[5:] The eagle was sometimes called "alerion" by the early heralds and when blazoned as such was usually represented with neither legs nor beak.
[6:] One Jervis, the principal founder of Exbridge, in Devon, bore six ostrich feathers, and in the heraldry of to-day they are occasionally met with as charges. The Fetherstons bear three ostrich feathers on their shield, and the Earl of Devon has seven ostrich feathers in his crest.
We are all familiar with the Prince of Wales's plumes, but to go farther back into history, we find that a plume of ostrich feathers was often used by King Stephen as his badge, with the motto of his own making: "Vi nulla invertitur ordo"—"No force alters their fashion"—in allusion to the "fold fall of the feather," which was neither shaken nor disordered by the wind, and therefore symbolized the condition of well-ordered kings and kingdoms.
In bygone times, we are told, "some doubted whether an ostrich should be reckoned as a beast or a fowl"!
[7:] "I'll make thee eat iron like an ostrich."
King Henry VI.
Fig. 44.
Three hawks are borne by the Hawksworths; the Corbets bear a raven as a single charge, whilst Dr. Raven, Queen Anne's physician, bears a raven rising (Fig. 44). The swallow, which is the heraldic martlet (see No. 4, Fig. [36]), occurs repeatedly as a charge in coats of arms, very often in threes; six is also a favourite number. The Wardes and Temples bear five; the Chadwicks and Brownlows charge the orle of their shield with eight martlets. The Pawne family bear three peacocks "in their pride" (see Fig. 45), and this same charge occurs in the arms of the Peacocks of Durham. A phœnix is borne by the Fenwicks. The dove occurs occasionally in heraldry. A dove with an olive branch in its beak was added as an augmentation of honour to his paternal arms by one Walker, when he married the only child of Sir David Gam. This charge was granted to Sir David after the Battle of Agincourt, where he took the Duc de Nevers prisoner. It was this same Sir David who, on being sent by the king to view the French Army before the battle, brought word to his royal master that "there were men enough to kill, enough to run away, and enough to make prisoners."
Fig. 45.
Besides the birds already mentioned, the parrot, turkey, owl, chough, pheasant, woodcock, and several others occur in heraldry.
Amongst winged insects, we find the bee in the arms of the Bye family, whilst the Rowes of Cheshire bear a beehive, surrounded by buzzing bees.[8] The bee was considered an honourable charge, symbolizing loyalty to the chief, thrift and industry.[9]
[8:] Lord Lansdowne uses "a beehive beset with bees" as one of his crests.
[9:] In blazoning the bee, Guillim cannot resist reminding his reader of the old saw: