of "rousant" is
sometimes applied figures as {246} the crest of Stafford: "Out of a ducal
coronet per pale gules and sable, a demi-swan rousant, wings elevated and
displayed argent, beaked gules." It is, however, more usually blazoned as:
"A demi-swan issuant (from the coronet, per pale gules and sable").
Swans' heads and necks are not often met with as a charge, though they
occur in the arms of Baker. As a crest they are very common, and will be
found in the cases of Lindsay and Bates.
_The Duck_--with its varieties of the moorhen and eider-duck--is sometimes
met with, and appears in the arms of Duckworth and Billiat. Few better
canting examples can be found than the latter coat, in which the duck is
holding the billet in its bill.
[Illustration: FIG. 468.--Cock.]
The other domestic bird--the _Cock_--is often met with, though it more
often figures as a crest than upon a shield. A cock "proper" is generally
represented of the kind which in farmyard phraseology is known as a
gamecock (Fig. 468). Nevertheless the gamecock--as such--does occur; though
in these cases, when so blazoned, it is usually depicted in the artificial
form--deprived of its comb and wattles, as was the case when it was
prepared for cock-fighting. Birds of this class are usually met with, with
a comb and wattles, &c., of a different colour, and are then termed "combed
(or crested), wattled, and jelopped"--if it is desired to be strictly
accurate--though it will be generally found that the term is dropped to
"combed and jelopped." If the bird is termed "armed," the beak and spurs
are thereby referred to. It occurs in the arms of Handcock (Lord
Castlemaine) ["Ermine, on a chief sable, a dexter hand between two cocks
argent"] and in the arms of Cokayne ["Argent, three cocks gules, armed,
crested, and jelopped sable"], and also in that of Law. It likewise occurs
in the arms of Aitken.
_The Sheldrake_ appears occasionally under another name, _i.e._ that of the
_Shoveller_, and as such will be found in the arms of Jackson, of
Doncaster.
[Illustration: FIG. 469.--Peacock in his pride.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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