HERA 
fma 11 blackbirds; a9 if they had forgotten that the 
Word martlet orit'iiiaresiii their own language. 
Fig. in. Argent, mafoned proper. When the field is 
divided fo as to reprefent the alternate pofition of 1 
(tones in a building, it is called mafoned , and the bearing 
is maftmy. Fig. TI2, vert , a merlette clofe argent. Fie.113* 
or, a merlette fable difplayed gules . Whether the Frenc h 
armorills intend-here to reprefent a blaekbird, with his 
beak and feet mutilated, or the fwallow, as mentioned 
at fig. no, is hot eafy to deride ; however, tliis beating 
is feldom ttfed in Englifh heraldry. 
Fig. 114. Azure, a mermaid proper, crincd or. This chi- 
niericdl fea nymph took its origin from the famous fyrens 
whom U lylfes is fabled to have met in his travels. They 
are’generally reprefented witii a comb in one hand, and 
a mirror in the other. We are of opinion that the .comb 
is but of llioderri introduction, comparatively with the 
early.adoption of this figure; fin'ce it is probable that 
ancient limners, .finding in the Latin defeription (which 
they .probably painted after-! the word pe&cn, (the Latin 
name for an .efcallp ; p-(hell, with which the mermaid was 
naturally reprefented,) they tdok the othei meaning, 
and fubfiituted a comb, which peElen (ignifies alfo in 
Latin. 
. Fig. 115. Argent, a Moor's head fable. Egypt, and all 
the contiguous powers of Barbary; oppoled as Maho¬ 
metans the fiiccefs of the crufaders in Paleftine ; and 
hence the great number of Moors’ heads affixed to an. 
cient efcutcheons. 
Fig. 116. Sable, a mound or. Mound’from monde, mun- 
dus, the world. This fymbol of the globe, bound by 
the chains of Chriltian'fraternity, r prefented by the 
band which encircles it, and defeends from a crofs patee 
at the top, has long been a part of the infignia of a 
Chriftian emperor. The extent of Charlemagne’s em¬ 
pire authorized the painters of his, and of our own time 
alfo; to place this figure in his hand ; and the eagle of 
Germany /fill holds the mound in one claw and the 
feeptre in the other. Old paintings, and ancient (fained 
glafs', prefent us fometimes with this emblem, iliuflr a ted 
by the following monkiflt line: Mundus ut in ChriJlo,fic nos 
Tinimur in iflo. 
Fig. 117. Argent, a morion proper. This fort of (feel 
armour for the bead refembled a cap. Fig. 118, gules, 
in chief two mullets, the finfer pierced, in baje a mullet of eight 
points argent. For Mullet, lee the Definitions. By pierced 
we underhand that tiie colour or metal of the field is 
feen through the charge ; if another tincture appear, it 
mull be mentioned thus: Pierced or, argent. See 
Fig. 1.19. Or, a newt proper . The njewt is a final 1 am¬ 
phibious animal of the lizard genus, called alio by (dine 
effet or eft; and has obtained a place among the he¬ 
raldic charges, although it is not eafy to guefs what 
may have been the cattle of fuch an honour beligwed on 
an humble reptile. 
Fig. 120. Vert, an opinicus paffant argent. This hiero- 
glyphical figure, which is feldom to be lound in heral¬ 
dry, and never in nature, partakes of the qualities of' 
feveral quadrupeds, and is one of the mod complicated 
monffers that heraldic fancy has ever (tamped wi lt the 
character of her eccentricity. However, it holds a place 
as a creft in the armorial enfigns of the company of bar- 
ber-furgeons in London. Its body and tbre-Lgs are thofe 
of a lion, the head and neck thofe of an eagle, the wings 
ftmilar to thole of a griffon, and its tail that of a camel. 
When painted without wings, it is called an opinicus fans 
wings. 
Fig. 121. Argent , an oft rich's head couped azure, in the beak 
a hoffe-fiot fable. Ancient mUbfaLilts were or opinion 
that the galtric juices, in the ffoniach of this gigantic- 
bird were fo powertul, that he could digertiron; and 
hence the common reprefenfution of the clinch with 
a horfe-fhoe ora key in the beak. 
Fig. 122. Azure , three ojlrich'sfeathers argent. The oftrich 
being commonly lound in thole countries where the 
L D R Y. 439 
wars of the crofs had called the European princes, they 
often decorated their armour with the feathers of that 
noble bird. 
Fig. 123. Or, an owl proper. This bird was anciently 
confecrated to Minerva, the goddefs (uppoled to pa- 
tronile the Iciences; and it has been made the fymbol 
of thofe men, who, in their nightly lucubrations, apply 
the 11 (elves to deep-(Indies ; hence it lias been denomi¬ 
nated the “ bird of wifdom.” It is often found in coats 
of arms of ancient families, painted-argent on a fable 
ground, and always full-faced. 
Fig. 1 24 Purpure, in chief two pilgrims' faffs or, in bafe tf. 
palmer's ferip argent. Palmer and pilgrim at e fynonymous 
terms: the firff originates from the palms, or fprigs of 
witlry or willow, which thefe travellers from the Holy 
Lnul.tiled to bring with them on tlu ir return,'as a to» 
ken of their having vi fifed the (acred places of Pale (line ; 
the other name is a contraction of the French peleriti, 
which itfelf is a corruption of the Latin peregrinus, a 
ftranger, a traveller, a wanderer. They tiled to cany 
their beads, relics, and victuals, in a (crip or wallet; 
and this alfo was introduced in coats of arms, in me¬ 
mory of tiie chieftain having been occafibnally obliged 
to difguife himfelf after a defeat under a pilgrim’s garb, 
to avoid the (laughter of a purfuing enemy. 
Fig. 125. Argent, a pegafus fiying gules This winged 
horfe belongs to ancient mythology, and is fabled to 
have been ridden by Perfeus, after his (laying the gorgon 
Medufa; and is an emblem of the rapidity with which 
he Hew to the afliltance of Andromeda. It is one of the 
Egyptian hieroglyphics, intimating f ‘ to fly with the 
wings of the wind, to avoid-the inundation of the Nile.’* 
See the article Egypt, vol. vi. p. 376, and the corre- 
fpondent plate. 
Fig. 126. Vert,apelican in her nef vulning herfelf and feeding 
her young, or. The heraldic pelican is more like an eagle 
than tiie real birdpfthat name. Natural hiftory Ihows that 
the female diverts her bread of the fine down that covers 
it, to make a neft for her young ; hence the idea that (lie 
vulns herfelf to feed her. offspring. This bearing w‘as 
cal led anciently a piety, and has been often reprefented 
in images as an emblem of Him who gave his body and 
blood for the fpiritual nourilhment of our fouls. The 
French call it un pelican avec Japiete. 
Herai.dry Plate VII. 
Fig. 127. Gules, a pheon argent The pheon is nothing- 
more than the bar! cd hea»i 01 non with which the darts 
find the larger kind of airows were armed anciently- The 
word is a corruption of the Lati fferrunr, French fer. 
Fig. 128 Or. a phoenix's head and wings burning proper0 
This bird or hit:rogl_yphical invention, is generally 
reprefented on burning wood, as it was reported 
that the phoenix, when worn out with years, gathered 
feveral branches of 'aromatic tiees, and, letting fire to 
them, deltroyed the remains of its decaying life; but 
that, out of an egg hatched by the heat of 1 lie embers, 
another phoenix arofe, and began a new career of a hun¬ 
dred years. The Egyptian wo r d by which joieph was 
fainted by the people of Memphis, whom he had laved 
in a'time of dearth, founds fo much like the common- 
name of this birdthat it is fair to conclude that the 
phoenix might be an emblem of that Con of Jacob, who, 
afrer being l'uppoied to have been long dead, revived in 
the pretence of his affonilhed brethren. It is often 
painted over the doors of chemifts, as a charaCteriftic 
lyrnbol of their profeflion ; and it is frequently lound 
among ancient crefts, in heraldic collections. 
Fig. 129. Azure, three pine-apples or. The word pine* 
. apple hieaiis'onginallv tiie min or cone of the pine or 
hi tree, and front its limilarity to this the American 
ananas took the name of pine-apple. The word apple 
was ufed anciently for all (orts of fruits that have not a 
hard outlide like nuts, &c. and deems to be derived from 
the » privative of the Greeks^ and pellis, (kin; as much 
