The Heraldry of Fish. HERALDRY, in its general application, is the symbol of a name; and armes parlantes, the admiration of the heralds, and of general use throughout Europe, were undoubtedly the earliest devices; none are more ancient than the well-known ensigns of Castile and Leon. The banner of the feudal lord sometimes bore the particular produce of the domain, as the pomegranate, which gave at once the name and arms to the kingdom of Granada. The mode of tenure was shown by the cups adopted by the Butlers of Senlis in France, and allusions were made in the arms of the nobility to other sources of their power and jurisdiction; the ancient Counts of Wernigerode, Master Fishers of the empire of Germany, bore a fish as an ensign of dignity.⁕ These marks of honour, admirably adapted to the different branches of the feudal system, include many forms then familiar which have now become obsolete; but these specimens of heraldry, even in its state of rudeness, are not undeserving of investigation, as reflecting the manners of the times in which they were composed. *Nisbet's Heraldry. B The language used in English heraldry is derived from and partakes much of the old French, the same language which generally prevailed in the court, the camp, and the convent during the dynasty of the Norman Kings of England, and even down to the reign of Edward III. Without the aid of a glossary, in explanation of many terms now disused, the whole import of the subject can hardly be comprehended. Distinguished names, also, naturally give rise to historical associations; and the interest which the allusion is capable of inspiring must consequently be proportionate to the previous knowledge possessed of more than the leading points of early history. In the primitive ages learning was not easy of acquisition, and natural history was almost unknown: from works constructed upon the models of Pliny, Dioscorides, and Aristotle, the knowledge of fish to be obtained is perfectly valueless to the enquirer of the present day. The Roman author enumerates one hundred and seventy-six kinds of fish, but it is now well known that there are not less than two hundred and sixty species of British fish alone; of these, one cabinet, that of Mr. Yarrell, a persevering naturalist, contains upwards of one hundred and sixty distinct specimens. Such has been the rapid advance of information in recent times, that in his work on the subject he has been enabled to describe a greater number by one-fourth than had yet appeared in any British catalogue of fishes. It is understood that nearly three-fourths of the earth's surface is covered with water, and that the Pacific ocean alone is greater than the whole dry land of the globe put together. In the British Museum are now preserved nearly one thousand five hundred different species of fish; and in the Museum at Paris, which is considered to be extremely rich in specimens of the finny tribe, there are not less than five thousand, a number annually increased by discovery from the vast resources now at the command of science. Heralds are not inattentive to natural history, the whole range of which is employed by them; but they use the variety of subjects afforded by that delightful study with reference only to their own particular pursuit, and not always without indulging in fables. Heraldry also partakes of much, in common with poetry, which delights in fiction, and both are found important assistants in the representation of early manners. By this constant reference to antiquity are the heralds guided in their appropriation of the different species of the animal kingdom, which is productive of an arrangement of subjects widely differing from that of the scientific naturalist, whose theory and classification is purposely intended for practical use, and for the immediate benefit of mankind. Few points of natural history were formerly less known than fish; the dolphin and the whale, belonging in modern science to a class which is yet but imperfectly investigated, were fishes to the earlier naturalists. The seal, or sea-calf of heraldry, was also considered a fish, and permitted by the monkish rules to be eaten on fish-days. The otter, it is true, had a like distinction, which is noticed by Isaak Walton. The tritons and mermaids of classical mythology were purely emblematical; but, upon not improbable grounds, have been derived from the amphibious habits of the seal. The last mermaid that engaged the attention of the naturalists is now known to have been skilfully manufactured by a Chinese from the upper parts of a monkey and the tail of a salmon, for the purpose of deception. This singular creature was brought to Batavia from some of the neighbouring islands in a perfect state of preservation. The lower part of the body, enveloped in its scaly covering, was lost in the natural form of a fish; but its appearance was little calculated to realize the fanciful idea of an animal famed for its personal beauty. Bishop Cosin's account of a whale, also, stated to have been taken on the coast of Durham in the reign of Charles II, an ingenious fiction, for a time deceived the zoologists of the present day. Deeply occupied in the advancement of his favourite science, the enlightened naturalist has not often either time or patience to investigate the quaint devices of antiquity, or to trace the heraldic badge to its origin, which invariably attract the notice of the poet and the consideration of the antiquary: to them the heraldry of early ages is a subject of inexhaustible interest. The earliest known device of fish, the Zodiacal sign, is emblematical of the fishery of the Nile, commencing in the month of February, about the time when the sun enters Pisces, which is the best season for fishing, according to Pliny; and of the great abundance and delicacy of the fish in Egypt all authors ancient and modern are agreed. Modern travellers relate that the walls of the temple of Denderah are literally covered with magnificent sculpture and painting. The figures representing the Zodiac are on the ceiling of the portico, and are engraved in the great work on Egypt published by order of the French government. The signs of the Zodiac were frequently sculptured on the exterior of ancient churches, presenting a sort of rural calendar for the labours of the field each month in the of practical use When in the Zodiac the fish wheel round, year, which was |