taken in early life. In the ancient days of the 

 Indians none but the royal family could wear 

 its beautiful feathers. The tail feathers of the 

 male, which sometimes reach a length of three 

 feet, are of a peacock green ranging to indigo, 

 and contrast with the scarlet breast of this 

 proud and unconquerable bird. 



488. The coat-of-arms of Honduras is an 

 elaborate affair, with a shield supported on the 

 mountains of the republic, and surmounted by 

 two horns of plenty, out of which all good 

 things in tropical fruits and flowers are flow- 

 ing. On the shield is a pyramid, with a blazing 

 sun rising out of the green waters of the sea. 

 Around the shield is an inscription which 

 reads, "Republic of Honduras — Free, Sover- 

 eign, Independent — 15 Sept., 1821." 



489. Mexico Coat-of-Arms. — The design 

 for the coat-of-arms of Mexico has been 

 changed very recently from that shown on the 

 flag pictured in 439 to this arrangement, which 

 shows a side view of the eagle. It is, of course, 

 based upon the legend relating to the founding 

 of Mexico City. It has the same fundamen- 

 tals — the eagle, the serpent, the nopal cactus, 

 and the branches of laurel and evergreen oak — 

 but, in addition, has the words "Estados- 

 Unidos-Mexicanos" (United States of Mexico) 

 to round out the circle and further to identify 

 the seal. The change was made in January, 

 1917, under the direction of President Car- 

 ranza, the explanation given being that it con- 

 forms more closely to the ancient Aztec picto- 

 graphs of the event. 



490. The national flag of Haiti consists of 

 a field, the upper part of which is blue and the 

 lower red, with the coat-of-arms of the coun- 

 try in the center. The flag was adopted in 

 1843. 



491. The merchant flag of Haiti is blue and 

 red, exactly like the national ensign, except for 

 the absence of the coat-of-arms. 



492. Dating from 1823, the national flag of 

 Mexico consists of three parallel, vertical bars, 

 the one next the flagstaff being green, the mid- 

 dle one white, and the outer one red. The 

 three guarantees of the republic, which date 

 from that time, are symbolized in the flag. 

 The green denotes independence, the white the 

 purity of religion, and the red the union of the 

 Spanish element with the Alexican nation. On 

 the white bar is placed the national coat-of- 

 arms (see also 439-4S9V 



493. Mexico's merchant flag is exactly like 

 the national ensign, except that the coat-of- 

 arms is absent. 



494. The ensign of Nicaragua consists of a 

 field of three horizontal bars, the upper and 

 lower blue and the middle one white, with the 

 coat-of-arms of the country »n the white bar. 

 This flag dates from 1823, although in 1S54 it 

 was superseded by another banner, which, in 

 its turn, gave place to the old one again. The 

 coat-of-arms consists of a triangular shield 

 (No. 498). 



495. According to the law cited by the Pan- 

 American Union respecting the merchant flag 

 of Nicaragua, merchant vessels shall not bear 

 the coat-of-arms on the flag. 



496. The present escutcheon of the Repub- 

 lic of Panama is described in the Constitution. 

 It rests upon a field of green, symbolical of 



vegetation. It is ogival in form and divided 

 into three parts. The center of the shield 

 shows the Isthmus with its two seas and the 

 sky, wherein is depicted the moon rising over 

 the waves, with the sun setting behind the 

 mountains, thus marking the solemn hour of 

 Panama's declaration of independence. The 

 upper part is subdivided into two sections. In 

 the right-hand section, on a silver field, appear 

 a sword and gun, so placed as to suggest 

 abandonment, signifying an eternal farewell to 

 the civil wars that have heretofore been the 

 cause of the country's ruin. In the section to 

 the left, on a field of red, appear a spade and 

 hoe, crossed, to symbolize labor. The lower 

 part of the shield is also subdivided into two 

 sections. The right-hand section shows, on a 

 field of azure, a cornucopia, the emblem of 

 plenty, and in the left-hand section, on a field 

 of silver, is a winged wheel, symbolizing prog- 

 ress. Surmounting the shield and covering it 

 with outstretched wings is poised an eagle, the 

 emblem of sovereignty, its head turned to the 

 left and holding in its beak a silver streamer 

 with ends flying to right and' left. On the 

 streamer is the following motto : "Pro mundi 

 beneficio" (For the benefit of the world). 

 Above the eagle seven golden stars are grouped 

 in the form of an arch, representing, the prov- 

 inces into which the republic is divided. As 

 decorative accessories two national flags, gath- 

 ered at the lower extremity of the staff, are 

 stacked on either side of the shield. 



497. The field of the flag of Panama is di- 

 vided into four quarters. The upper quarter 

 next to the flagstaff is white and the lower one 

 farthest away from the. staff is also white. 

 The lower quarter next the flagstaff is blue 

 and the upper quarter farthest away is red. In 

 the upper white quarter appears a blue star and 

 in the lower white quarter a red star. Both 

 the flag and coat-of-arms of the republic are 

 only provisional, the constitution authorizing 

 a contest for the adoption of a permanent de- 

 sign. 



498. The present escutcheon of Nicaragua 

 was borrowed from the old "United Provinces 

 of the Center of America," of which it was a 

 member. On the base appears a range of vol- 

 canoes, located upon a strip of land washed by 

 both oceans ; surmounting these and in the 

 upper part of the triangle appears a rainbow, 

 below this a liberty cap radiating light. Around 

 the escutcheon appears the legend in gold, "Re- 

 publica de Nicaragua America Central." 



499. The law prescribing the coat-of-arms 

 of Peru says : "The coat-of-arms of the Peru- 

 vian Republic shall consist of a shield divided 

 into three fields, to wit : one of sky blue, to the 

 right, on which shall be a llama looking toward 

 the left; another of white, to the left, with a 

 cinchona tree; in the base a field of red with 

 a cornucopia, from which flow coins of gold. 

 These emblems symbolize the riches of Pern 

 in the three natural kingdoms. The shield shall 

 bear as a crest a civic crown (laurel wreath), 

 and on either side a flag and a standard with 

 the national colors." 



500. Paraguay's coat-of-arms consists of 

 palm and olive branches interlaced at the ver- 

 tex with a circular space between: in the cen- 

 ter nf this space is the morning star, and in 



368 



