Tail

Tail

Tail, (fr. queue, old fr. couwe, cowe, and other spellings), is referred to very frequently in the blazon, and several examples have already been given under Lion. It will have been observed that in the old rolls of arms the lion is very frequently represented with the tail forked(od la couwe fourchée), or, as is sometimes, but erroneously, blazoned double queued. Also that the tail may sometimes be nowed(for which the old French croisé and the modern French passée en sautoir seem to be equivalent); double nowed, and even forked and nowed(fourchée et renouée) occur, but such are rare, The tail may be erect(for which the fr. term estroict is found) or extended, the latter only in the case of the lion passant, meaning that the tail is stretched out horizontally. Tails, it will be seen, are blazoned as inverted, introverted, and turned over the head; also coward, when the tail hangs down between the hind legs. The end of the tail is called the brush or tuft.

Le counte del MONTE, d'argent, a un lion rampant de goules a la cowe croyse, corone d'or, a une labeu dazur--Roll, temp. HEN. III.

De sable, au lion d'argent, armé, lampassé, et couronné d'or; la queue fourchue, nouée, et passée en sautoir--BOURNONVILLE, Champagne.

De gueules, a deux lions adossés et passés en sautoir d'or; les queues en double sautoir--FOSSEZ de COYOLLES, Valois.

Argent, a lion rampant double tailed gules, one of the tails coward--WALLIS.

The same varieties are found in the tails of other animals than Lions, but not so frequently, e.g.

Sable, a bull statant argent, the tail between his legs[i.e. coward]--FITZ-GEFFREY, co. Bedford.

Ermine, a griffin segreant coward gules, beaked and legged azure--GRANTHAM, co. Lincoln.

Argent, two bars sable, on the upper one a wivern volant, tail extended of the field--MANFELD.

The tail is also sometimes borne separately from the animal, and when so, is generally erased at the lower extremity.

Sable, three lion's tails erected and erased argent--CORKE, Cornwall.

Argent, a chevron gules between three beaver's tails erect proper--LEWES, co. Kent.

Argent, three lion's tails double queued erect sable--PINCHBECK.

Or, on a mount gules three lion's tails erect of the second, tails turned to the sinister--TAYLARD.

Different names have been fancifully given by some heralds to the tails of different animals, such as the single, the wreath, the scut, &c., but no instances have been observed of their use.