CHAPTER VIII
ANIMAL CHARGES (continued)
Fish occur rarely in heraldry, for although they were considered typical of unfailing industry and vigilance, "always swimming against the stream and never falling asleep," yet they were held in far less esteem by the heralds of old than either the "earthy or airy creatures."
Fish have, of course, their own heraldic terms for blazoning—viz.:
Fig. 47.
A fish charged horizontally upon the field, is "naiant"—swimming (Fig. 47); perpendicularly with its head upwards, it is "hauriant" (Fig. 48)—literally, taking a draught; when placed vertically with its head downwards, it is "uriant"—diving; with undimmed eyes, it is "allumé"—alight; when gasping with wide-open mouth, it is "pamé"—exhausted. A fish is also blazoned as "finned of its fins," and when (as is always the case with the dolphin) its tail curves towards the head, it is "embowed." If the fish is feeding, it must be described as "vorant"—devouring—because watery creatures always swallow their prey whole. When two or three fish of the same kind are represented on a field swimming in opposite directions, they are blazoned as "contra-naiant"—swimming against each other.
Mr. Fox-Davies quotes an example of this charge in the arms of Peebles, where one salmon is depicted swimming towards the dexter side of the shield, whilst two are swimming towards the sinister. This charge alludes evidently to the popular idea that for each salmon that ascends the river to spawn, two salmon return to the sea.